Student Stroke Force

Recognizing the community need for stroke public education and awareness, the UCLA Stroke Force was formed in 1992 under the leadership and guidance of the late Dr. Sidney Starkman, Head of UCLA Emergency Neurology and Emergency Medicine Director of the UCLA Stroke Center. In the Stroke Force program, undergraduates are involved in double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter research projects investigating the efficacy of various drugs and procedures applied to the patients that arrive in the UCLA Emergency Room with onset of acute ischemic stroke. Students serve as research associates and work alongside neurologists during code strokes. Responsibilities include collecting information relating to the patient’s medical history and neurological deficits in order to identify potential candidates for enrollment in clinical trials that aim to find novel treatments for stroke. Students also serve as speakers who reach out to various communities. To date, more than 200 students have participated in the program, delivering over 300 lectures to over 7000 individuals. Formal testing has demonstrated that these presentations are highly effective, resulting in a significant increase in post-education stroke awareness. Through integrating experiences from clinical exposure in the Ronald Reagan Emergency Department, neurological rounds, health fairs, and presentations, this sect of the Stroke Program strives to provide a force to minimize response time and to facilitate treatment.

http://www.strokeprogram.org/
strokeforce@gmail.com

Signatories: Maeve Settle, Sophia Rueda Mora, and Gabby Vilchez

Advisor: Pamela R Cysner