The UNC Stroke Team

The UNC Stroke Team is comprised of a multispecialty team of doctors, nurses, therapists, and care managers. Listed below are core team members from Neurology, Neurosurgery, and other departments.

Stroke and Vascular Neurology 

William J. Powers, MD

  • Vascular Neurologist
  • H. Houston Merritt Professor and Chairman, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Clinical Interests: Stroke
  • Clinical Research Interests: Cerebral blood flow and metabolism, stroke treatment and prevention

David Y. Huang, MD, PhD

  • Vascular Neurologist and Director, UNC Health Care Comprehensive Stroke Center
  • Associate Professor, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Chief, Division of Stroke and Vascular Neurology, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Director, UNC Stroke Trials Unit
  • Clinical interests: hospitalist neurology, acute stroke care, and neurologic critical care
  • Research interests: acute stroke treatments, cellular mechanisms of neuroprotection, intracerebral hemorrhage

Natalie Aucutt-Walter, MD

  • Vascular Neurologist
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
  • Clinical interests: stroke treatment and prevention, Botox treatment for post-stroke spasticity
  • Research interests: acute stroke/TIA treatments

Octavio de Marchena, MD

  • Vascular Neurologist
  • Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
  • Clinical Interests: stroke, acute stroke treatment, general neurology
  • Research interests: genetics of stroke

Michael Wang, MD

  • Vascular Neurologist
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Clinical interests: stroke
  • Research interests: acute stroke treatments, interventional stroke treatments

Susan Wilson, MSN, ANP-C

  • Stroke Nurse Practitioner
  • Clinical Associate Professor, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Clinical interests: stroke education and clinical trials, stroke quality improvement, depression in stroke population

Nicole Burnett, RN, BSN, CNRN, CCRN

  •  Stroke Program Nurse Coordinator

Anne Beckwith

  • Senior Stroke Study Coordinator

 Vincent Woolfolk

  • Stroke Study Coordinator

Deanna Brooks

  • Administrative Assistant

 

Neurocritical Care

Dedrick Jordan, MD, PhD

  • Neuro-Intensivist and Director, UNC Hospitals Neurosciences ICU
  • Assistant Professor, UNC Departrments Neurology and Neurosurgery
  • Clinical Interests: Neurosciences Critical Care
  • Research Interests: outcomes after brain injury, bioinformatics, mechanisms for neuroregeneration

Rhonda Cadena, MD

  • Neurointensivist
  • Assistant Professor, UNC Departments of Neurology and Emergency Medicine
  • Clinical Interests: Neurocritical care, stroke, emergency medicine
  • Clinical Research Interests: Neurological emergencies

 

Neurosurgery

Deanna M. Sasaki-Adams, MD

  • Vascular Neurosurgeon
  • Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director, Department of Neurosurgery
  • Section Chief of Cerebrovascular & Skull Base Neurosurgery

 

Interventional Neuroradiology

Sten Solander, M.D.

  • Neuro-Interventionalist
  • Associate Professor of Radiology
  • Division Chief of Interventional Neuroradiology
  • Clinical interests: stroke interventional treatments – SOLITAIRE device®, PENUMBRA® device, MERCI® device, intra-arterial thrombolysis, coiling of aneurysms, embolization of AVMs, angioplasty and stenting

 

Emergency Medicine

Jane Brice, MD, MPH

  • Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
  • Orange County EMS Director
  • Chair, UNC Hospital Disaster Committee

James L Larson, MD

  • Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
  • Medical Director, Emergency Department

Abhi Mehrotra, MD

  • Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
  • Assistant Medical Director, Emergency Department

Sandy Pabers, RN

  • Nurse Manager, Emergency Department

 

Vascular Surgery

Raghuveer Vallabhaneni, MD

  • Vascular Surgeon
  • Assistant Professor of Surgery
  • Clinical Interests: Carotid Disease, Abdominal and Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Disease, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Dialysis Access

 

Physical Medicine and Rehab

Angela Lipscomb-Hudson, MD

  • Stroke Physiatrist
  • Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  • Medical Director, Stroke Rehabilitation, UNC Rehabilitation Center

 

Nursing

Joel Ray, Col (Ret.) USAF NC, MSN, RN, NE-BC

  • Director (Emeritus), Surgery Service

Christa Williams, RN, BSN

  • Nurse Manager, Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Heather Ritchie, RN, BSN

  • Nurse Manager, 6NSH

Kevin Brady, RN, BSN, CCRN

  • Nurse Manager, Intermediate Surgical Care Unit

 

Speech Pathology

Stephanie McAdams

Betsy Rambusch, MA, CCC-SLP

 

Occupational and Physical Therapy

Jeff Soltes

 

Clinical Care Management

Regina Boone

  • Case Manager

Jennifer Spencer

  • Case Manager