Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Division

UT Southwestern Medical Center launched a coordinated cerebrovascular diseases program in 1999 led by Drs. Ralph Greenlee and Hal Unwin. The Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Division of the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics has been steadily growing in size and reputation ever since, and there are now 14 faculty members. Neurologists throughout Texas and the region refer their most complex stroke cases to the program for consultation and treatment.

The Division, led by Mark Johnson, M.D., is made up of expertly trained neurologists, imaging specialists, nurses, and technicians. Neurovascular/Stroke teams use a multidisciplinary approach to treat all forms of stroke and blood vessel disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. Patients at Parkland Hospital, Zale Lipshy University Hospital, and William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital receive expert care coupled with state-of-the-art technology.

The only two Joint Commission-certified Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are cared for by our faculty members.

Research

UT Southwestern’s Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics is committed to cutting-edge research in the field of stroke and cerebrovascular disease. The University’s groundbreaking research often leads to advancements in diagnostic techniques and treatments that improve assessment and recovery from nervous system diseases.

Multiple clinical stroke research trials are underway across all phases of stroke care—acute treatment, secondary prevention, and recovery/rehabilitation. The research trials give patients the opportunity to take part in cutting-edge cerebrovascular medicine.

Research initiatives continue to expand with the additions of two researchers to the section in 2010. The program is also developing an innovative Neuro-Models Facility (NMF) for the UT Southwestern research community. The NMF will provide resources and services for investigators who want to test new treatments for diseases of the nervous system.

Education

Our residents and fellows gain inpatient clinical experience at Parkland and Zale Lipshy University Hospital while outpatient clinical training takes place at the James W. Aston Ambulatory Care Center's Neurology Clinic – Stroke and Parkland Hospital's Neurology Continuity Clinic. 

Parkland is a 968-bed, public, tax-supported institution that provides a high volume of complex and challenging stroke cases. At Zale Lipshy University Hospital, approximately 300 aneurysm and 45 arteriovenous malformation cases are treated each year—more than any other facility in North America. 

Our specialists participate in weekly multidisciplinary meetings where physicians, medical faculty, and other experts present the latest research findings on stroke diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment. Residents and fellows meet monthly to review topics and cases of complex management of cerebrovascular diseases and stroke.

We offer a one-year, ACGME-accredited Vascular Neurology Fellowship that provides comprehensive training in the management of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases with the possibility of extending to two years for fellows interested in future academic and research practices. 

Patient Care

Our physicians provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment for complex stroke cerebrovascular disease cases from the time of a patient's earliest symptoms to recovery. 

The acute stroke unit at Zale Lipshy University Hospital includes all private rooms and neurosurgery suites. There is also a 20-bed neurocritical care unit. 

Zale Lipshy University Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center offer carotid and transcranial doppler, computed tomography angiography, 3-D rotational angiography, high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance perfusion, and diagnostic and interventional cerebral angiography.