Cedars-Sinai Experts Attend International Stroke Conference

Cedars-Sinai neuroscientists and neurosurgeons are participating in the International Stroke Conference Feb. 4-6 in New Orleans, sharing the latest research and clinical advances in stroke care as well as new guidelines for patient care.

A major update to be highlighted at the meeting: "The American Stroke Association's 2026 Guideline for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke ."

Nestor Gonzalez, MD , director of the Neurovascular Laboratory in the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai, is co-vice chair of the American Stroke Association group that developed the new guidelines. Gonzalez played a key role in shaping the recommendations for endovascular treatment and led the effort to incorporate the first pediatric acute ischemic stroke recommendations in the guideline's history.

Across three sessions, Gonzalez will discuss the guidelines in depth, including advances in endovascular thrombectomy, other interventional treatments, and the physical changes caused by stroke.

Additional Cedars-Sinai experts presenting at the conference include:

• Shlee Song, MD ,director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center and Telestroke Program at Cedars-Sinai, will present updates on the extended window for administering the clot-busting medication tPA and can discuss acute stroke therapies and neuroimaging.
  
• Maranatha O. Ayodele, MD , assistant professor of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai and director of the Neurocritical Care Fellowship Program, will discuss intracerebral hemorrhage management during the "Stroke in Practice Discussion."
  
• Alexis Simpkins, MD, PhD, MSCR ,director of Stroke Research and the Stroke RNA, Imaging, and Protein Predictors for Patient Tailored Treatment Program at Cedars-Sinai, will speak on the importance of implementation strategies for guidelines recommendations for effective stroke prevention and management during the World Hypertension/AHA Hypertension session. She can discuss her role as a peer reviewer and member of the AHA/ASA Scientific Statement Oversight Committee for the 2026 acute ischemic stroke guidelines and the section editor of the co-published acute ischemic stroke Guidelines in Action Teaching Cases series.

Contact

To arrange interviews with Cedars-Sinai experts, contact Kelsie Sandoval at [email protected] or 562-631-1169.