2021–2022 Blogging Stroke Contributors:
Ayush Agarwal, MD, DM (Neurology), DNB, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. He completed his Neurology training from the same institute and is interested in acute stroke management and neuroprotection strategies. Outside of work, he is an avid sports fan (Manchester United and Roger Federer) and a movie buff. Twitter: @drayushagarwal
Mona Al Banna, MB BCh, MSc, is currently a Neurovascular Fellow at Yale. She completed her neurology residency at the University of Minnesota, where she was Chief Resident for Education & Curriculum. She is a medical graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Bahrain. She completed her MSc by Research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin. Her research examined metacognitive impairment in cerebrovascular disease and associated biomarkers. Dr. Al Banna is passionate about cerebrovascular health and improving the quality of life of stroke survivors. Her interests include stroke systems of care, post-stroke cognitive impairment, cryptogenic stroke/embolic stroke of undetermined source and CNS vasculitis.
Farah Aleisa, MD, FRCPC, is a stroke neurologist specializing in cerebrovascular diseases at the University of Toronto, Canada; a MENASO board member (Middle East North Africa Stroke Organization); and an editorial member of the InterSECT section of the Stroke journal. Her primary research interest focuses on stroke in cancer patients, as well as stroke in the young, where she is working on understanding the mechanism of stroke for this particular population, and individualizing a clinical approach based on the latest evidence.
Karissa Arthur, MD, is a fellow in Vascular Neurology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She attended medical school at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, followed by neurology residency at Johns Hopkins University, where she served as chief resident. Her research interests include patient safety and quality improvement of inpatient stroke care, as well as improving time to acute stroke treatment. Outside of medicine, Dr. Arthur enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling.
Yasmin Aziz, MD, is currently a T32 fellow at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. She attended Colgate University and graduated with a degree in Cellular Neuroscience. She spent the next two years working in the Research Programs division of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research before attending Drexel University College of Medicine. She returned to Pittsburgh to attend residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is most interested in acute stroke research.
Isabella Canavero, MD, attended medical school and neurology residency at the University of Pavia, Italy. During residency she had the opportunity to work as a short-term research scholar at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, in the Lab of Professor Marilyn Cipolla, for a bench research project about the effects of circulating factors in the acute phase of stroke. She is currently a clinical neurologist at the Emergency Neurology Department of the National Neurological Institute Mondino Foundation in Pavia. Cerebrovascular diseases have always been her major field of interest, with a special concern about acute stroke mimics and rare etiologies of stroke, including cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and arterial dissections.
Saurav Das, MD, is a fellow in Vascular Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. He completed his residency training at University of Louisville after graduating from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, India. Dr. Das is interested in blood pressure and cerebral autoregulation, imaging biomarkers to predict outcomes following large vessel strokes. He is also interested in post stroke-cognitive impairment and use of technology to improve care delivery in resource poor settings, and is a firm advocate for a formalized endovascular training pathway for neurology trainees. His interests outside of work include road trips and photography. Twitter: @sauravmed
Wern Yew Ding, MBChB, MRCP, is a Cardiology Registrar and Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, United Kingdom. His broad research interest is in cardiac arrhythmias — atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, etc. One of his main aims is to improve our understanding of the prothrombotic mechanisms in atrial fibrillation to optimize the treatment for primary and secondary stroke prevention in high-risk patients.
Tolga Daniel Dittrich, MD, is a PhD student at the Medical Faculty of the University of Basel and is currently completing his neurological residency at the University Hospital Basel. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and grew up in Germany, Mexico, Turkey, and Switzerland. He studied medicine at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Germany. His research focuses on neuroradiological aspects of acute stroke diagnostics and endovascular therapies of ischemic stroke in the acute and sub-acute time window.
Ying Gue, MB ChB, PhD, graduated from University of Dundee and completed his clinical post-graduate PhD on thrombosis and endogenous fibrinolysis in cardiovascular disease. He is currently employed as a NIHR Clinical Lecturer in the Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science, where he pursues his clinical cardiology training alongside his academic interests in cardiovascular research. During his free time, he manages his own blog and educational channel about medical training and cardiovascular disease. Twitter: @DrYXGue
Praveen Hariharan, MD, is a Vascular Neurology fellow and NIH StrokeNet research fellow at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston. He received his medical degree from Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai, India, and worked as a research assistant at the Center of Clinical Neurophysiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He completed his neurology residency training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Hariharan is particularly interested in blood pressure and cerebral autoregulation in large vessel ischemic stroke, imaging biomarkers of post-stroke recovery, and intracerebral hemorrhage. Outside of medicine, he enjoys cooking and hiking.
