Pre-Conference Symposia – International Stroke Conference

2025 HEADS-UP: Health Equity and Actionable Disparities in Stroke: Understanding and Problem Solving
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (PST)

A separate registration is required to attend the Pre-Conference Symposia.

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.

2025 Fast and Furious: Stroke in the Real World - Addressing Challenges In Acute Stroke Management
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

A separate registration is required to attend the Pre-Conference Symposia.

This Pre-Conference Symposium of the International Stroke Conference 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.

2025 Stroke in the Lab World: Investigational Targets in Ischemic Stroke: Ready, Set, Translate!
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

A separate registration is required to attend the Pre-Conference Symposia.
Investigational Targets in Ischemic Stroke: Ready, Set, Translate!

After the success of last year’s Stroke in the Lab World focusing on Multicenter Preclinical Trials, this year we are planning an all-day symposium putting the spotlight on a broad range of promising investigational targets in stroke therapy. We will cover pharmacological, physiological, and device interventions. Each speaker will take up a particular class of interventions or targets and provide a systematic unbiased overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the data available, putting it under the lens for readiness for a multicenter preclinical trial and eventual clinical translation.

Each session will start with a poll on which target in that session is the most promising and end with a repeat poll of the same. Each session will also include generous time for a forum with audience participation. At the end of the symposium, we will poll the audience for their top three targets.

We hope the program will stimulate broad interest, not only to see what others think about the targets they are interested in, but also to educate themselves about other promising targets out there. With audience engagement, we will parse through targets that may be considered old pickles and others that may be controversial.