Pre-Conference Symposia – International Stroke Conference

Pre-Cons and Stroke Nursing Symposia: February 3, 2026
Sessions: February 4–6, 2026
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | New Orleans, Louisiana

A Full Day of Intensive Learning

Our popular Pre-Con Symposia are back once again in 2026! This year, we've added a fourth program, Brain Health, designed to help you deliver the best science to your patients.

Pre-Con Symposia

Keep checking this page as sessions and presenters will be added as they are finalized.

Brain Health Pre-Con Symposium
Feb. 3, 2026
8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST

The American Heart Association is launching a new Pre-Conference Symposium on Brain Health, held in conjunction with the International Stroke Conference.

This one-day scientific convening will explore cutting-edge topics at the intersection of vascular neurology, cognitive neuroscience, aging, and public health. Emerging areas such as digital lifestyle interventions, neuroeconomics, and brain capital will be included. Sessions will address the prevention of cognitive decline, the interplay between cardiovascular and brain health, social determinants of brain aging, neuroimaging and biomarker discovery, and scalable interventions to promote lifelong brain health.

The pre-conference will feature multidisciplinary speakers and an engaged audience of investigators and clinicians committed to advancing translational and population-level solutions for brain health and resilience. This event reflects the AHA’s growing commitment to fostering science that supports optimal brain function across the lifespan.

Brain Health Schedule

2026 Brain Health Symposium Schedule
Time	Activity
8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.	Opening Remarks Mitchell S. V. Elkind, MD, MS
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.	Session 1: The Heart-Brain Connection 9:00 a.m. Cerebral Amyloidosis and the Heart 9:15 a.m. Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction and Parkinson Disease 9:30 a.m. Heart Failure and Cognitive Impairment 9:45 a.m. Addressing Brain Health to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes 10:00 a.m. Anxiety, Depression and Hypertension 10:15 a.m. Panel Discussion
10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.	Break
11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.	Session 2: Post-Stroke Cognitive and Mental Health Problems 11:00 a.m. Epidemiology of Post-Stroke Dementia Rebecca Gottesman, MD PhD, FAHA 11:15 a.m. Infarct-induced neurodegeneration Marion S Buckwalter, MD PhD 11:30 a.m. Stroke-Induced Immune Aging Rodney Ritzel, PhD 11:45 a.m. Post-stroke Depression Hugo J. Aparicio, MD, MPH, FAHA 12:00 p.m. Loneliness and Resilience after Life-Changing Events
12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.	Lunch
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.	Session 3: Changing the Course of Cognitive Decline and Dementia 1:30 p.m. A Brain Healthy Start: Lifecourse Perspectives on Brain Health Norrina Allen, PhD, MPH, FAHA 1:45 p.m. Multimodal Interventions to Prevent Dementia 2:00 p.m. Exercise and Brain Health 2:15 p.m. The Neuroscience of Healthy Decision-Making Michael Louis Platt, PhD 2:30 p.m. Use of AI to Improve Brain Health 2:45 p.m. Panel Discussion
3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.	Break
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Session 4: The Brain in Society 3:30 p.m. The Built Environment and the Brain 3:45 p.m. The Musical Brain 4:00 p.m. Creativity and Dementia: Engaging the Arts to Support Persons with Dementia and their Caregivers James M. Noble, MD, MS, CPH, FAAN 4:15 p.m. Brain Capital and the Brain Economy: Investing for the Future Thabele (Bay) Leslie-Mazwi, MD 4:30 p.m. Advocating for the Brain 4:45 p.m. Panel Discussion

HEADS-UP – Health Equity and Actionable Disparities in Stroke: Understanding and Problem-solving
Feb. 3, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. CST

This symposium is a multidisciplinary scientific forum focused on race-ethnic disparities in cerebrovascular disease, with the overarching goal of reducing disparities in stroke and accelerating translation of research findings to improve outcomes for race-ethnic minorities who reside in the US. HEADS-UP is a collaborative initiative with the American Stroke Association (ASA), a national organization "dedicated to advancing the science of stroke prevention, treatment and recovery through research and education", and the National Institutes for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

In addition to exciting lectures being given by leaders in this field, twenty early career scholars will present their disparities research work at a dedicated poster session as well as participate in career development sessions. A plenary lecture in honor of the late Edgar Kenton, MD will be given by an outstanding researcher selected by the HEADS-UP Program Committee, with a solid track record of studying or addressing stroke disparities.