Sara Hassani, MD, MHS, graduated from Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her training in neurology at Emory University School of Medicine and is currently a vascular neurology fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Her areas of research interest include predictors of high-risk intracranial atherosclerosis, neuroimaging, and acute endovascular therapy. In her free time, she enjoys domestic and international traveling, reading, hiking, and watching soccer.
Muhammad Rizwan Husain, MD, graduated from medical school at the Ziauddin University in Karachi, Pakistan. He completed a neurology residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he also served as Chief Resident (2018-2019). He is currently a Vascular Neurology fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include identifying imaging markers in acute ischemic stroke, as well as other neurological ailments, to help guide treatment. He is also involved in medical student and resident education, and has also been a member of the medical student mentorship program during residency. Twitter: @RIZWANHUSAINMD
Fransisca Indraswari, MD, was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. She attended Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. She did her neurology residency at the George Washington University program (2018-2021) in Washington, DC, after completing her preliminary year at Montefiore Medical Center (2017-2018) in New York City. Now she is a vascular neurology fellow at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital (2021-2022), in Providence. Her clinical interest is neuroimaging and secondary stroke prevention. When she is not getting activated for code stroke, she will be busy trying different cuisines at restaurants in Rhode Island.
Nurose Karim, MD, has experience that includes residency at the University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, and fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. She is passionate about the acuity and the adrenaline crisis that comes with stroke. She trains guide dogs and loves travelling. She spends her free time hiking, running, and meeting new people.
Arooshi Kumar, MD, graduated neurology residency from New York Grossman School of Medicine and is now a vascular neurology fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her bachelor’s in Brain and Cognitive Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she conducted neurobiological research at the Picower Institute. Her research interests span utilization of AI/ML for stroke outcome prediction, novel neuro-imaging, and methods to better identify TIA. Additionally, she is excited about innovative technologies improving the practice of vascular neurology. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, mixing music, and reading celebrity gossip columns. Twitter: @ArooshiK
Andy Lim, MBBS, BMedSci, MBA, FACEM, GAICD, is an Emergency Physician at Monash Medical Centre, a Director of Holmesglen Emergency Department P/L, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has more than a decade of contribution to the profession, including clinical care, medical education, and various works in neuroscience and emergency medicine. He currently serves as a Medical Advisor for the Monash University State Acute Reference Group and is a Review Editor on the Frontiers Editorial Board (Stroke section). He is currently investigating stroke service delivery at the local and global level as a doctoral student to Professor Thanh Phan and Professor Henry Ma. Twitter: @ALim0211
Ammad Mahmood, MBChB, BMedSci, graduated in 2012 from the University of Glasgow. Since 2016, he has been a registrar in stroke and neurology at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. He is currently a Clinical Research Fellow at the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow based at the Imaging Centre of Excellence. He is a PhD candidate examining acute stroke imaging in the ATTEST-2 trial comparing alteplase and tenecteplase in acute ischemic stroke. His research interests are in hyperacute stroke care and stroke imaging. Twitter: @AMahmoodNeuro
Sishir Mannava, MD, graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in his hometown of Oklahoma City, OK. Subsequently, he completed neurology residency training at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Health Systems and served as an Academic Chief Neurology Resident in his final year. He is currently a vascular neurology fellow at UM/Jackson. He has a keen interest in trainee medical education, systems-based care, and stroke care in unique populations. When able, he enjoys sports and staying active, being outdoors, and dedicating time to mindfulness. Twitter: @sishmannMD
Csilla Manoczki, MD, is originally from Hungary and completed her medical studies and specialist training in neurology at Semmelweis University in Budapest. After 6 busy years in the UK, she moved to New Zealand, where she currently works as a stroke fellow at Wellington Regional Hospital. She led successful quality improvement projects with a clinical focus on acute stroke management. She enjoys working in a culturally diverse environment with the aim to provide the best care across the population. In her free time, she likes to explore the beautiful outdoors of Aotearoa with her husband and their greyhound, Quinny.
Juan Carlos Martinez Gutierrez, MD, is currently a Vascular Neurology Fellow 2020-2021 at the Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School. He graduated from Tec Salud Medical School in Mexico and pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed his Neurology training in the Harvard Neurology Residency Program at both Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals. After finishing his Vascular Neurology fellowship, he will continue his training in Interventional Neurology at the UT Houston McGovern Medical School. He is passionate about expanding access to thrombectomy as SVIN MT2020 Mexico liaison and Diversity and Inclusion Committee officer. His research is focused on acute stroke and neuroendovascular therapeutics. Twitter: @JCMartinezMD
Lukas Mayer-Suess, MD, born in Vienna, received his medical doctorate in 2015 from the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. He then joined the neurovascular research group of Innsbruck as a pre-doctorate researcher with a focus on epidemiological and biomarker research. Within his pre-doctorate, he has been part of multiple academic projects as well as clinical trials in the field of ischemic stroke. Additionally, he acted as a research fellow in the Department of Cardiovascular Proteomics at King’s College London in 2017. In 2017, he started his residency at the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Innsbruck focusing on vascular neurology.
