Paul Atkinson, MD

Paul Atkinson, MD, is an adult epileptologist at Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

Dr. Atkinson completed his undergraduate at Colorado State University and University of Utah before attending medical school at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. He then completed both his residency and his fellowship at University of Arizona School of Medicine.

Dr. Atkinson’s areas of expertise and interest include epilepsy and epilepsy clinical trials. Outside of medicine his interests include photography, music, and cooking. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons.

Dr. Atkinson finds value in the opportunity to work with adult patients across their lifespans, all from various backgrounds. “Epilepsy knows no boundaries in relation to age, gender, ethnicity, race, cultural background, sexual orientation, or economic status, and I appreciate the privilege of helping to care for such a diverse population.”

Dr. Atkinson has been published in journals including Seizure, US Neurological Disease, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, Journal of Neurobiology, and Developmental Biology.

Education & Training

  • Undergraduate – Colorado State University, University of Utah
  • Medical School – University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
  • Residency – University of Arizona School of Medicine
  • Fellowship – University of Arizona School of Medicine

Areas Of Expertise

Areas of Active Interest – I enjoy the opportunity to help all adult patients across the lifespan from their late teen years to 90s and beyond. I enjoy helping someone navigate their first-time seizure, those with refractory epilepsy looking for the latest innovations in epilepsy care balanced with a need to focus on overall quality of life. I am actively engaged in epilepsy clinical trials.

Selected Publications

  1. Chong J, Drake K, Atkinson PB, Ouelette E, and Labiner DM. (2011). Social and Family Characteristics of Hispanics with Epilepsy. Seizure. 2l (1): 12- 16.
  2. Atkinson PB and Labiner DM. (2007). Shocking the Wandering Nerve: Vagus Nerve Stimulation After a Decade of Widespread Use. US Neurological Disease 2006. 2:1-5.
  3. Hassinger TD, Guthrie PB, Atkinson PB, Bennett MVL, and Kater SB. (1996). An Extracellular Signaling Component in Propagation of Asctrocytic Calcium Waves. Proc. Nut. Acad. Sci. USA. 93: 13268-13273.
  4. Schmidt MF, Atkinson PB, and Kater SB. (1996). Transient Elevations in Intracellular Calcium are Sufficient to Induce Sustained Responsiveness to the Neurotrophic Factor bFGF. J.Neurobiology. 31: 333-344.
  5. Hassinger TD, Atkinson PB, Strecker GJ, Whalen LR, Dudek FE, Kossel AH, and Kater SB. (1995). Evidence for Glutamate-Mediated Activation of Hippocampal Neurons by Glial Calcium Waves. J. Neurobiology. 28: 159-170.
  6. Snow DM, Atkinson PB, Hassinger TD, Letourneau PC, and Kater SB. (1994). Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan Elevates Cytoplasmic Calcium in DRG Neurons. Dev. Biology. 166: 87-100.

Interests Outside Medicine

Dr. Atkinson enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons. He is an avid sports fan and will admit in the peak of the pandemic to having watched axe throwing on ESPN. He was the only one in his family to not attend the University of Minnesota – Go Badgers! He and his wife enjoy RV camping anywhere in the Western US, particularly in the national parks in Utah, Colorado, and Olympic National Park in Washington. He also enjoys photography, all forms of music, and cooking.

Leadership & Membership

Professional Organizations

American Epilepsy Society, American Academy of Neurology, American Medical Association

Leadership Roles

President of MEG

Medical Licenses

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska

Clinic Nurse

Nicole M.