Prof. David Henshall named as Ambassador for Epilepsy Award Recipient

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Professor David Henshall

To mark National Epilepsy Week, we are delighted to share that our friend and colleague, Professor David Henshall of FutureNeuro, has been named a recipient of the Ambassador for Epilepsy Award by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Bureau For Epilepsy.

This prestigious honour recognises individuals who have made exceptional international contributions to advancing the cause of epilepsy, whether through research, education, advocacy, or clinical care. Professor Henshall was jointly nominated for the honour by Epilepsy Ireland and the Irish Epilepsy League and will officially receive the award at the 2025 International Epilepsy Congress in Lisbon this September. The award is presented every two years, with a maximum of 12 recipients selected from around the world on each occasion.

A neuroscientist and pharmacologist by training, Professor Henshall is Professor of Molecular Physiology and Neuroscience at RCSI University of Health Sciences. He is also the founder and Director of FutureNeuro – the SFI Research Centre for Translational Brain Science, which has been a transformative force in neurological research in Ireland and beyond.

Throughout his career to date, Professor Henshall has had several notable achievements in the field of molecular research that have had an international impact in the field.

Nationally, his greatest achievement is arguably the establishment of FutureNeuro, an initiative that has not only been transformative for epilepsy research in Ireland, but for brain research as a whole. With initial seed funding of €8 million, he has led the Centre’s expansion into a €40 million, world-leading hub for neurological research. Today, FutureNeuro brings together over 30 investigator teams across eight Irish universities, fostering collaboration between patients, healthcare providers, researchers, and industry. Under Professor Henshall’s leadership, the Centre has secured over €12 million in EU funding and €5 million from industry, with a further €17.9 million in government investment announced in 2024 to continue its mission through to 2029. As Principal Investigator, Professor Henshall has secured more than €49 million in research funding, and an additional €19.3 million as a co-investigator, including for multiple epilepsy-focused projects.

The growth of FutureNeuro over the past decade has significantly advanced epilepsy research in Ireland, bringing real-world benefits to people with epilepsy through innovative diagnostics, a more informed clinical workforce, improved awareness of epilepsy and opportunities for public and patient involvement in research. At Epilepsy Ireland, we have been proud to collaborate with Professor Henshall and his colleagues, whether through research grants, joint communication initiatives, supporting participation in research, or assisting researchers in better understanding the lived experience of epilepsy.

Many of our members will already be familiar with Professor Henshall. In the past year alone, he spoke at both our 2024 National Conference about his team’s promising gene therapy research, and at the joint EI-FutureNeuro Epilepsy Research Matters event in March this year.

We were delighted, but not at all surprised, with the recent announcement that Professor Henshall’s contributions to the field deserved this international recognition.

Congratulating Professor Henshall on his award, our CEO Peter Murphy commented:

On behalf of everyone at Epilepsy Ireland, I want to extend our warmest congratulations to Professor Henshall on this thoroughly well-deserved honour.

David’s impact on the epilepsy community, both nationally and internationally, has been immense. To see how FutureNeuro has evolved under his leadership from a shared vision held by a small number of forward-looking researchers into a world-class research centre has been nothing short of remarkable. The centre has transformed the landscape of epilepsy and neurological research in this country in less than ten years. Thanks to his vision, we now have an advanced research infrastructure that brings together scientists, clinicians, patients, and advocates to improve understanding and treatment of the condition.

We are proud to have worked closely with David and his team over many years and to have supported his nomination alongside our colleagues in the Irish Epilepsy League. His commitment to scientific excellence and to making a real difference in the lives of people with epilepsy is an inspiration to all of us.

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