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Forward4th Annual University of Chicago Stroke Symposium
Chicago, IL US
May 7, 2027
Advancing Stroke Care: New Perspectives, Emerging Therapies, Better Outcomes
Stroke care is evolving rapidly, bringing new opportunities to improve patient outcomes across the continuum of care. From advances in acute intervention and endovascular therapies to innovative approaches in stroke prevention, monitoring, and recovery, staying current with the latest evidence is more important than ever.
Join regional and national experts for an engaging educational experience exploring the latest breakthroughs, emerging technologies, and ongoing controversies in cerebrovascular care. Through dynamic debates, case-based discussions, interactive team challenges, and dedicated provider and nursing breakout sessions, participants will gain practical insights and strategies to address real-world challenges in stroke management.
Whether you're focused on early recognition, acute treatment, secondary prevention, or long-term recovery, this symposium offers valuable opportunities to expand your knowledge, exchange perspectives with colleagues, and strengthen your approach to patient care.
Be part of the conversation shaping the future of stroke care. Register today and discover new ways to translate emerging evidence into better outcomes for your patients!
Target Audience
This activity is designed for healthcare professionals, including nurses, family medicine physicians, internists, emergency department physicians, neurologists, advanced practice providers, and other healthcare professionals who care for patients with acute and chronic cerebrovascular disease.
Learning Objectives
After this activity, participants will be able to:
- Describe current advances in stroke systems of care, prevention, treatment, and recovery.
- Apply current evidence and guideline updates to decision-making in acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke care.
- Differentiate diagnostic and management considerations across diverse stroke presentations and populations, including low NIHSS presentations, distal occlusions, and pediatric stroke.
- Compare emerging approaches to stroke diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and rehabilitation, including biomarkers, mobile stroke units, wearable technologies, neuroprotection, and neuromodulation.
- Assess individualized pharmacologic strategies for stroke treatment and secondary prevention, including anticoagulant, antiplatelet, and lipid-lowering therapies.
- Evaluate multidisciplinary approaches to post-stroke complications, rehabilitation, and recovery across the continuum of care.
- Develop strategies to address barriers to evidence-based stroke care and support effective communication with patients, caregivers, and healthcare teams.
| Time | Session | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| Main Session – Advances in Stroke Treatment | ||
| 8:10 AM – 8:25 AM | Introductory Remarks | Jim Siegler, MD |
| 8:25 AM – 8:45 AM | ICH Guidelines Updates | Issam Awad, MD |
| 8:45 AM – 9:05 AM | Advances in Lipid Lowering Therapy | Tamar Polonsky, MD |
| 9:05 AM – 9:25 AM | Addressing Gaps in Access to Care | Karen Orjuela, MD |
| 9:25 AM – 9:45 AM | GDP OMG: Rethinking Costs of Stroke Care | To Be Determined |
| 9:45 AM – 9:55 AM | Coffee Break | |
| 9:55 AM – 10:15 AM | Complementary and Alternative Medicines: Fresh Takes of a Fool's Errand? | Jim Siegler, MD |
| 10:15 AM – 10:35 AM | The Dawn of Factor XI Inhibitors in Stroke Treatment | Ashkan Shaomanesh, MD |
| 10:35 AM – 10:55 AM | Stroke in the Field: Biomarkers, Mobile Stroke Units, and Rapid Treatment | Alexandra Czap, MD |
| 10:55 AM – 11:15 AM | Team Challenge | Course Directors |
| 11:15 AM – 11:35 AM | Updates in Pediatric Stroke | Sonika Agarwal, MBBS, MD, FAAN, FCNS |
| 11:35 AM – 11:55 AM | 3 Things That Were NOT Said in the 2026 Acute Stroke Guidelines | Shyam Prabhakaran, MD, MS |
| 11:55 AM – 12:45 PM | Lunch | |
| Breakout Session A – Providers | ||
| 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM | Debate: Low NIHSS, Distal Occlusion (Watchful Waiting) | Jane Khalife, MD |
| 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM | Debate: Low NIHSS, Distal Occlusion (Go for it!) | Ryan Naylor, MD, PhD |
| 1:15 PM – 1:30 PM | An Argument for Routine P2Y12 Genotyping | Tareq Kass-Hout, MD |
| 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Rethinking Stroke Disability in Clinical Trial Design | Paul Wechsler, MD |
| 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM | Team Challenge | Course Directors |
| 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM | Wearables and Smart Devices in Stroke Monitoring | Srinanth Yeshwant, MD |
| 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Have We Given Up on Neuroprotectants? | Jim Brorson, MD |
| 2:30 PM – 2:40 PM | Coffee Break | |
| 2:40 PM – 2:55 PM | Debate: Upper Extremity Motor Recovery (VNS) | David Satzer, MD |
| 2:55 PM – 3:10 PM | Debate: Upper Extremity Motor Recovery (BCI Therapy) | To Be Determined |
| 3:10 PM – 3:30 PM | Pearls and Pitfalls of Clinical Trials: Implementation of Evidence-based Medicine | Shadi Yaghi, MD |
| 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Flow Model | |
| 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Reception: Rubenstein Forum 10th Floor | |
| Breakout Session B – Nursing | ||
| 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM | Fall Prevention QI Project | Tania Martinez, RN |
| 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM | Choke Artists - Management of Post-Stroke Dysphagia | Lisa Bloom, SLPD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S |
| 1:15 PM – 1:30 PM | Top 5 Medications Your Stroke Patient Should Be Taking | Cedric McKoy, APN |
| 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM | The Anatomy of Hope | PM&R Physician To Be Determined |
| 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM | Team Challenge | Course Directors |
| 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM | So Many Sessions, So Little Time! - Navigating an Academic Conference | Liz Wise, PA-C |
| 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Pain and Depression Management in Stroke Survivors | Jieun Kang, MD |
| 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM | How You Can Participate in Cognitive Rehabilitation | Caregiver To Be Determined |
| 2:45 PM – 2:55 PM | Coffee Break | |
| 2:55 PM – 3:10 PM | Paging Dr. Google - How to Talk to Your Patient About Their "Second Opinion" | Dan Antoniello, MD |
| 2:55 PM – 3:10 PM | The Art of Medicine (Music, Dance, and Other Forms of Self-Expression) | To Be Determined |
| 2:55 PM – 3:10 PM | Brain Computer Interfaces | Occupational Therapist To Be Determined |
| 2:55 PM – 3:10 PM | A Call for Stroke Navigators | Eesha Singh, MD |
| 2:55 PM – 3:10 PM | Where Does AI Fit Into Your Care? | Ali Mansour, MD |
The agenda is subject to change.
David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago
1201 E 60th St
Chicago, IL
60637
United States
HYBRID ACTIVITY
Learners can attend this activity in person or virtually. For questions about the program, contact Liam Thomas via email.
The David Rubenstein Forum combines a variety of spaces, both formal and informal, large and small, calm and animated, focused and diffuse, scheduled and spontaneous. The ten-story tower features vibrant and distinct “neighborhoods.” For example, the third and fourth floors are home to Friedman Hall, a 285-seat auditorium optimized for spoken word, including keynote speeches, invited-speaker addresses, and select performances; these floors and other neighborhoods are connected by a two-story lounge. Meeting rooms on the eighth and ninth floors feature premium furnishings, finishes, and equipment, such as the Peter May Boardroom, a tiered meeting space that seats over 70.
The Rubenstein Forum’s unique position on the Midway allows for expansive views toward the campus and surrounding communities as well as downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan. The City View Room on the 10th floor offers a strong visual connection between the university and the city, and it is an exquisite setting for hosting spectacular special events.
Visiting Chicago
Discover why Condé Nast Traveler readers voted Chicago the Best Big City in the U.S. for a historic tenth year in a row. To help plan your stay in Chicago, visit Choose Chicago.
ACCESSIBILITY The University of Chicago is committed to providing equal access appropriate to need and circumstances and complies fully with legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are in need of special accommodation, please contact our office at 847-708-5397 or via email.
The University of Chicago reserves the right to cancel or postpone this conference due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event this activity must be cancelled or postponed, the registration fee will be refunded; however, the University of Chicago is not responsible for any related costs, charges, or expenses to participants, including fees assessed by airline/travel/lodging agencies.
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO COURSE DIRECTORS
Tareq Kass-Hout, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Co-Director, Neuroendovascular Surgery
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Co-Director, Neuroendovascular Surgery
Sean Polster, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
Associate Director, Neurovascular Surgery Program
Director, Skull Base and Neurovascular Laboratory
James Siegler, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Director, Comprehensive Stroke Center
Inpatient Medical Director, Department of Neurology
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Director, Comprehensive Stroke Center
Inpatient Medical Director, Department of Neurology
Disclosure Declarations
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an education activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and where appropriate in the content.
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an education activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and where appropriate in the content.
Physician Credit
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 7 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nursing Credit
University of Chicago Medicine is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
Participants who successfully complete the entire activity and complete an evaluation form will earn 7 contact hours.
University of Chicago Medicine is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
Participants who successfully complete the entire activity and complete an evaluation form will earn 7 contact hours.
Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist Credit
The University of Chicago Medical Center is a licensed continuing education provider with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for Physical Therapy, license # 216-000030. All participants will be provided with a certificate of attendance. This course is approved for 7 continuing education hours for licensed therapists (PT, PTA, OT, or COTA) in Illinois. The University of Chicago Medical Center has not applied to any other state for therapist CE credit. Participants will need to do this individually through their jurisdiction outside of Illinois.
The University of Chicago Medical Center is a licensed continuing education provider with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for Physical Therapy, license # 216-000030. All participants will be provided with a certificate of attendance. This course is approved for 7 continuing education hours for licensed therapists (PT, PTA, OT, or COTA) in Illinois. The University of Chicago Medical Center has not applied to any other state for therapist CE credit. Participants will need to do this individually through their jurisdiction outside of Illinois.
Paramedic Credit
This course has been approved by Region 11 EMS and the Illinois Department of Public Health for 7 hours of continuing education for paramedics.
Other Participant Credit
Other participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. For information on the applicability and acceptance of Certificates of Participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME, please consult your professional licensing board.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
HOW TO REGISTER
Please log in or create an account to register. Once logged in, select the profession type and mode of attendance that best suits you. To access early-bird pricing, enter the applicable discount code during registration. For help, follow our 
registration guide.
registration guide.| EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS APRIL 7, 2027! | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Profession Type | Early Registration (In-Person or Virtual) | Discount Code (Expires April 7) | Regular Registration (In-Person or Virtual) |
| Physician | $200 | SEP27 | $300 |
| Other Healthcare Professionals | $75 | SEO27 | $150 |
| Trainee | $25 | SET27 | $50 |
| Administrative Staff | $175 | SEA27 | $250 |
| Patients | - | - | $25 |
| Industry | - | - | $595 |
| CANCELLATION POLICY: If you cancel your participation in this conference, your registration fee, less a 50% administrative fee, will be refunded when written notification is received by April 7, 2027. No refunds will be made after April 7, 2027. | |||
HOW TO CLAIM CREDIT
After the activity, the credit-claiming process will unlock. Return to this page and simply click on "Complete Activity" to proceed.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
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