Duke Emergency Room Entrance
AHA Gold Plus 2023 award

The Duke Comprehensive Stroke Center, certified by the Joint Commission, is among a select group of hospitals that meet the highest standard of stroke care in the United States. Originally named the Duke Center for Cerebrovascular Disease, the Center was founded by Albert Heyman, MD, in 1966 as a collaborative effort of the NIH and the Veterans Administration.

The Comprehensive Stroke Center is part of Duke University Hospital, which has received the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for the past four years. This award, the highest that the AHA offers, recognizes commitment to providing the best possible care for stroke.

Based in the Department of Neurology, the Comprehensive Stroke Center has expanded to develop affiliated programs and includes faculty from an extensive list of clinical departments, research laboratories, and university centers within the School of Medicine and Duke Health System. These include affiliations with the:

Research activities range from laboratory studies based on molecular biological approaches to neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, developmental neurobiology, receptor biology, cell biology, and behavioral recovery. The affiliated Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories focus on understanding the pathophysiology of stoke and acute brain injury and to developing novel treatments.

NIH Neuron Image

Duke Neurology Research Round Up, December 2023

What do a speech prosthetic that translates brain signals into speech, retinal scans that detect cognitive impairment, and a promising new form of genetic therapy for Parkinson’s and some forms of dementia have in common? They’re all examples of the 21 peer-reviewed journal articles authored members of the Duke Neurology Department published this November.  
J Yao

Faculty Spotlight: Junjie Yao, PhD

Junjie Yao, PhD, grew up dreaming about the potential health applications of combining engineering and biology. Yao pursued this passion through his graduate studies and then joined the biomedical engineering program at Duke, where he studied an emerging imaging technology known as photoacoustic tomography (PAT).
NIH EEG Image

Duke Neurology Research Round Up, September 2023

A new blood-based test for Parkinson’s disease, improved monitoring techniques for epilepsy, and a chapter discussing the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a noninvasive treatment for dystonia are just a few examples of the latest research from members of the Duke Neurology Department.
NIH photo raw nerve ending

Duke Neurology Research Round Up, August 2023

This July, members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 10 new peer-reviewed journal articles. Highlights of this research include a new study that found persistent associations between neighborhood income levels and poor outcomes for neurocritical care, a trio of studies that provide insights into the origins and development of Alzheimer’s disease, and a preliminary analysis of the merits of a potential off-label therapy for ALS.
NIH Brain Scan Image

Duke Neurology Research Round Up, July 2023

A promising new therapy for brain tumors detailed in the New England Journal of Medicine and a  validation of a popular stroke treatment for patients taking vitamin K antagonists published in JAMA are just two highlights of the 15 peer-reviewed journal articles authored by members of the Duke Neurology Department this June. 
NIH mouse AD green red

Duke Neurology Research Round Up, March 2023

 The shortest month of the year was still an active one for research in the Duke Neurology Department. Our faculty, trainees, and staff members contributed to 10 new peer-reviewed journal articles this February.
ISC 2023

Duke Neurology at ISC 2023: Highlights from Dallas

The world's top stroke and brain health scientists, including members of the Duke Neurology Department, are gathering in Dallas today for the start of the 2023 International Stroke Conference. This year our faculty, trainees, and Duke University medical students specializing in neurology are contributing to the following 19 presentations, abstracts, and posters. Oral Presentations
J Minga

Profiles in Brain Sciences: Jamila Minga, PhD, CCC-SLP

For as long as she can remember, Jamila Minga, PhD, CCC-SLP, has been something of a contrarian. “If most people are going left, I have a tendency to go right,” she says. So when as a graduate student she found that most research on stroke rehabilitation had ignored how damage to the right side of the brain affected language and communication, she saw an opportunity. After earning her doctorate on the subject, she’s a leading expert in the topic.