The Curtin medal for 2005 was awarded to Professor Samuel Berkovic, head of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the Austin Hospital and the Epilepsy Research Centre of the University of Melbourne. Professor Berkovic is a neurologist and clinical researcher who has strong collaborations with basic scientists in many Australian and international laboratories. He seeks to understand the basic neurobiology of human epilepsies, using varied approaches to gain insights that can be used for diagnosis and treatment of patients.