Audrey Vernick, Director of Patient and Family Advocacy at the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Alliance (PESA), will be the keynote speaker at HemiCon Australia 2025, hosted by Hemispherectomy Foundation Australia. Drawing from her personal and professional expertise, she will present “Psychosocial Care of Hemispherectomy Families: Preparing, Adapting, and Thriving Together,” offering families guidance on navigating the challenges of epilepsy surgery, school advocacy, long-term support, and building resilience beyond seizure control.
PESA is proud to partner with Hemispherectomy Foundation Australia for our Parent Support Navigator Program, ensuring that families in Australia have access to guidance and peer support throughout their epilepsy surgery journey.
About Audrey Vernick
Audrey’s advocacy work is deeply personal. Her first son faced serious health challenges from birth due to a prenatal stroke. Despite trying multiple treatments, his chronic infantile spasms continued. At two and a half, he underwent a right hemispherectomy, which stopped his seizures completely. He later required a shunt for hydrocephalus and remains seizure-free today.
Through her experiences, Audrey developed a deep understanding of the medical, educational, and community challenges that families face after epilepsy surgery. She now helps parents make sense of the services their child may need, ensuring they are informed and prepared to navigate post-surgical life. Her work focuses on education planning, long-term support, and trauma-informed care for children post-surgery. Audrey is a certified Future Planner through The Arc, a trained Memory Coach for HOBSCOTCH, and serves on multiple national epilepsy and disability advisory groups.
