Adham Elshahabi MD, PhD

Address:
Bleulerstrasse 60
8008 Zürich
Switzerland
Email: adham.elshahabi@gmail.com
Web: adham.elshahabi.com

My name is Adham, and I am a passionate medical doctor specializing in epileptology. I currently work as a resident and researcher at the Swiss Epilepsy Center in Zürich, Switzerland. I earned my Ph.D. in neuroscience at Tübingen, Germany, where my research focused on electro- and magnetoencephalography brain imaging, particularly in the context of epilepsy. My work involves investigating both generalized and focal epilepsy using a range of neuroimaging techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and positron emission tomography (PET). Through these advanced modalities, my colleagues and I aim to deepen our understanding of epilepsy and the brain's complex functioning. A key area of interest for me is the study of functional brain networks in epilepsy patients and how they differ from those of healthy individuals. My goal is to uncover new insights into the mechanisms underlying epilepsy, which may lead to more effective treatment strategies. Below, you can learn more about my background and professional expertise.

October 2012 - May 2024

University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

PhD Candidate

PhD thesis title "Functional Connectivity Networks in Epilepsy":
Project 1: Resting state networks in generalised epilepsy using MEG.
Project 2: Resting state networks in Epilepsy using simultaneous PET/fMRI/High-density EEG

Supervisors:

• Prof. Dr. Christoph Braun
• Prof. Dr. Niels Focke
• Prof. Dr. Holger Lerche

2010 - 2012

University of Trento, Trento, Italy

M.Sc. in Neuroscience

Masters Degree in Cognitive Neuroscience.
Final grade: Summa cum Laude
Title: Tactile Perceptual Decision Making of Coherent Motion Direction

Supervisors:

• Prof. Jens Schwarzbach
• Prof. Peter Tse

2003 - 2010

Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

MBBCH.

Medical Degree.
Final grade: Very Good

Licenses

• German Medical License (Approbation)
  Since Dec 2017, Germany
  
  
• Swiss Medical License (Registrierung GLN: 7601007817450)
  Since Sep 2019, Switzerland
  
  

Professional Clinical Experience

• Epileptology Resident:
  Experience in Epilepsy diagnostics and treatment.
  April 2024 - present, Zürich, Switzerland
• Neurology Resident:
  Experience in stroke units, emergency rooms, neurological wards, neuro-oncology, neuro immunology and neuromuscular diseases.
  July 2020 - December 2023, Zürich, Switzerland
• Locum Neurologist: On-call duties for different neurological clinics around Germany.
  Januaryy 2019 - present, Germany
• Neurology Resident
  Kliniken Schmieder Allensbach, Germany

Clinical Internships

• Clinical internship in the neurology department
  Jan 2018, Zürich, Switzerland
  
  
• One year of clinical internships in: Internal medicine (2 months), paediatrics (2 months), general surgery (2 months), gynaecology (2 months), anaesthesia and intensive medicine (2 months), neurosurgery (1 month), neurology (1 month)
  2016/2017, Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• Clinical internship in the family medicine department
  Western University of Health Sciences
  Apr 2009, Pomona, CA, USA
  
  
• Clinical internship in the ophthalmology department
  Semmelweis University
  Aug 2007, Budapest, Hungary
  
  
• Clinical internship in the ophthalmology department
  Gdansk University
  Aug 2006, Gdansk, Poland
  
  

Publications

• Sinka L, Abraira L, Imbach LL, Elshahabi A et al. Association of Mortality and Risk of Epilepsy With Type of Acute Symptomatic Seizure After Ischemic Stroke and an Updated Prognostic Model. JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(6):605–613. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.0611
  
  
• Elshahabi A, Klamer S, Lerche H, Wehrl H, la Fougère H, Braun C, Focke NK (2020): Linking neuronal and hemodynamic network signatures in the resting human brain. In preparation
  
  
• Stier C, Loose M, Kotikalapudi R, Elshahabi A, Li Hegner Y, Marquetand J, Braun C, Lerche H, Focke NK. Combined electrophysiological and morphological phenotypes in patients with genetic generalized epilepsy and their healthy siblings. Epilepsia. 2022 Jul;63(7):1643-1657. doi: 10.1111/epi.17258. Epub 2022 Apr 26. PMID: 35416282.
  
  
• Stier C, Elshahabi A, Li Hegner Y, Kotikalapudi R, Marquetand J, Braun C, Lerche H, Focke NK. Heritability of Magnetoencephalography Phenotypes Among Patients With Genetic Generalized Epilepsy and Their Siblings. Neurology. 2021 Jul 13;97(2):e166-e177. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012144. Epub 2021 May 27. PMID: 34045271; PMCID: PMC8279565.
  
  
• Kajal DS, Fioravanti C, Elshahabi A, Ruiz S, Sitaram R, Braun C. Involvement of top-down networks in the perception of facial emotions: A magnetoencephalographic investigation. Neuroimage. 2020 Nov 15;222:117075. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117075. Epub 2020 Jun 22. PMID: 32585348.
  
  
• Klamer S, Ethofer T, Torner F, Sahib AK, Elshahabi A, Marquetand J, Martin P, Lerche H, Erb M, Focke NK (2018): Unravelling the brain networks driving spike-wave discharges in genetic generalized epilepsy-common patterns and individual differences. Epilepsia Open. Jul 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/epi4.12252
  
  
• Sahib AK, Erb M, Marquetand J, Martin P, Elshahabi A, Klamer S, Vulliemoz S, Scheffler L, Ethofer T (2018): Evaluating the Impact of Fast-fMRI on Dynamic Functional Connectivity in an Event-Based Paradigm. PLOS ONE
  
  
• Li Hegner Y, Marquetand J, Elshahabi A, Klamer S, Lerche H, Braun C, Focke NK (2018): Increased functional MEG connectivity as a hallmark of MRI-negative focal and generalized epilepsy. Brain Topogr 31, 863–874 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-018-0649-4
  
  
• Sahib AK, Mathiak K, Erb M, Elshahabi A, Klamer S, Scheffler K, Focke NK, Ethofer T. (2016): Effect of temporal resolution and serial autocorrelations in event-related functional MRI. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. http://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.26073
  
  
• Elshahabi A, Klamer S, Sahib AK, Lerche H, Braun C, Focke NK (2015): Magnetoencephalography Reveals a Widespread Increase in Network Connectivity in Idiopathic/Genetic Generalized Epilepsy. Ed. Stéphane Charpier. PLoS One 10:e0138119. http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138119.
  
  
• Klamer S, Rona S, Elshahabi A, Lerche H, Braun C, Honegger J, Erb M, Focke NK (2015): Multimodal effective connectivity analysis reveals seizure focus and propagation in musicogenic epilepsy. Neuroimage 113:70–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.03.027
  
  
• Klamer S, Elshahabi A, Lerche H, Braun C, Erb M, Scheffler K, Focke NK (2014): Differences Between MEG and High-Density EEG Source Localizations Using a Distributed Source Model in Comparison to fMRI. Brain Topogr. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25296614.
  
  

Talks

• Network Connectivity in Generalized Epilepsy
  2017 ACMEGS (American Clinical MEG Society) Annual Conference
  Feb 2017, Phoenix, AZ, USA
  
  
• Resting State Networks from Simultaneous fMRI/EEG
  Tübingen MEG Symposium 2016
  Oct 2016, Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• "Erste Erfahrungen zur Verbindung von Metabolismus mit Konnektivität durch simultane PET/MR/EEG-Messungen bei Epilepsie-Patienten"
  Translation: First experiences in connecting Metabolism with Connectivity through simultaneous PET/MR/EEG imaging in epilepsy patients
  53. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft fuer Nuklearmedizin e.V., der NuklearMedizin 2015
  53rd annual meeting of the German Society of Nuclear Medicine.
  Apr 2015 Hannover, Germany
  
  
• "Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy Shows Widespread Increased Network Connectivity"
  59. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Klinische Neurophysiologie und Funktionelle Bildgebung (DGKN)
  Mar 2015 Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• "Resting state networks in idiopathic generalized epilepsy "
  2014 Tübingen MEG Symposium
  Oct 2014 Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• "Functional connectivity network in idiopathic generalized epilepsy"
  (Winner of "Best PhD Presentation" award)
  PhD Symposium - KogWis 2014
  Sep 2014 Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• "Functional brain networks in epilepsy"
  Neurobridges
  Jul 2014 Göttingen, Germany
  
  
• "Resting state network in idiopathic generalized epilepsy: A graph-theoretical analysis of MEG data"
  Disentangling the brainweb: a perspective from magnetoencephalography
  May 2013 Rovereto, Italy
  

Posters

• Magnetoencephalography Reveals a Widespread Increase in Network Connectivity in Idiopathic/Genetic Generalized Epilepsy
  Disentangling the brain web: a perspective from magnetoencephalography
  Sept 2015 Chieti, Italy
  
  
• Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy Shows Widespread Increased Network Connectivity
  OHBM 2015 Hawaii
  June 2015 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  
  
• "Resting state network in idiopathic generalized epilepsy: A graph-theoretical analysis of MEG"
  American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting
  Dec 2013 Washington DC, USA
  
  

Teachings

• Basics of Programming and Matlab
  Graduate School of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, International Max Planck Research School, Tübingen, Germany
  Winter Term 2015/016
  Instructor rating: Excellent
  
  
• Introduction to Programming Language: A practical approach
  Graduate School of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, International Max Planck Research School, Tübingen, Germany
  Winter Term 2014/2015
  Instructor rating: Excellent
  
  
• Introduction to Programming Language: A practical approach
  Graduate School of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, International Max Planck Research School, Tübingen, Germany
  Summer Term 2013
  Instructor rating: Excellent
  
  

Conferences

• 2017 ACMEGS (American Clinical MEG Society) Annual Conference
  Feb 2017, Phoenix, AZ, USA
  
  
• Tübingen MEG Symposium 2016
  Oct 2016, Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• OHBM 2015 Honolulu
  June 2015 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
  
  
• 53. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft fuer Nuklearmedizin e.V., der NuklearMedizin 2015
  Apr 2015 Hannover, Germany
  
  
• 59. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Klinische Neurophysiologie und Funktionelle Bildgebung (DGKN)
  Mar 2015 Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• 2014 Tübingen MEG Symposium
  Oct 2014 Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• Neurobridges
  Jul 2014 Göttingen, Germany
  
  
• OHBM 2014 Hamburg
  June 2014 Hamburg, Germany
  
  
• American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting
  Dec 2013 Washington DC, USA
  
  
• Brain connectivity in epilepsy and sleep
  Nov 2013 Modena, Italy
  
  
• MEG autumn school
  Oct 2013 Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• Disentangling the brain web
  Jun 2013 Rovereto, Italy
  
  
• Advanced data analysis and source modeling of EEG and MEG data
  May 2012 Nijmegen, Netherlands
  
  
• Tübingen Spring School “Methods to Study the Brain in Action”
  Mar 2012 Tübingen, Germany
  
  
• Attention and Objects - Rovereto Attention Workshop (RAW)
  Oct 2011 Rovereto, Italy
  
  
• Autumn school “Perception, Action and Control: Methods, Concepts, and Challenges”
  Oct 2011 Nijmegen, Netherlands
  
  
• “Science and Ethics” workshop - Greifswald International Student Festival
  Jun 2010 Greifswald, Germany
  
  
• Neuroplasticity and Neurorepair - FP7 NeuroMed Workshop
  Apr 2010 Assiut, Egypt
  
  
• Basics of the Medical Scientific Research Methodology
  Dec 2009 Cairo, Egypt
  
  
• SONA (Society of Neuroscientists of Africa) - 9th International Conference
  Dec 2009 Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
  
  

Software

• Matlab: Expert/Tutor, 7 years - professional object oriented programming
• Web development: Expert, 17 years - profound experience in coding web applications using PHP, MySQL, CSS and HTML
• Graphics design and image processing: Expert, 17 years - professional experience in image processing and dealing vector artworks.

Hardware

• MEG: Expert, 7 years - operating the MEG and performing Helium refills
• High-Density EEG: Expert, 5 years - operating EGI high-density EEG, and maintenance and repair of equipment
• fMRI/PET: Fair, 4 years - subjects preparation and running basic squences

Languages

• Arabic: Mother tongue
• English: Fluent
• German: Fluent
• Italian: Fluent