St. Mary's doctor leads first epilepsy clinic in Western Michigan

Dr. Adriana Tanner is adding a new dimension to Grand Rapids' growing life sciences industry.

Tanner is a neurologist specializing epilepsy, and she heads up the only epilepsy clinic in West Michigan at St. Mary's Health Care. She joined the hospital four months ago, coming from the Cleveland Clinic. Her clinic does both outpatient diagnoses and treatment, and an extensive in-patient diagnosis program.

In the past four months, Tanner has seen hundreds of patients and the clinic's work has led to seven successful corrective surgeries at St. Mary's that, in the past, would have had to be performed in Chicago, Ann Arbor or Detroit. Dr. Jurgen Lüders performed the surgeries.

"They feel that it is a relief, that it is close to them. And so many of these patients have problems with transportation, and they have to have a relative drive them so far away and stay overnight," Tanner says.

Tanner says she accepted the position, in large part, because she knew that she would be adding a valuable service to a region that lacked these services now.

Now the clinic is getting referrals from all over West Michigan, as far north as Traverse City, she says.

St. Mary's, which recently announced the details of its partnership with Michigan State University for a new West Michigan Medical School, is intent on establishing top-class neurology services, says Micki Benz, hospital spokeswoman.

Source: Dr. Adriana Tanner and Micki Benz, St. Mary's Health Care