HEADS-UP 2026 Schedule
Time	Activity
8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.	8:30 a.m. Welcome and Policy Speaker Introduction Janet Prvu Bettger 8:35 a.m. Distinguished Policy Maker Lecture: Scientific Interventions 8:55 a.m. Q&A
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.	Session 1: Stroke Clinical Trials and Methods to Study Health Equity 9:00 a.m. Lessons Learned from the design and analysis of RCTs in LMIC countries 9:15 a.m. Strategic Thinking for Stroke Trials in Global Settings: Sustainability and Generalizability 9:30 a.m. Valid Subgroup Analysis in the Context of Trials and Health Equity 9:45 a.m. Panel Discussion
10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15 to 10:45 a.m.	10:15 a.m. Introduction of the Edgar J. Kenton III Lecture Janet Prvu Bettger 10:18 a.m. Kenton Lecture 10:40 a.m. Q&A
10:45 a.m.	Think Tanks on Works in Progress (Career Development Session)
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.	Lunch
1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.	Introduction to the NINDS Speaker Janet Prvu Bettger 1:05 p.m. NINDS Speaker Richard Benson
1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.	HEADS-UP Poster Session
3:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.	Break
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.	Session 2: Center and Network Strategies for Success Amid Adversity 3:30 p.m. Strategies for Success in Health Disparities Research Amid Adversity: Translating Lessons from Other Disciplines to Stroke/Neurology 3:45 p.m. Strategies for Success in Health Disparities Research Amid Adversity: Lessons from NIH-funded Centers and Networks 4:00 p.m. Strategies for Success in Health Disparities Research Amid Adversity: Lessons from NINDS-supported Networks 4:15 p.m. Q&A
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.	Building Momentum (Career Development Session) Open discussion for attendees to ask any questions regarding career development. The panel will be comprised of senior leaders in the stroke field including Deans and Chairs of Department.
5:30 p.m.	Closing Remarks, Post-Test & Adjourn Michelle Nichols, Program Vice-Chair

Stroke in Practice: Stroke Lagniappe (formerly Stroke in the Real World)
Feb. 3, 2026
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST

This symposium is designed to provide cutting edge information for healthcare professionals caring for patients with, or at risk for stroke. This one-day symposium highlights scientific advances in cerebrovascular disease while emphasizing their application in the real world. The symposium informs the audience about issues along the full continuum of stroke care and covers varied topics of interest to healthcare providers working in the emergency department, hospitalist settings, primary care, general neurology, pharmacies, and other stroke care arenas. This year’s symposium will focus on addressing challenges in acute stroke management.

2026 Stroke in Practice Schedule
Time	Activity
9:00 to 9:05 a.m.	Welcome Mollie McDermott, MD
9:05 to 10:40 a.m.	9:05 Throw me Something, Mistah! Management of Carotid Stenosis 9:35 Big Easy PFO Cases 10:00 Crescent City Arterial Dissection Management 10:25 Panel Discussion
10:40 to 10:55 a.m.	Break
10:55 to 12:15 p.m.	10:55 On the Neutral Ground Leave the MeVO 11:20 Light My Flambeaux! Retrieve the MeVO 11:45 Jazz Fest Timing of Anticoagulation After Stroke 12:15 Panel Discussion
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30 to 3:05 p.m.	1:30 Up Da Bayou Management of ICH 2:00 Preservation Hall Head Positioning in Stroke 2:25 Where Y'at? Door In Door Out 2:50 Panel Discussion
3:05 to 3:20 p.m.	Break
3:20 to 5:00 p.m.	3:20 Let The Good Times Roll Extended Window tPA 3:50 Join the Krewe Tips and Tricks for Reading CTPs 4:15 Who Dat? Mangement of Common Vascular Malformations 4:40 Panel Discussion 4:55 Conclusion Mollie McDermott, MD

Experimental Stroke Science (formerly Stroke in the Lab World)
Feb. 3, 2026
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST

This conference focuses on promising new developments in the lab and their possible effects on future stroke treatment. Watch this space for a schedule plus more details.