Thomas Meinel, MD, is a PhD candidate in Stroke Research at the Stroke Center of the University of Bern, Switzerland. He completed his medical school in Germany, and his neurology training in Bern. Currently, he pursues a clinical stroke fellowship at the Stroke Center of Inselspital Bern, Switzerland. He is interested in covert brain infarction, interference of anticoagulation with acute recanalization therapies and the brain-heart interplay. If he encounters something that looks like a major problem at work, he spends time with his family and two daughters and realizes what life is all about.
Andrew Micieli, MMI, MD, currently is a stroke fellow at the Calgary Stroke Program. He completed his business Master’s degree at the University of Toronto, medical school at the University of Ottawa, and neurology training at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on decision analytic models to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of health technologies, specifically in atrial fibrillation and intracranial hemorrhage. Twitter: @MicieliA_MD
Kevin O’Connor, MD, is the vascular neurology fellow at the University of Kentucky (UK). He completed his neurology residency at UK and his medical school at Indiana University. Before medicine, he pursued European history at Penn State University and the University of Southern Mississippi. His research interests include pediatric stroke, as well as healthcare provider wellness and burnout. In his free time, he enjoys being around his two cats, his wife, and, occasionally, his dog.
Lauren A. Peruski, DO, is a current Vascular Neurology Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard University. She completed her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. She remained at Michigan State University to complete both her doctorate of osteopathic medicine and her neurology residency before relocating to Boston. Her hobbies include baking (and poorly decorating) desserts, game nights with friends, jogging throughout the city, and trying to motivate her adopted kitten to do anything besides nap.
Hannah Roeder, MD, MPH, is a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the University of Iowa and a current NIH StrokeNet Research Fellow. She is a medical graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She completed neurology residency at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University and vascular neurology fellowship at the University of Iowa. She has clinical and research interests in women’s neurology and neuro-obstetrics and is interested in medical education.
Faddi G. Saleh Velez, MD, is a Vascular Neurology fellow at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System. He graduated from Medical School at the Rosario University in Colombia and trained in Neurology at the University of Chicago. He has experience in clinical/translational research after completing a 3-year Post-Doctoral research fellowship at the Spaulding Neuromodulation Center/Harvard Medical School evaluating the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques in different neuropsychiatric disorders, such as stroke, neuropathic pain, and spinal cord injury. His research focuses on assessing neuroimaging characteristics, as well as pathophysiologic mechanisms, that can affect stroke etiology, leading to developing patient-driven individualized therapeutic approaches in neurovascular disorders. Additionally, he has interest in uncommon etiologies of stroke, including genetic disorders and cerebrovascular complications in patients with mechanical circulatory assist devices. Twitter: @Faddi_Saleh_MD
Aurora Semerano, MD, is currently a Vascular Neurologist at San Raffaele Scientific Institute of Milan, Italy, and a stroke researcher at the Neuroimmunology Unit of the same Institute. She has recently completed her Neurology residency at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, and a Vascular Neurology fellowship at Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, Spain. Her research interests include stroke immunology and thromboinflammation. She is also interested in acute stroke treatment and stroke workflow optimization, and she is passionate about translational stroke research and networking in stroke medicine.
Vera Sharashidze, MD, is the current Vascular Neurology Fellow at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She graduated from David Tvildiani Medical University in Tbilisi, Georgia, and did her neurology training at Emory University School of Medicine. After she finishes her Vascular Neurology fellowship, she will be pursuing another fellowship in interventional neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is interested in pursuing a career in academic medicine with a focus on treatment of acute stroke, stroke epidemiology, and improving access to stroke care globally with the hope of providing better treatment options for patients. Twitter: @SharashidzeVera
Kristina Shkirkova, BSc, is a Doctoral Candidate in Neuroscience in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Southern California. She was born and grew up in Siberia, Russia, and attended Royal Holloway, University of London, in the UK, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Neuroscience. After graduation, she moved to the United States and worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of California, Los Angeles Stroke Center before starting her PhD in Neuroscience. Her interests are in translational stroke research, neuroprotection, vascular inflammation, and neuroimmune response in animal models of stroke and hypoperfusion.
