Maria is a Nurse Practitioner in the Division of Neurology at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. Maria works with children who have drug-resistant epilepsy in the Epilepsy Program, Ketogenic Diet Program, and she is also Co-Director of the Tuberous Sclerosis Program. Maria is a co-investigator in multiple studies and her research interests include cannabinoid therapy in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, tuberous sclerosis, the ketogenic diet outcomes, and the influence of social medial on parental treatment decision making. Maria is also active in graduate nursing education, works with many organizations such as the Association of Child Neurology Nursing, and is also a member of the Research Ethics Board at the Hospital for Sick Children.

Learning Objectives:

1.  Explore the history of cannabinoids in the treatment of Epilepsy
2. Review the evidence on the efficacy of cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy
3. Examine the latest research studies on cannabinoids in treating epilepsy
4. Discuss the challenges in conducting clinical trials with cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy and contemplate future trial designs