About

Research Focus
Dr. Hwang has developed an internationally recognized clinical research portfolio centered upon two major neuroscience ICU themes: (1) the varying accuracy and thought processes of clinicians when predicting functional outcomes of patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI); and (2) the decision-making and psychosocial support of family members of SABI patients who lack capacity, particularly those families who are making difficult goals-of-care decisions. He has a strong track record of both leading and participating in successful multicenter collaborative research studies on these topics; and has been featured as a plenary speaker at the International Stroke Conference (ISC), the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) Annual Meeting, and the International Neuropalliative Care Society (INPCS) Annual Meeting. His scholarship has been recognized nationally with the Robert G. Siekert Award at the ISC, an Outstanding Oral Presentation Award at the NCS Research Conference, and several awards at the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Congress: a First-Place Patient and Family Support Abstract Award, the Family-Centered Care Innovation Award, and the Grenvik Family Award for Ethics. He has been a recipient of or mentor for grant and project support from the American Brain Foundation, the American Heart Association, INPCS, NCS, the Neurocritical Care Foundation (NCCF), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), SCCM, and philanthropy. In addition, he currently serves as an MPI for the Duke/UNC NINDS StrokeNet Regional Coordinating Center for clinical trials related to vascular neurology.

Dr. Hwang was the lead author for the NCS guidelines for prognostication of intracerebral hemorrhage outcomes and the 2024 SCCM guidelines in family support in adult critical care. He currently serves as Co-Chair for the INPCS Science Committee and Medical Director of Critical Care for New England Donor Services. In the past, he has served in multiple national leadership roles: a member of the NCS Board of Directors; a member of the NCCF Board of Trustees, Chair of the Critical Care and Emergency Neurology Section for the American Academy of Neurology, and a member of the Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.