Jacqueline A. French
{{Short description|American neurologist}}
{{Infobox academic
| name = Jacqueline A. French
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| education =MD, Alpert Medical School
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| workplaces = NYU Langone Health
NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
University of Pennsylvania
}}
Jacqueline A. French is an American neurologist. She is a Professor in the Department of Neurology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and Academic Division Director of Epilepsy. French became the Chief Scientific Officer of the Epilepsy Foundation in 2015 after previously serving as the President and Vice-President of the American Epilepsy Society.
Early life and education
Upon earning her medical degree from Brown University's Alpert Medical School, French completed her fellowship in epilepsy and residency in neurology at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. She also completed another epilepsy fellowship at Yale University in 1989.{{cite web |title=Jacqueline A. French, MD|url=https://nyulangone.org/doctors/1689606832/jacqueline-a-french#appointments|publisher=NYU Langone Health|access-date=January 17, 2023}}
Career
Following her fellowship in epilepsy at Yale University, French was recruited to join the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). As a professor at the institution, she oversaw a number of multicentre drug studies that were underway in the department.{{cite journal |last1=Nierengarten |first1=Mary Beth |title=Jacqueline French: Pioneering trial protocols for epilepsy |journal=The Lancet |date=September 2008 |volume=7 |issue=9 |page=774 |doi=10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70185-6 |pmid=18703002 |s2cid=43560728 |url=https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laneur/PIIS1474-4422(08)70185-6.pdf |access-date=January 17, 2023}} She eventually became the assistant dean for clinical trials at UPenn,{{cite web |title=Jacqueline A. French, MD, Named First Vice President of American Epilepsy Society |url=https://www.newswise.com/articles/jacqueline-a-french-md-named-first-vice-president-of-american-epilepsy-society |publisher=Newswire |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=December 5, 2011}} and her efforts were recognized with the 2005 American Epilepsy Society (AES) Distinguished Service Award.{{cite web |title=Awardees |url=https://www.aesnet.org/about/about-aes/awards/past-awardees |publisher=American Epilepsy Society |access-date=January 25, 2023}} At the same time, French was appointed the Chief Scientific Officer for the Epilepsy Therapy Project from 2005 to 2011 and served on the Epilepsy Foundation's Professional Advisory Board.{{cite web |title=Meet Dr. Jacqueline French |url=https://www.epilepsy.com/research-funding/about/meet-dr-jacqueline-french |publisher=Epilepsy Foundation |access-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520143836/https://www.epilepsy.com/research-funding/about/meet-dr-jacqueline-french |archive-date=May 20, 2022}} Prior to leaving UPenn in 2007, French gained FDA approval for her newly developed method of testing epilepsy drugs and established the Epilepsy Study Consortium. Following FDA approval, several studies began testing her new trial design on different drugs.
French left UPenn in 2007 to join the faculty at NYU Langone Health. During her early tenure at the institution, she demonstrated that historical data from previously completed withdrawal to monotherapy studies for antiepileptic drugs provided valid control for future studies. Based on her study, the FDA accepted this concept in an effort to get monotherapy easier approval for AEDs.{{cite web |title=FDA Accepts Historical Controls for Epilepsy Monotherapy Studies |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100720083511.htm |publisher=Science Daily |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=July 20, 2010}} She was also the recipient of the 2009 Ambassador for Epilepsy Award from the International League Against Epilepsy.{{cite web |title=Ambassador for Epilepsy Award 2009 |url=https://www.ilae.org/about-ilae/awards/ambassador-for-epilepsy-award/jacqueline-french-2009 |publisher=International League Against Epilepsy |access-date=January 25, 2023}} French was shortly thereafter appointed Director of Translational Research and Clinical Trials at the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and sat on the editorial boards of Lancet Neurology and Neurotherapeutics. French was also elected to sit on numerous committees including for the American Society of Experimental Therapeutics, International League Against Epilepsy Commission on Therapeutic Strategies, and the North American Commission. While serving in these roles, French also became a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and oversaw the first clinical trial of a new drug called perampanel.