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The UNC Stroke Team

The UNC Comprehensive Stroke Center 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 System Patient Logistics Center (SPLC) at (800) 806-1968.

Stroke and Vascular Neurology

William J. Powers, MD

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

Michael Forbes, MD

  • Vascular Neurologist
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Clinical interests: stroke

James Pham Ho, MD

  • Vascular Neurologist
  • Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Adjunct Professor, Neurointerventional Radiology, Neurosurgery
  • Clinical interests: stroke, intracranial aneurysms, AVMs cerebrovascular disease

Susan Wilson, DNP, RN, ANP-BC

  • Director, UNC Neurosciences Clinical Trial Unit
  • Clinical Associate Professor, UNC Department of Neurology
  • Clinical interests: stroke education and clinical trials, stroke quality improvement, depression in stroke population

Nicole Burnett, RN, MSN, CNRN, SCRN, CCRN-K
Stroke Program Manager

Matthew Johnson, BSN, RN, SCRN
Stroke Program Coordinator

Karen Vallecillo-Pereira, MPH
Stroke Program Quality and Organizational Analyst

Sherene Bitar, RN, BSN, MPH, SCRN
Stroke Program Data Abstractor

Anne Beckwith
Senior Stroke Study Coordinator

Neurocritical Care

Rhonda Cadena, MD

  • Neurointensivist
  • Assistant Professor, UNC Departments of Neurology and Emergency Medicine

Casey Olm-Shipman, MD

  • Neurointensivist
  • Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Neurology

Winnie Lau, MD

  • Neurointensivist
  • Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Neurology

Clio Rubinos, MD

  • Neurointensivist
  • Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Neurology

Matthew Field Sharrock, 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

Edward Yap, MD

  • Vascular Neurosurgeon
  • Assistant Professor, Department of 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 Alvarez, MD

  • Professor of Radiology, Interventional Neuroradiology

Emergency Medicine

Jane Brice, MD, MPH

  • Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
  • 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

Christian Turner, RN, MHL, BSN, PCCN

  • Nurse Manager, Emergency Department

Vascular Surgery

Katharine McGinigle, MD

  • Vascular Surgeon
  • Assistant Professor of Surgery
  • Surgical Director of ERAS

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

John Michael Baratta, MD, MDB

  • Stroke Physiatrist
  • Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  • Medical Director, Stroke Rehabilitation, UNC Rehabilitation Center
  • Founder and Co-Director, UNC COVID Recovery Clinic

Nursing

Angela S. Overman, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Director, Surgery Service

Anne Spain, MHL, RN, NE-BC
Associate Director, Surgery Service

Sharmila Soares-Sardinha, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNRN
Nurse Manager, Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Crystal Norton, BSN, RN-BC, SCRN
Nurse Manager, 6 Neurosciences Acute Care Unit

William Rice, MSN, RN
Nurse Manager, Intermediate Surgical Care Unit

Rehabilitation Therapies

Mark Prochazka, MOT, MHA
Administrative Director, Rehabilitation Therapies

Stephanie McAdams, MA-CCC, SLP
Assistant Director, Rehabilitation Therapies

Susan Gisler, DPT, MHA
Assistant Director, Rehabilitation Therapies

Deidre Ricks, PT
Acute Care Therapy Manager

Kelly Fletcher, PT, DPT, MHA
Rehabilitation Therapy Manager

Betsy Rambusch, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech Pathology, Adult Acute Care Team Lead

Tom Furlong, PT

April Xayavong, PT
Physical Therapy, Adult Acute Care Team Leads

Nate MacCosbe, OT
Occupational Therapy, Adult Acute Care Team Lead

Clinical Care Management

Marie C. Bossert, RN, MBA
Director, Care Management

Lakeshia Holley, RN, MHA, ACM
Manager, Care Management