Meghana Srinivas, MD, is a fellow in Vascular Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University after graduating from Navodaya Medical College, Raichur, India. Dr. Srinivas is interested in vascular and interventional neurology with a special interest in stroke imaging predicting outcomes, blood pressure and autoregulatory mechanisms and stroke in the young. She believes that research and learning to apply evidence-based medicine early on is an integral part of training. Her non-physician side loves to indulge in cooking and hiking. She enjoys reading novels and free form dancing; which keeps her and her family entertained. Twitter: @SrinivasMeghana
Burton J. Tabaac, MD, serves as the Chief of Neurology at VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, leading a team of neurologists in the cutting-edge treatment and prevention of cerebrovascular diseases. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience from Lehigh University (2009). After graduating from AUC School of Medicine, where he earned his MD (2014), Dr. Tabaac completed a neurology residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick, NJ. There, he was humbled to have been selected as a three-time recipient of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award (2016, 2017, and 2018). Tabaac has also been honored by being inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He is a graduate of the fellowship program in cerebrovascular neurology at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, MD (2019). His clinical and research interests involve stroke systems of care, quality improvement, and program building. Dr. Tabaac also serves as an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Twitter: @burtontabaac
Ericka Samantha Teleg, MD, is a stroke neurologist who trained with the Calgary Stroke Program at the Foothills Medical Centre in Alberta, Canada. Currently, she is doing her Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology Fellowship with the University of Toronto. Her interests are intracerebral hemorrhage, imaging, vascular dementia, cryptogenic stroke, and stroke in the young.
Parth Upadhyaya, DO, earned an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, Chemistry class of 2013; medical school at Touro University Nevada, Osteopathic medicine class of 2017; residency at Georgetown University Hospital, Neurology class of 2021; and is currently an NIH-NINDS Vascular Neurology Fellow, 2021-2022. Dr. Upadhyaya has interests in cognitive sequalae of stroke, neurorehabilitation, and neuroimaging biomarkers. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Upadhyaya enjoys visiting national parks, playing guitar, reading science fiction, and live music.
Dixon Yang, MD, is currently a T32 neuro-epidemiology and vascular neurology fellow at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida. He graduated from University of Miami Miller School of Medicine before completing his neurology residency at New York University Langone Health. Dr. Yang has interests in social determinants of health and stroke risk. Outside of work, he enjoys photography, gaming, and spending time with family and friends.
Vignan Yogendrakumar, MD, MSc, is a stroke fellow and doctoral candidate at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, he graduated from the University of British Columbia School of Medicine in 2014 and completed his residency in Adult Neurology at the University of Ottawa in 2020. During residency, he concurrently completed a Masters of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in 2019. Dr. Yogendrakumar’s primary research interests are in hyperacute and acute stroke care, with a particular focus on neuroimaging and clinical trials. Twitter: @VYogendrakumar
Sohei Yoshimura, MD, PhD, graduated from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, and is currently working as a Consultant Stroke Neurologist in the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, in Osaka, Japan. He is also an Honorary Fellow with Stroke Group, The George Institute for Global Health, in Sydney, Australia. His interests include stroke prevention, ultrasonography, acute stroke care, registry data management, and medical education. Twitter: @sohei_y
Editors:
Victor J. Del Brutto, MD, is Assistant Professor in the Stroke Division of the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He completed his neurology residency at the University of Chicago and vascular neurology fellowship at the University of Miami. He currently works as a stroke neurologist at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Jackson South Hospital in Miami, is appointed as scholar fellow for the NINDS Stroke Trials Network, and serves as Digital Media Editor for the Stroke journal. He is the PI of an investigation on intracranial dolichoectasia and ischemic stroke, and is co-founder and co-investigator of the Atahualpa project, a population-based study on stroke risk factors in rural Ecuador.
Sarah Song, MD, MPH, FAHA, FAAN, is Associate Professor in the Section of Cerebrovascular Disease in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center. She completed medical school at the University of Illinois at Peoria, neurology residency at Georgetown University Hospital, and stroke fellowship at UCLA, where she did a post-doctoral research fellowship with the American Heart Association. She is currently serving on the Metro Chicago AHA Board and on the AHA Illinois Advocacy Committee, serves on the Editorial Board of Brain and Life, and is vice-chair of the American Academy of Neurology’s Advocacy Engagement Committee; she is the co-founder and past president of the Illinois State Neurological Society.
Shlee S. Song, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Cedars-Sinai, is a board-certified vascular neurologist who completed her clinical and research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. She has worked on steering committees and served as PI on multiple national and international multicenter stroke clinical trials. She serves as Medical Director of Stroke Programs at Cedars-Sinai, Torrance Memorial, and Marina del Rey Hospital, affiliate sites of Cedars-Sinai; has developed a telemedicine network that delivers acute stroke care; and oversees stroke quality improvement and clinical trials enrollment across network hospitals. As the previous program director for the vascular neurology fellowship program at Cedars-Sinai, she has trained many stroke neurologists that practice across the country.
