“No one with epilepsy was receiving treatment for their seizure disorder,” said Birbeck, who currently is in Zambia, in an email. “Children with epilepsy were routinely ejected from schools and often prevented from playing with other children — dooming them to social isolation and long-term economic vulnerability.”

Birbeck said after seeing so many epilepsy patients in the U.S. lead normal lives, it was devastating to see those diagnosed in the Chikankata Hospital in rural Zambia restricted from having the same opportunities as a result of limited social and medical resources. After years of investigating the disorder, her hard work paid off.

The Chikankata Epilepsy Care Team was established in 2000 thanks to the financial support of MSU and the assistance of the Chikankata Hospital administration.

Birbeck’s research in Zambia has appeared in more than 60 publications and she has been awarded more than $2 million for research in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade.

Michael Potchen, an associate professor in the Department of Radiology, was in Zambia last weekend doing research on the impact of MRI and high technology to patient care in Zambia.

Potchen was given the opportunity to work in Zambia because of Birbeck’s grant. He said he highly respects Birbeck and the research she is conducting.

“She goes above and beyond,” Potchen said “She serves the population that’s not well-represented by anybody, let alone people in the position to provide the care that’s needed.”

Terrie Taylor, an MSU distinguished professor of internal medicine, was Birbeck’s mentor and now collaborates her research in Malawi with Birbeck’s research in Zambia.

Birbeck’s energy and determination are what make her stand out as a researcher, Taylor said, and these traits are what made Birbeck a deserving recipient of the award.

“It is an award recognizing community-level engagement,” Taylor said. “And I believe that (Birbeck’s) work in Zambia has been carried out largely at the grass roots level.”