{{cite web |title=New drug may reduce seizures in epilepsy |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110413161244.htm |publisher=Science Daily |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=April 14, 2011}} As a result of her research efforts, she served as the Epilepsy Foundation's vice president for research from 2011 to 2012 and was elected the first vice president of the AES for a one-year term. Following her term as vice-president, French was given the title of president of the AES for another one-year term from 2012 to 2013.{{cite web |title=Jacqueline A. French, MD, Named President of American Epilepsy Society |url=https://www.newswise.com/articles/jacqueline-a-french-md-named-president-of-american-epilepsy-society |publisher=Newswire |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=December 3, 2012}} During her term as president, French also received the 2013 Hero of Epilepsy Award from the Epilepsy Foundation.{{cite web |title=Jacqueline A. French, M.D. Receives the Epilepsy Foundation 2013 Hero of Epilepsy Award |url=https://www.epilepsy.com/stories/jacqueline-french-md-receives-epilepsy-foundation-2013-hero-epilepsy-award |publisher=Epilepsy Foundation |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=April 22, 2013}}
Upon stepping down as president of the AES, French became the Chief Scientific Officer of the Epilepsy Foundation in 2015.{{cite web |title=Epilepsy Foundation Names Jacqueline A. French, MD, as New Chief Scientific Officer |url=https://www.epilepsy.com/stories/epilepsy-foundation-names-jacqueline-french-md-new-chief-scientific-officer |publisher=Epilepsy Foundation |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=April 20, 2015}} In this role, she helped develop new guidelines to inform clinicians on how to treat a first seizure which was then released jointly by the American Academy of Neurology and AES.{{cite web |title=New Guidelines Inform Clinicians How to Treat a First Seizure |url=https://nyulangone.org/news/new-guidelines-inform-clinicians-how-treat-first-seizure |publisher=NYU Langone Medical Center |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=April 20, 2015}} In 2017, she received the William G. Lennox Award for lifetime accomplishments in epilepsy from the AES.{{cite web |title=Jacqueline A. French, MD, to Be Honored for Lifetime Accomplishments in Epilepsy at the American Epilepsy Society's Annual Meeting |url=https://www.aesnet.org/about/about-aes/press-room/jacqueline-a.-french-md-to-be-honored-for-lifetime-accomplishments-in-epilepsy-at-the-american-epilepsy-society's-annual-meeting |publisher=American Epilepsy Society |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=November 27, 2017}} In January 2020, French was one of five new members elected to join the Board of Directors for the American Brain Foundation.{{cite web |title=Jacqueline French, MD, Joins the Board of the American Brain Foundation |url=https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/20_New_Trustee_Jacqueline_French.pdf |publisher=American Brain Foundation |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=January 24, 2020}} During the COVID-19 pandemic, French was a member of NYU's COVID-19 and Epilepsy Study Group. This group released research studying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with epilepsy.{{cite journal |title=Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with epilepsy: findings from the US arm of the COV-E study |journal=Epilepsia Open |date=August 5, 2022 |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=645–656 |pmid=35929180 |last1=Dugan |first1=P. |last2=Carroll |first2=E. |last3=Thorpe |first3=J. |last4=Jette |first4=N. |last5=Agarwal |first5=P. |last6=Ashby |first6=S. |last7=Hanna |first7=J. |last8=French |first8=J. |last9=Devinsky |first9=O. |last10=Sen |first10=A. |author11=COVID-19 Epilepsy COV-E Study Group |doi=10.1002/epi4.12637 |pmc=9537888 }} She was later recognized by Clarivate Analytics as being among the world's most-cited researchers in her field.{{cite web |title=Nearly Two Dozen NYU Professors Among the World's Most Cited Researchers |url=https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2022/november/HighlyCitedResearchers2022.html |publisher=New York University |access-date=January 25, 2023 |date=November 15, 2022}}
References
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External links
- {{Google Scholar id |U1_bFK0AAAAJ}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Jacqueline A.}}
Category:Date of birth missing (living people)
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century American women scientists
Category:American neurologists
Category:New York University Grossman School of Medicine faculty
Category:Alpert Medical School alumni
Category:University of Pennsylvania faculty