Cecil Hahn

Dr. Cecil Hahn is a Clinician-Investigator at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) specializing in epilepsy, neurocritical care and neonatal neurology. In addition to caring for children with complex epilepsy, he directs the hospital’s critical care EEG monitoring program, and has led the implementation of guidelines for EEG monitoring in the neonatal, paediatric and cardiac intensive care units. Dr. Hahn is principal investigator of a multi-centre prospective study of seizures among comatose critically ill children that aims to measure the contribution of seizures to functional outcomes. His research group also investigates the implementation of quantitative EEG trending displays to assist with seizure identification in the ICU.

Research

Dr. Hahn is principal investigator of a multi-centre prospective study of seizures among comatose critically ill children, with goals to measure the prevalence of seizures, characterize patients at risk for seizures, and measure the impact of these seizures on functional and neuropsychological outcomes. His research group also continues to investigate the utility and implementation of quantitative EEG trending displays to assist with seizure identification among critically ill infants and children.  In addition, Dr. Hahn has held a leadership role in an international research consortium on critical care EEG monitoring, through which he and his group are contributing to several collaborative multi-center studies. He is a co-investigator on a cohort study investigating the impact of glucose control on neonatal seizures and brain development funded by CIHR and NIH. 

Education and experience

• 2018–Present: Director, Neurology Residency Training Program
• 2014–Present: Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics (Neurology),  University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 2014–Present: Senior Associate Scientist, Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON 
• 2013–Present: Associate Member, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON 
• 2008–Present: Director, Critical Care EEG Monitoring Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON 
• 2006–Present: Staff Physician, Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON 
• 2006–2014: Associate Scientist, Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Research Institute, Toronto, ON  
• 2006–2014: Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics (Neurology),   University of Toronto, Toronto, ON 
• 2003–2006: Clinical Research Fellow in Pediatric Neurocritical Care and Epilepsy, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 
• 2003–2006: Master of Public Health, Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
• 1994–1998: Doctor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 1990–1994: Bachelor of Arts (AB) in Neuroscience, summa cum laude, Amherst College 

Achievements

• 2019–2020: President, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society
• 2017–2019: President, Canadian Association of Child Neurology
• 2015–Present: Associate Editor, Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology
• 2013–2015: Chair, Critical Care EEG Monitoring Research Consortium
• 2011: Fellow, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society
• 2007: Senior Fellow, Massey College, University of Toronto 

1. Payne ET, Zhao X, Frndova H, McBain K, Sharma R, Hutchison JS, Hahn CD. Seizure burden is independently associated with short-term outcome in critically ill children. Brain. 2014;137:1429-1438.  
2. Lee JW, LaRoche SM, Choi H, Rodriguez Ruiz AA, Fertig E, Politsky J, Herman S, Loddenkemper T, Sansevere A, Korb PJ, Abend N, Goldstein JL, Sinha SR, Dombrowski KE, Ritzl EK, Westover MB, Gavvala J, Schmitt S, Szaflarski JP, Ding K, Haas KF, Buchsbaum R, Hirsch LJ, Wusthoff CJ, Hopp JL, Hahn CD. Development and Feasibility Testing of a Critical Care EEG Monitoring Database for Standardized Clinical Reporting and Multicenter Collaborative Research. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2016;33(2):133-40.  
3. Birca A, Vakorin V, Porayette P, Madathil S, Chau V, Seed M, Doesburg S, Blaser S, Nita DA, Sharma R, Duerden EG, Hickey EJ, Miller SP, Hahn CD. Interplay of brain structure and function in neonatal congenital heart disease. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. 2016;3(9): 708–722.  
4. Pinchefsky E, Hahn CD, Kamino D, Chau V, Brant R, Moore AM, Tam EWY. Hyperglycemia and Glucose Variability are associated with Worse Brain Function and Seizures in Neonatal Encephalopathy: A Prospective Cohort Study. J Pediatr. 2019;209:23-32. 
5. Din F, Lalgudi Ganesan S, Akiyama T, Stewart CP, Ochi A, Otsubo H, Go C, Hahn CD. Seizure Detection Algorithms in Critically III Children: A Comparative Evaluation. Critical Care Med. 2020;48(4):545-552.