About the Stanford Stroke Center

The Stanford Stroke Center is recognized as a world leader in stroke research and treatment. The Center has consistently been one of the most prolific research groups in the United States. Stanford has pioneered major advances in medical therapies for treating and preventing stroke, neurosurgical techniques for stroke prevention, and interventional neuroradiologic procedures for stroke patients. The Neurocritical Care Program has made key advances in the diagnosis of intracerebral hemorrhage and the prognosis of coma. An innovative TIA program facilitated a new definition of TIA and optimized diagnosis and management. Stanford neuroscientists have helped clarify the basic mechanisms of stroke-induced brain injury and have pioneered several new imaging techniques that enable identification of salvageable ischemic brain tissue many hours after symptom onset.  The Stanford Stroke Center has also pioneered the development and testing of stem cell therapies for stroke recovery research; currently the Center has a 20 million dollar grant to develop a new line of stem cells for use in a randomized stroke recovery trial.

Education of new generations of stroke specialists is the goal of the Center’s four fellowship programs that are supported by a symbiotic relationship with the Stanford University School of Medicine. The Stroke Center’s fellowships in Vascular Neurology, Vascular Neurosurgery, Interventional Vascular Neuroradiology and Neurocritical Care have trained over 69 stroke experts; the majority of these individual have gone on to become national leaders in stroke research and education. 

The Stanford Stroke Center was one of the first comprehensive facilities to employ a fully integrated multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat stroke and was the first program in the country to be certified by the Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.  The current full time faculty include 8 board certified vascular neurologists (four with dual certification in neurocritical care and one who runs an NIH funded translational research laboratory), three vascular neurosurgeons, three interventional neuroradiologists and a pediatric stroke neurologist.  In addition, numerous Stanford neuroscientists, neuro-rehabilitation specialists and neuroimaging experts actively collaborate with the Stroke Center’s clinical faculty. Many new stroke treatment and imaging approaches, which were conceived in Stanford laboratories, have transitioned into clinical trials.

However, despite these accomplishments, stroke continues to be the fourth leading cause of death and the most common cause of adult disability. More than 795,000 strokes occur in the United States each year; as our population ages, it is estimated that the number of strokes will increase substantially over the next decade. During our third decade, we anticipate even more dramatic breakthroughs in stroke research. Our clinical, educational, and research programs are all thriving and we greatly appreciate the tremendous support the Center has received from our community.

Gregory W. Albers, MD
Director, Stanford Stroke Center
Coyote Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Stanford University Medical Center