After completing his M.D. and Ph.D. training, Libor Velisek, M.D., Ph.D., pursued postdoctoral training in developmental epilepsy research and in vitro neurophysiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He subsequently defended his habilitation thesis and was appointed associate professor at the Third Faculty of Medicine in Prague, Czech Republic, where he later became chair of the Department of Pathological Physiology.
In 1997, Dr. Velisek joined the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine as a full-time investigator, expanding his expertise to include perioperative clinical neurophysiology. He was promoted to associate professor of neurology in 2002 and additionally appointed associate professor of neuroscience in 2003. During this period, his laboratory focused on the mechanisms of developmental epilepsies and established translational strategies that bridged basic neurobiology with pediatric epilepsy therapeutics. In 2007, his group developed and validated a clinically relevant animal model of infantile spasms that is now widely used to investigate disease mechanisms and evaluate novel treatments.
In 2010, Dr. Velisek joined New York Medical College as professor of cell biology and anatomy and professor of pediatrics, and in 2012, he was additionally appointed professor of neurology. His research program continues to emphasize translational studies of pediatric epilepsy syndromes, particularly infantile epileptic spasms syndrome and Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, and is supported by NIH and industry funding.
At NYMC, Dr. Velisek co-founded, together with Dr. Jana Veliskova, the Behavioral Core Phenotyping Facility for rodents, which provides comprehensive behavioral and neurophysiological testing resources to investigators at NYMC and collaborating institutions throughout the tri-state region. He also serves as co-director of the School of Medicine Brain and Behavior course (formerly Neuroscience), where he has implemented innovative small-group and self-directed learning strategies that promote integration of foundational and clinical neuroscience.
Education
- M.D., Faculty of General Medicine, Charles University
- Ph.D., Human Physiology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences
Areas of Expertise
- Developmental Epilepsy
Publications
- Chachua T, Yum MS, Chern CR, et. al. "Targeting CRHR1 Signaling in Experimental Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome: Evidence for Route-Dependent Efficacy." Children (Basel, Switzerland), 13(1), (2026) . doi: 10.3390/children13010125
- Chern CR, Schonwald A, Vieira K, et. al. "Long-term administration of EQU-001 (ivermectin) suppresses spasms in a rat model of infantile epileptic spasms syndrome." Epilepsy research, 219(), (2026) 107712. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2025.107712
- Vieira K, Schonwald A, Chern CR, et. al. "Prenatal betamethasone-postnatal N-methyl-D-aspartic acid model of spasms: Update on mechanisms and treatments." Epilepsia open, (), (2025) . doi: 10.1002/epi4.70140
- Iacobas DA, Veliskova J, Chachua T, et. al. "Neurotransmission Sex Dichotomy in the Rat Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus in Healthy and Infantile Spasm Model." Current issues in molecular biology, 47(5), (2025) . doi: 10.3390/cimb47050380
- Obot P, Cibelli A, Pan J, et. al. "Pannexin1 Mediates Early-Life Seizure-Induced Social Behavior Deficits." ASN neuro, 16(1), (2024) 2371164. doi: 10.1080/17590914.2024.2371164
- Chachua T, Chern CR, Velíšková J, et. al. "Epileptic spasms in infancy: Transferring rat prenatal betamethasone-postnatal NMDA model to mice." Neuroscience letters, 813(), (2023) 137431. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137431
- Obot P, Subah G, Schonwald A, et. al. "Astrocyte and Neuronal Panx1 Support Long-Term Reference Memory in Mice." ASN neuro, 15(), (2023) 17590914231184712. doi: 10.1177/17590914231184712
Professional Service
- Associate Editor, Neuroreport, 2012 to present
- Editorial Board Member, Epilepsy Research, 2011 to present
- Associate Editor, Children Child Neurology Section, 2020 to present
Teaching Responsibilities
- Brain and Behavior
- Neurosciences
