Neurology News Archive Featured in the Media JeffNEWS Acute Stroke Center

Three stroke specialists with the Acute Stroke Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are among the first neurologists in the nation to receive a newly created certification in vascular neurology or stroke.

Rodney Bell, M.D., medical director of the Stroke Center, neurointensivist David Brock, M.D., and Carissa C. Pineda, M.D., a cerebrovascular disease and neurological critical care specialist,  received certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in this subspecialty. 

The Stroke Center at Jefferson now also has certification as a Primary Stroke Center from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

APBN recently began certifying physicians in vascular neurology or treating stroke, also known as a “brain attack,” as they determined that specialized training and qualifications are valued in treating this neurological disorder.

“This certification is important in re-assuring patients that they will receive the most appropriate stroke care and treatment when they come to Jefferson,” said Abdolmohamad Rostami, M.D., Ph.D, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia.

Stroke is the nation's third largest killer and a leading cause of severe, long-term disability. In fact, strokes are so common that an estimated 700,000 Americans annually develop a stroke. Most strokes and heart attacks are caused by blood clots that form or lodge at a site of atherosclerosis, a progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries over time. The warning signs of a stroke include a numbness on one side of the body, a loss of vision and trouble speaking or understanding.

Dr. Rodney Bell, professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, has been credited with developing the largest comprehensive clinical stroke center in the Delaware Valley. Dr. Bell has focused his work on cerebrovascular disease and emerging pharmacological treatments for patients of acute stroke and innovative techniques for brain perfusion. He has published extensively on these topics.

Dr. David Brock is assistant professor of Neurology, Jefferson, and medical director of the Neurosensory Program/Neuro-Intensive Care Unit at Jefferson University Hospital and the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience. He previously served at Pennsylvania Hospital as medical director of the neurologic intensive care unit. Prior to that appointment, he was assistant professor of clinical neurology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Dr. Brock has been co-investigator of several clinical studies related to stroke, including the study of intra-arterial pro-urokinase for acute strokes and the National Institutes of Health t-PA stroke study. His other areas of expertise are in the management of refractory seizures and the treatment of infections of the nervous system.

Dr. Carissa C. Pineda completed a residency in neurology and a fellowship in stroke and neurocritical care, both at Jefferson University Hospital, before assuming her current clinical responsibilities. Dr. Pineda’s expertise in stroke management and prevention has earned her frequent invitations to lecture on stroke therapy. She is co-investigator in several recent and ongoing clinical trials pertaining to acute ischemic stroke.  She is a member of the National Stroke Association, Delaware Valley Stroke Council and the American Academy of Neurology, as well as the American Stroke Association.