Message From the Director
Stroke is a major global health problem as the second leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability worldwide. Healthcare for people with stroke spans a continuum from acute treatment and hospitalization to rehabilitation and prevention.
To address the full continuum of stroke care, the Stroke Institute brings together expertise from the McGovern Medical School, School of Public Health, Cizik School of Nursing, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Behavioral Health Sciences, and McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics. We collaborate with health systems throughout Greater Houston and academic institutions across Texas.
— Sean Savitz, MD
Mission
The mission of the UTHealth Stroke Institute, a home to over a hundred professionals working in cerebrovascular disease, is to advance and transform stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation in the dual contexts of community population health and a learning health-care system. We are committed to high quality rigorous research across the continuum of stroke care, to developing new treatments and innovative health care delivery models for stroke, and promoting stroke awareness and education to the general public.
We are a multi-disciplinary hub of cutting-edge research dedicated to the various fields of cerebrovascular, brain and mental health while providing a valuable resource for patients seeking to actively participate in groundbreaking research studies. Our commitment to improving the lives of those affected by stroke and cerebrovascular diseases through collaborative efforts with leading experts, state-of-the-art facilities, and a passion for discovery, is unwavering.
History
The stroke program at UTHealth was started by James Grotta in 1979 and was supported by the cerebrovascular disease related research interests of the first two Department of Neurology Chairmen (Bill Fields–management of extracranial carotid disease and Frank Yatsu –stroke risk factors). The program was initially shaped by important collaborations with faculty in stroke epidemiology, clinical trial design, and basic science, and the Houston Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It was the first Stroke Center established in Houston at the Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center hospital and was one of the first established in the world.
Important Milestones
From pioneering research to transformative patient care, these milestones highlight the achievements that have helped define stroke care at UTHealth Houston.
Publication of first clinical trials of carotid endarterectomy and aspirin for stroke prevention by Dr. Fields.
The stroke program was started by Dr. James Grotta upon his arrival in Houston. All stroke patients at Memorial Hermann Hospital were admitted to the Neurology inpatient service, and Dr. Grotta initiated AHA- and NIH-funded laboratory investigations of cerebral blood flow and metabolism.
The program admitted its first stroke fellow, Dr. Creed Pettigrew. It eventually became the largest stroke fellowship program in the country.
NIH- and industry-funded clinical stroke trials got underway. The program served as a lead site in numerous NIH- and industry-funded translational studies of neuroprotective agents taken from bench to bedside.
A separate inpatient clinical stroke service was formed at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The stroke team concept was formed in collaboration with Houston EMS, emphasizing early notification and treatment.
The program served as a lead site in the successful NINDS tPA Stroke Trial, establishing the first effective treatment for acute stroke.
The first NIH T32-funded stroke training program was started.
A dedicated Stroke Unit was formed at Memorial Hermann Hospital, the first in Texas and possibly in the United States.
The first telemedicine program in the region was established.
The SPOTRIAS P50 NINDS program grant supported specialized translational research to develop novel acute stroke therapies, including Argatroban and ultrasound for acute ischemic stroke and Pioglitazone for intracerebral hemorrhage.
The first inpatient neuro-rehabilitation service in the region was established.
The first neuro ICU service in the region was established.
The first translational regenerative medicine program in stroke was launched, conducting cell-based therapies in stroke under Dr. Savitz.
Dr. Wu joined the Memorial Hermann stroke network and created a large network that treats more than 500 stroke patients with t-PA.
UTHealth Houston became the largest Regional Coordinating Center spanning Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana in the NINDS Stroke Network, StrokeNet, under Dr. Savitz.
The first Mobile Stroke Unit in the United States was established under Dr. Grotta.
UTHealth Houston launched the first Mobile Stroke Unit in the United States in a prospective study funded by the American Heart Association and PCORI under Dr. Grotta.
The first Joint Commission Certified Integrated System of Comprehensive Stroke Centers was implemented.
Merging the strength of five schools and multi-institutional collaborations, UTHealth Houston founded the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease.
The first Integrated Stroke System of Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the United States was established by Drs. Savitz, Day, and Kim.
Andrea Ancer Leal, DNP, RN; Alejandra Castro, BSN, RN; Jennifer Beauchamp, PhD, RN; and others, in a collaborative effort between the Stroke Institute and Cizik School of Nursing, created RÁPIDO, a Spanish acronym aimed at raising stroke awareness within Latino communities. The American Heart Association’s American Stroke Association later adopted the Spanish-language acronym for stroke awareness.