Dr. Morris Scantlebury is a pediatric neurologist whose research into childhood epilepsy has had a significant impact on children with acute neurological problems. He has unraveled critical mechanisms underlying progression from seizures caused by fever to epilepsy, which has enabled the development of targeted interventions to prevent long-term complications.
Dr. Morris Scantlebury
Among his other, notable achievements has been the development of an inexpensive, patented model of a severe seizure syndrome named Infantile Epileptic Spasms. The model has been hailed as “bringing hope to countless families affected by this devastating seizure disorder.”
Born in Canada, raised and educated in Barbados, 54-year-old Dr. Scantlebury now teaches and conducts research at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
For over a decade, he has administered and managed pro bono pediatric epilepsy clinics in Barbados. In addition, through his private clinic, he is the sole pediatric neurologist in Barbados to offer quality care for children with debilitating neurological disorders.
His work has also improved diagnosis of pediatric neurology patients in other Caribbean countries, through a company he founded that has already delivered cloud-based, prolonged pediatric brain monitoring in Trinidad and Tobago, and Dominica.
His use of state-of-the-art tools in clinical diagnostics is revolutionary in the Caribbean. Dr. Scantlebury has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and been awarded over $6 million Canadian in highly competitive research grants.
Among his previous accolades are the American Epilepsy Society Award for Excellence in Pediatric Epilepsy Research in 2004, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Research Fellowship in Neuroscience and Psychiatry in 2005, and the Calgary Black Achievement Award in Medicine in 2020.
For his modeling of infantile spasms, ongoing research into the causes of epilepsy, and the salutary effects of that research on Caribbean people, Dr. Morris Scantlebury will be conferred as our joint Laureate for Science & Technology.