James Grotta, MD
Founder, Stroke Program
Former Chair, Department of Neurology
Director of Stroke Research, Clinical Institute for Research and Innovation, Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center
Director, Mobile Stroke Unit Consortium
Dr. James Grotta received his education at Dartmouth College, the Universities of Virginia and Colorado, and Massachusetts General Hospital. After joining the UT Houston faculty in 1979, he established the UT Houston Stroke Program and developed its NIH funded fellowship training program. He has been continuously funded to carry out translational research in acute stroke treatment, and played a leading role in many clinical research studies, including the NINDS TPA Stroke Study.
In 2013, Dr. Grotta stepped down as department chair and moved his practice to Memorial Hermann Hospital to lead the Mobile Stroke Unit Consortium, the nation's first Mobile Stroke Unit to deliver TPA and other stroke therapies wherever the stroke occurs. In 2021 he completed a prospective multicenter comparative effectiveness study of this novel approach to acute stroke treatment.
He edits the most authoritative textbook on Stroke, and has published over 500 scientific manuscripts. He was a recipient of the Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke (1999), Physician of the Year (2006), and the Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award (2010), all from the national chapter of the American Heart Association (AHA), the President’s Scholar award at UT Medical School (2010), Lifetime Achievement Award, Texas Neurological Society (2013) and Pioneering Award, Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (2013).
Recent News
Patients treated by mobile stroke units had better outcomes, according to national study published in NEJM
Ischemic stroke patients treated on a mobile stroke unit (MSU) received anti-clot medication faster and ended up with less disability at 90 days, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
Grotta authors latest edition of “Stroke”
Authored by the world’s foremost stroke experts this classic text brings you fully up to date with current research findings and management approaches for cerebrovascular disease. Stroke: Pathophysiology Diagnosis and Management 7th Edition covers every aspect of this fast-moving field and is an ideal resource for stroke specialists general neurologists and other medical professionals with an interest in stroke. You’ll find expert clinical guidance comprehensive pathophysiology coverage data from recent trials advances in diagnostic tests full-color CT images pathology slides and much more for a complete picture of today’s stroke medicine.
Successful conduct of an acute stroke clinical trial during COVID
Most clinical research stopped during COVID due to possible impact on data quality and personnel safety. We aimed to assess the impact of COVID on acute stroke clinical trial conduct at sites that continued to enroll patients during the pandemic. BEST-MSU is an ongoing study of Mobile Stroke Units (MSU) vs standard management of tPA-eligible acute stroke patients in the pre-hospital setting.
The multiarm optimization of stroke thrombolysis phase 3 acute stroke randomized clinical trial: Rationale and methods
The multi-arm optimization of stroke thrombolysis trial aims to determine the safety and efficacy of intravenous therapy with argatroban or eptifibatide as compared with placebo in acute ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator within 3 h of symptom onset.
Special guest on “Stroke Busters” podcast
Stroke Busters is presented by the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at UTHealth Houston. The podcast specializes in brain health, stroke recovery, prevention, services, population health, and vascular dementia.
Education & Training
Medical Degree
University of Virginia
Residency
Neurology, Colorado University School of Medicine
Fellowship
Vascular Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School