The UNC Stroke Team

The UNC Stroke Team is comprised of a multi-specialty team of doctors, nurses, therapists, and care managers. Listed below are core team members from Neurology, Neurosurgery, and other departments. For non-urgent questions regarding the Stroke Team, call (984) 974-2266. Physicians seeking hospital-to-hospital transfers of patients requiring acute stroke care should call the UNC Transfer Center at (800) 806-1968.

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
Clinical 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

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, SCRN
Stroke Program Nurse Coordinator

Sherene Bitar, RN, MPH
Stroke Program Data Abstractor

Ann Waller, RN, BSN, CMSRN, SCRN
Stroke Program Data Analyst

Anne Beckwith
Senior Stroke Study Coordinator

Laura Pinto-Coelho
Stroke Study Coordinator

Ariane Cook
Stroke Study Coordinator

Deanna Brooks
Administrative Assistant

Neurocritical Care

Dedrick Jordan, MD, PhD

Neuro-Intensivist and Director, UNC Hospitals Neurosciences ICU
Associate 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
Research Interests: Neurological emergencies

Casey Olm-Shipman, MD

Neurointensivist
Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Neurology

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, MD

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

Hortensia Alv arez, MD

Professor of Radiology, Interventional Neuroradiology

Emergency Medicine

Jane Brice, MD, MPH

Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Orange County EMS Director
Medical Student Research Director
Adjunct Professor, Social Medicine and Epidemiology

James L Larson, MD

Clinical Professor
Executive Vice-Chair
Medical Director, Emergency Department - Chapel Hill

Abhi Mehrotra, MD

Clinical Associate Professor
Vice-Chair, Strategic Initiatives & Operations
Assistant Medical Director, Emergency Department - Chapel Hill
Medical Director, Emergency Department – Hillsborough

Jeff Phillips, RN, MSN, CEN
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