Professor Charlotte Lawthom

Charlotte Lawthom is from the Rhondda Valley. After school in Porth Comprehensive, she was educated in Peterhouse, Cambridge. Neurology teaching in Clinical School ignited a lifelong fascination and set her future career. After completing a highly competitive medical rotation in Cambridge Deanery, she worked in Royal Glamorgan in Medicine, then Adelaide. She attained an Advanced Neurology Fellowship in Adelaide and first became interested in epilepsy as a sub-specialty.  She completed her training in Neurology in Wales and achieved her PhD in Epilepsy and Vision from Cardiff University. 

Charlotte has worked in Aneurin Bevan since becoming a consultant in 2008. She delivered acute neurology care since 2010. Acute neurology care is still poorly delivered across the UK and Charlotte is pleased to be part of the team delivering acute care now.
Charlotte is currently the Wales National Lead for headache and is keen to deliver new and emerging headache care.

Charlotte is a committed teacher and was awarded the Cardiff Deanery teacher of the year in 2015. Charlotte set up the first Open Access epilepsy service in the UK in Aneurin Bevan in 2012. She continues to publish regularly in the field of Epilepsy and is currently researching a major project called Humanising Healthcare. Charlotte is proud to hold an honorary chair from Swansea University.  

Epilepsy

Headache

General Neurology

Epilepsy, Learning Disabilities, Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, Anti seizure Medications.

MB, BChir, MA (Cantab), FRCP, PhD, PGCMedEd

Year of first medical qualification: 1995

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Association of British Neurology, International League Against Epilepsy

Medical Protection Society

BMA

Charlotte is walked by her black Labrador and gets stress relief from the gym. She regularly hosts and cooks. Music is a lifelong passion. As well as singing and playing piano, Charlotte loves live music of all genres. She is also a bookworm.

Consultant Neurologist

• Lawthom C, Didelot A, Coppola A, Aledo-Serrano Á, Fazekas B, Sainz-Fuertes R, Strzelczyk A. The impact of epilepsy and antiseizure medications on sleep: Findings from a large European survey in adults with epilepsy and matched controls. Epilepsy Behav. 2023 Oct 18;148:109481. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109481. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37862873.
• Watkins LV, Dunstall H, Musicha C, Lawthom C, John K, Bright C, Richings C, Harding K, Moon S, Pape SE, Winterhalder R, Allgar V, Thomas RH, McLean B, Laugharne R, Shankar R. Rapid switching from levetiracetam to brivaracetam in pharmaco-resistant epilepsy in people with and without intellectual disabilities: a naturalistic case control study. J Neurol. 2023 Dec;270(12):5889-5902. doi: 10.1007/s00415-023-11959-w. Epub 2023 Aug 23. PMID: 37610448.
• Roberts G, Cahill A, Lawthom C, Price M, Blyth C, Jones C, Mc Laughlin L, Noyes J. Protocol for a realist and social return on investment evaluation of the use of patient-reported outcomes in four value-based healthcare programmes. BMJ Open. 2023 Apr 27;13(4):e072234. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072234. PMID: 37105686; PMCID: PMC10151973.
• Strzelczyk A, Aledo-Serrano A, Coppola A, Didelot A, Bates E, Sainz-Fuertes R, Lawthom C. The impact of epilepsy on quality of life: Findings from a European survey. Epilepsy Behav. 2023 May;142:109179. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109179. Epub 2023 Apr 13. PMID: 37058861.
• Ellis B, Chilcott E, John K, Parry J, Capeling L, Lawthom C, Harding K, Anderson J. Exploring seizure management in hospitals, unmet need, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on seizure presentations to hospital. Seizure. 2022 Nov;102:51-53. doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2022.09.014. Epub 2022 Sep 22. PMID: 36191475; PMCID: PMC9492391.
• Ng YS, Lax NZ, Blain AP, Erskine D, Baker MR, Polvikoski T, Thomas RH, Morris CM, Lai M, Whittaker RG, Gebbels A, Winder A, Hall J, Feeney C, Farrugia ME, Hirst C, Roberts M, Lawthom C, Chrysostomou A, Murphy K, Baird T, Maddison P, Duncan C, Poulton J, Nesbitt V, Hanna MG, Pitceathly RDS, Taylor RW, Blakely EL, Schaefer AM, Turnbull DM, McFarland R, Gorman GS. Forecasting stroke-like episodes and outcomes in mitochondrial disease. Brain. 2022 Apr 18;145(2):542-554. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab353. PMID: 34927673; PMCID: PMC9014738.
• Bond KR, Rea E, Lawthom C. Seizures in palliative medicine: brivaracetam. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2021 Jul 13:bmjspcare-2021-003228. doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-003228. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34257063.
• Lawthom C. Carbamazepine: Out with the old, in with the new? Seizure. 2020 Dec;83:246-248. doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2020.10.026. Epub 2020 Dec 14. PMID: 33334544.
• Allard J, Lawthom C, Henley W, Mclean B, Hudson S, Tittensor P, Rajakulendran S, Ellawela S, Pace A, Shankar R. Eslicarbazepine acetate response in intellectual disability population versus general population. Acta Neurol Scand. 2021 Mar;143(3):256-260. doi: 10.1111/ane.13368. Epub 2020 Nov 24. PMID: 33131083.
• Watkins L, O'Dwyer M, Oak K, Lawthom C, Maguire M, Thomas R, Shankar R. The evidence for switching dibenzazepines in people with epilepsy. Acta Neurol Scand. 2020 Aug;142(2):121-130. doi: 10.1111/ane.13248. Epub 2020 Apr 27. PMID: 32249420.
• Adewusi J, Burness C, Ellawela S, Emsley H, Hughes R, Lawthom C, Maguire M, McLean B, Mohanraj R, Oto M, Singhal S, Reuber M. Brivaracetam efficacy and tolerability in clinical practice: A UK-based retrospective multicenter service evaluation. Epilepsy Behav. 2020 May;106:106967. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.106967. Epub 2020 Mar 14. PMID: 32179501.
• Lawthom C, Bermejo P, Campos D, McMurray R, Villanueva V. Effectiveness and Safety/Tolerability of Eslicarbazepine Acetate in Epilepsy Patients Aged ≥ 60 Versus < 60 Years: A Subanalysis from the Euro-Esli Study. Neurol Ther. 2019 Dec;8(2):491-504. doi: 10.1007/s40120-019-0137-0. Epub 2019 May 16. PMID: 31098888; PMCID: PMC6858887.
• Williams J, Lawthom C, Dunstan FD, Dawson TP, Kerr MP, Wilson JF, Smith PE. Variability of antiepileptic medication taking behaviour in sudden unexplained death in epilepsy: hair analysis at autopsy. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006 Apr;77(4):481-4. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2005.067777. Erratum in: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006 Jun;77(6):804. PMID: 16543526; PMCID: PMC2077527.
• Carroll CB, Tengah DS, Lawthom C, Venables G. The feminisation of British neurology: implications for workforce planning. Clin Med (Lond). 2007 Aug;7(4):339-42. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.7-4-339. PMID: 17882848; PMCID: PMC4952893.
• Flower M, Ali K, Lawthom C. Status epilepticus caused by an unusual encephalopathy. Pract Neurol. 2015 Feb;15(1):56-9. doi: 10.1136/practneurol-2014-000884. Epub 2014 Sep 10. PMID: 25210026.