Skip to main content
Explore URMC
menu

Michel J. Berg, M.D.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Appointment: (585) 341-7500

Administrative: (585) 275-8237

Fax: (585) 756-2311

URMFGA member of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group

groupAn Accountable Health Partner

assignmentAccepting New Patients

Faculty Appointments

Patient Care Setting

Neurology

Biography

Dr. Michel J. Berg joined the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry faculty in 1992 and is currently Professor of Neurology. Dr. Berg is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the subspecialty Boards of Clinical Neurophysiology and of Epilepsy, and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN) and the American Epilepsy Society (FAES). He has been the Director and Chief of the University of Rochester Epilepsy Center from 2016 to 2023.

Professional Background

Dr. Berg has a special interest in technology for healthcare. He is the inventor of the MedaCube, which is the most advanced automated home medication dispenser available today. It is bulk-loaded with up to 16 different medications and designed to be simple for the patient to use and straightforward for caregivers to program. The MedaCube dramatically improved medication regimen adherence to above 97% in an independent study performed by the Wegmans School of Pharmacy. He is a co-founder of a University of Rochester spin-off start-up company, PharmAdva, LLC, which manufactures the MedaCube in Rochester, NY. 
 
Dr. Berg was the chair of the American Epilepsy Society Task Force on Continuity of Medication Supply, which focused on the issue of generic equivalence of anti-epilepsy drugs. For many years he served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Angioma Alliance and on the Board of Directors of EPI (Empowering People’s Independence) patient organization.

Dr. Berg received a B.S. in Physics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1980. He obtained his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. At the University of Rochester, Dr. Berg completed both a residency in Neurology and a fellowship in Epilepsy and then joined the Epilepsy Center faculty in 1992.

Research

Dr. Berg has been involved in research projects on enhancing medication adherence with smart medication dispensers, establishing the equivalence of generic anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs), automating MRI analysis, seizure prediction from EEG, and the genetics of abnormalities of brain development with a focus on cerebral cavernous malformations. He co-authored the text, 100 Maxims in Clinical Neuroradiology, and has authored and co-authored numerous scientific articles in the above fields.

Credentials

Specialties

    Education

    Post-doctoral Training & Residency

    07/01/1990 - 06/30/1992
    Fellowship in Epilepsy at University of Rochester Medical Center

    07/01/1987 - 06/30/1990
    Residency in Neurology at University of Rochester Medical Center

    07/01/1984 - 06/30/1987
    Internship in Internal Medicine at SUNY Upstate University Hospital

    07/01/1984 - 06/30/1987
    Residency in Internal Medicine at SUNY Upstate University Hospital

    VIEW ALL expand_more

    Awards

    2020
    Epilepsy Pralid Frederick Wagner Lifetime Service Award
    Sponsor: Epilepsy Pralid Inc (EPI)
    Location: Rochester NY

    2009 - Present
    Fellow American Academy of Neurology
    Sponsor: American Academy of Neurology

    2009
    Neurology Faculty Teaching Award 2008-2009

    2002
    American Academy of Neurology 2002 Teacher Recognition Certificate

    2000
    Neurology Faculty Teaching Award 1999-2000

    1999
    Volunteer of the Year, Epilepsy Foundation of the Rochester and Syracuse Regions - 1999

    1994
    Neurology Faculty Teaching Award 1993-1994

    1980
    Honors in Physics, Thomas Senior Scholarship, Cum Laude

    1978 - Present
    Sigma Pi Sigma, Lambda Delta, Phi Kappa Phi

    1978
    Raymond Hughes Physics Scholarship

    VIEW ALL expand_more

    Patents

    Patent Title: Systems and Method for Interactive Items Dispenser
    Patent #: 8,060,246
    Issue Date: Nov 15, 2011
    Country: United States
    Invented By: Michel J Berg

    Patent Title: System and Method for Interactive Items Dispenser
    Patent #: 7,502,664
    Issue Date: Mar 10, 2009
    Country: United States
    Invented By: Michel J Berg

    Patent Title: Items Dispenser
    Patent #: 7,587,259
    Issue Date: Sep 08, 2009
    Country: United States
    Invented By: Michel J Berg

    Patent Title: Dispensing/Restocking Component for Automated Small Item Dispensers
    Patent #: 8,032,252
    Issue Date: Oct 04, 2011
    Country: United States
    Invented By: Michel J Berg

    VIEW ALL expand_more

    Publications

    Journal Articles

    1/22/2021
    Welty TE, Gidal BE, Duan J, Privitera MD, Berg MJ, Krebill R, Szaflarski J, Diaz FJ. "Coffee and cigarette smoking interactions with lamotrigine." Epilepsy & behavior : E&B.. 2021 Jan 22; 116:107741. Epub 2021 Jan 22.

    7/20/2020
    Nair DR, Laxer KD, Weber PB, Murro AM, Park YD, Barkley GL, Smith BJ, Gwinn RP, Doherty MJ, Noe KH, Zimmerman RS, Bergey GK, Anderson WS, Heck C, Liu CY, Lee RW, Sadler T, Duckrow RB, Hirsch LJ, Wharen RE, Tatum W, Srinivasan S, McKhann GM, Agostini MA, Alexopoulos AV, Jobst BC, Roberts DW, Salanova V, Witt TC, Cash SS, Cole AJ, Worrell GA, Lundstrom BN, Edwards JC, Halford JJ, Spencer DC, Ernst L, Skidmore CT, Sperling MR, Miller I, Geller EB, Berg MJ, Fessler AJ, Rutecki P, Goldman AM, Mizrahi EM, Gross RE, Shields DC, Schwartz TH, Labar DR, Fountain NB, Elias WJ, Olejniczak PW, Villemarette-Pittman NR, Eisenschenk S, Roper SN, Boggs JG, Courtney TA, Sun FT, Seale CG, Miller KL, Skarpaas TL, Morrell MJ. "Nine-year prospective efficacy and safety of brain-responsive neurostimulation for focal epilepsy." Neurology.. 2020 Jul 20; Epub 2020 Jul 20.

    3/6/2019
    Juhász C, Berg M. "Computerized seizure detection on ambulatory EEG: Finding the needles in the haystack." Neurology.. 2019 Mar 6; Epub 2019 Mar 06.

    Books & Chapters

    2015
    Chapter Title: Epilepsy
    Book Title: Cecils Essentials
    Author List: Berg MJ
    Edited By: TE Andreoli , CCJ Carpenter, RC Griggs, J Loscalzo
    Published By: Saunders 2015

    2011
    Chapter Title: Clinical features and medical management of cavernous malformations
    Book Title: Cavernous Malformations of the Nervous System
    Author List: Berg MJ and Vay T
    Edited By: Daniele Rigamonti
    Published By: Cambridge University Press 2011

    1998
    Chapter Title: Current Therapy
    Book Title: Clinical Neurology
    Author List: Goodman A, Berg MJ, et al
    Published By: JB Lippencott Co. 1998

    VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS