Santoshi Billakota

Dr. Santoshi Billakota is a board-certified neurologist and epileptologist whose clinical expertise includes epilepsy, clinical neurophysiology, and complex neurological disorders. Billakota earned a medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine, completed residency at Duke Medical Center, and completed fellowships in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology at Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan. She holds board certifications in neurology, clinical neurophysiology, and epilepsy.

With more than a decade in practice, Billakota has treated patients at several major New York medical institutions, serving as an attending neurologist and epileptologist at Wyckoff Hospital Center and Queens Hospital Center. She has also worked as an attending physician and assistant professor at NYU Langone Hospital's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, with clinical appointments at Columbia University and Bellevue Medical Center.

Billakota's clinical and research focus addresses challenging aspects of epilepsy care, including refractory epilepsy, epilepsy surgery, and lifestyle factors affecting clinical outcomes. She has a particular interest in catamenial epilepsy, a hormone-related form of the condition that affects women, and advocates for women living with epilepsy. Billakota holds leadership roles in organizations such as the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey and serves on the boards of non-profit organizations including Project Purple Butterfly and Angels of Epilepsy. She has presented research at national conferences, including the American Epilepsy Society, and her published work covers topics such as sleep-disordered breathing and SUDEP risk in epilepsy patients, electrically stimulated auras as biomarkers of the epileptogenic zone, and personalized medicine approaches to genetic epilepsy mutations.

In addition to her clinical work, Billakota addresses systemic challenges in healthcare, speaking on physician burnout, financial empowerment through locum tenens, and the unique challenges women face in medicine. She co-hosts "Be Empowered: The Podcast" with Dr. Shahla Moghbel, exploring issues such as burnout, toxic workplaces, and systemic barriers in medicine. As a full-time locums physician, Billakota also uses social media to discuss healthcare issues, particularly those affecting women. Her work integrates medical expertise with advocacy, providing insight for audiences across the healthcare sector.