Epilepsy Center Announces Three New Clinicians

CINCINNATI — The Epilepsy Center at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute (UCNI) announces the hiring of three new specialists: neurologists Robert Simkins, DO, (above left) and Phillip White, MD, and neurosurgeon Ellen Air, MD, PhD.

The three physicians strengthen the Epilepsy Center’s role as a regional destination for patients with epilepsy and seizure disorders and will enhance its neurosurgical component. Drs. Simkins and White will see patients at the University Pointe Medical Office Building north of Cincinnati.

The three physicians also conduct research and serve as faculty members at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

“We are extraordinarily pleased to have these experienced and highly skilled specialists at the UC Epilepsy Center,” said Director Michael Privitera, MD. “They strengthen our program with new skills and bring us to a level of expertise and service that rivals the best epilepsy centers in the country.

Dr. Simkins, an Associate Professor of Neurology at UC, performed his residency at the University of Illinois and fellowships at Henry Ford Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to joining the UC Epilepsy Center, he was a neurologist at the Dayton Center for Neurological Disorders and the Wallace Kettering Neuroscience Institute. 

Dr. White, an Associate Professor of Neurology, graduated from Baylor College of Medicine, where he also performed his residency. Prior to joining the Epilepsy Center, he served as Associate Director of the Wallace-Kettering Epilepsy Center at the Dayton Center for Neurological Disorders.

Both Drs. White and Simkins have expertise in epilepsy monitoring, epilepsy surgery and advanced treatments for refractory epilepsy. They will also perform advanced intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring during surgery.

Dr. Air, an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, completed doctorate and medical degrees at UC. She recently completed a fellowship in the neurosurgical treatment of epilepsy, movement disorders and pain at University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Air brings advanced training and dedication to epilepsy treatment along with expertise in the most sophisticated imaging and stereotactic procedures.

Dr. Air will also see patients at the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders.