The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation (PERF®) was founded in 2004 as a not-for-profit organization focused on supporting research into pediatric epilepsy and other pediatric neurological conditions. Its creation was inspired by the initiative to study vigabatrin for treating newly diagnosed infantile spasms, leading to collaborations and ultimately FDA approval of the drug. PERF® dedicates its resources to advancing pediatric neurology research.
The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation® (PERF®), in collaboration with the Child Neurology Society (CNS), provides funding opportunities for early-stage investigators through the PERF®-CNS Elterman Research Grant and PERF®-CNS Shields Research Grant. These grants aim to support new researchers in the United States or Canada who are within ten years of completing their terminal degree or post-graduate clinical training and have not yet received substantial independent grant funding. Specifically, the CNS Shields Research Grant focuses on supporting clinical or translational research by child neurologists or developmental pediatricians early in their academic careers, offering a grant of $150,000 over two years to the chosen investigator.