James White, MD

Jim White, MD, is an adult epileptologist at Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

Dr. White graduated from St. John’s University before attending medical school at University of Minnesota. He completed his neurology residency at Brown University, then went on to complete his fellowships in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology at Wake Forest University.

Dr. White’s areas of expertise and interest include diagnosis and treatment of patients with seizure disorders, patient education, improving side-effect profile of seizure medications, and epilepsy surgery. Outside of medicine he enjoys biking, kayaking, and cheering his kids on at swim meets.

Dr. White values the importance of communication between providers and patients in relation to quality care. “Outstanding patient care requires great communication. At the Minnesota Epilepsy Group, one of our missions is to thoroughly discuss patient goals and to provide state-of-the-art education in order to achieve optimal quality of life for our patients.”

Dr. White has been published in top neurology journals including Neurology and Epilepsia.

Education & Training

  • Undergraduate – St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN
  • Medical School – University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
  • Residency – Neurology, Brown University, Providence, RI
  • Fellowship – Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Areas Of Expertise

Areas of Active Interest

  • Optimizing the diagnosis and treatment of patients with seizure disorders
  • Patient education
  • Improving the side-effect profile of seizure medications
  • Epilepsy surgery

Selected Publications

  1. White JR, Walczak TS, Marino SE, Beniak TE, Leppik IE, Birnbaum AK. Zonisamide discontinuation due to psychiatric and cognitive adverse events: a case-control study. Neurology. 2010 Aug 10;75(6):513-8. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181eccfb5. PMID: 20697103; PMCID: PMC2918476.
  2. White JR, Walczak TS, Leppik IE, Rarick J, Tran T, Beniak TE, Matchinsky DJ, Gumnit RJ. Discontinuation of levetiracetam because of behavioral side effects: a case-control study. Neurology. 2003 Nov 11;61(9):1218-21. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000091865.46063.67. PMID: 14610123
  3. White JR, Leppik IE, Beattie JL, Walczak TS, Tran TA, Rarick JO, Vaher P. Long-term use of felbamate: clinical outcomes and effect of age and concomitant antiepileptic drug use on its clearance. Epilepsia. 2009 Nov;50(11):2390-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02187.x. Epub 2009 Jun 26. PMID: 1956334

Interests Outside Medicine

  • Bicycling
  • Kayaking
  • Cheering for our kids at swim meets

Leadership & Membership

Professional Organizations

  • American Epilepsy Society
  • American Academy of Neurology

Leadership Roles

Medical Director of Epilepsy Program, Abbott Northwestern Hospital

Medical Licenses

  • Minnesota
  • North Dakota
  • Wisconsin

Clinic Nurse

Nicole M.