About me
Priyanka Sabharwal, MD, PhD, is an attending neurologist and epilepsy specialist affiliated with MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Sabharwal specializes in treating patients with epilepsy, seizure disorders, concussions, and traumatic brain injury.
Her treatment methods revolve around a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach towards the care of patients with epilepsy. She believes in comprehensive epilepsy care that encompasses the use of medications, dietary therapies such as the ketogenic diet (proven to reduce the frequency of seizures in patients with epilepsy), medications, integrative therapies, surgical approaches, and electrical brain stimulation. For complex patients with epilepsy, Dr. Sabharwal also offers novel neuromodulation therapies including the vagal nerve stimulator, and responsive neurostimulation. For these devices, she works with a multi-disciplinary team, including neurosurgeons, neuropsychiatrists, neuropsychologists, nurse practitioners, and dieticians.
Her clinical interests include epilepsy, seizures, concussions, traumatic brain injury, care of women with epilepsy, and the transition of care of pediatric epilepsy patients to adult epilepsy care. In current times, children with childhood epilepsy are living longer, and at times have complex and challenging needs. Dr. Sabharwal is dedicated to identifying and addressing gaps in the transition of care to ensure that pediatric epilepsy patients who are at risk of poor transition can be identified early, in turn promoting uninterrupted and adequate care for this vulnerable population.
Her research interests include refractory epilepsy (surgical care of people with epilepsy), women with epilepsy, and raising awareness of SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy patients). During her PhD work, Dr. Sabharwal researched mechanisms that control neuronal diversity in the nervous system. She showed that GDE2, a six-transmembrane protein, was important for generation of force-generating alpha motor neurons in the nervous system, in turn establishing GDE2 as a key regulator of motor neuron diversity.
Dr. Sabharwal received her medical degree from King George Medical College in India. She then pursued a PhD in Neurosciences from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she studied neurogenesis during the formation of the nervous system. She then joined New York University School of Medicine to pursue a three-year neurology residency, where she served as Chief Resident, followed by a one-year sub-specialty fellowship in neurophysiology and a one-year sub-specialty fellowship in epilepsy.
She is a member of the American Epilepsy Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. She is the recipient of America’s Top Physicians (2017), awarded by the Consumer Research Council of America.
Philosophy of Care
“To me, my patients’ health is personal. Epilepsy and other neurological disorders can affect every single aspect of someone’s life and can place them in a very vulnerable position. They need someone they can trust, and I am that person.
“The foundation of my practice is compassion. Most of my patients come to me with a condition that is very challenging. I am by my patients’ side throughout the entire experience. I listen to their concerns, and ask meaningful questions in order to understand their life goals. Most importantly, I communicate clearly and openly with them, so that they fully understand the reality of their diagnosis.
“With honesty and transparency, I build trust with my patients so that I can provide them care in the best way possible.”
Clinical areas of focus
- Atonic Epilepsy
- Childhood Epilepsy
- Concussion
- Epilepsy
- Epilepsy Surgery Evaluation
- Familial Epilepsy
- Post Traumatic Epilepsy
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Abnormal Eeg
- Absence Epilepsy
- Atonic Epilepsy
- Childhood Epilepsy
- Concussion
- Convulsion
- Cryptogenic Epilepsy
- Drop Attack
- Epilepsy
- Familial Epilepsy
- Febrile Convulsions
- Focal Seizures
- Frontal Lobe Epilepsy
- Generalized Seizures
- Grand Mal Status Epilepticus
- Infantile Spasms
- Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy
- Lennox Gastaut Syndrome
- Maternal Seizures
- Mesial Temporal Sclerosis
- Myoclonic Astatic Epilepsy Of Early Childhood
- New Onset Seizure
- Occipital Lobe Epilepsy
- Parietal Lobe Epilepsy
- Pediatric Epilepsy
- Petit Mal Seizure
- Post Traumatic Epilepsy
- Post Traumatic Seizures
- Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy
- Psychogenic Non Epileptic Seizures
- Simple Partial Seizures
- Staring
- Status Epilepticus
- Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
- Tonic Clonic Seizure
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Procedures I perform
- Electroencephalography
- Epilepsy Surgery Evaluation
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select (aka Senior Advantage)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CFBCBS EPO
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Medicare Fee for Service
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Open POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Open EPO Plus
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open HMO
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Choice Fund PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Network OA
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- United Healthcare Choice
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- United Student Resources
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- Tricare Prime
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- First Health PPO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- FIRST HEALTH
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- CIGNA Indemnity
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Epilepsy
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Fellowship Program: New York University School of Medicine (2017)
Graduate Education: New York University School of Medicine (2017)
Fellowship Program: New York University School of Medicine (2016)
Graduate Education: New York University School of Medicine (2016)
Graduate Education: New York University School of Medicine (2015)
Residency Program: New York University School of Medicine (2015)
Graduate Education: INSTITUTION NOT PRESENT (2012)
Internship Program: Griffin Hospital (2012)
Graduate Education: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2011)
Graduate Education: Mayo Medical School (2005)
Medical School: King Georges Medical College (2003)