Boston Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center offers a full spectrum of clinical and academic services to provide contemporary treatment for patients with brain, carotid and spinal vascular diseases. We are a multidisciplinary group comprised of stroke neurologists, interventional neuro-radiologists and cerebrovascular neurosurgeons with 24/7 coverage, committed to excellence in patient care, research and education. We achieved Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) certification from the Joint Commission in 2018. We are located in Boston Medical Center’s beautiful Shapiro Center in Boston’s historic South End.

FAST is an easy way to identify a possible stroke

FAST - Signs of a Stroke



Contact Us

Specialty Clinics

Neurology

The Neurology Department offers a full spectrum of neurological care, including examination, diagnostic evaluation, consultation, treatment, comprehensive follow-up, and rehabilitation recommendations for disorders of the nervous system.

Treatments & Services

Coiling Protocol

This is a treatment protocol and guideline for aneurysm coiling and aneurysm flow diversion treatment used by our center.

Read more

CyberKnife to Treat AVM Tumors

Physicians at Boston Medical Center (BMC) are now offering patients an alternative to surgery for hard to reach brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM) and tumors. The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery system is a non-invasive treatment for benign or cancerous tumors located nearly anywhere in the body.

Read more

Spine Care

The Section of Spinal Neurosurgery at Boston Medical Center encompasses the most advanced techniques to correct surgical disorders of the spine and spinal cord.

Read more

Stroke Prevention and Treatment

The BMC Stroke Prevention and Treatment Center is dedicated to providing the most advanced techniques and technologies to foster better outcomes for stroke care. The Stroke Center emphasizes acute intervention and is engaged in clinical trials with the goal of optimizing outcomes for stroke patients.

Read more

Vertebroplasty (Kyphoplasty)

Vertebroplasty (Kyphoplasty) is used for Spinal Compression Fractures. Osteoporosis is an important problem for 44 million Americans and causes over 750,000 vertebral compression fractures (VCF's) in the spine annually. Trauma can also cause VCF. These fractures result in both acute and chronic back pain, but are also associated with patient immobility and its associated morbidity (deep venous thrombosis), impaired respiratory function with advanced disease, and narcotic medication dependence.

Read more

Our Team

David M Greer, MD

Chief of Neurology

Special Interests

Stroke, spinal disorders, vascular neurology, neurocritical care

James W Holsapple, MD

Chief of Neurosurgery

Special Interests

Adult intracranial tumors, vascular surgery, pediatric neurosurgery

Thanh Nguyen, MD

Neurologist

Special Interests

Interventional neuroradiology, brain aneurysm, stroke, head and neck tumors, carotid and intracranial artery stenosis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, spinal vascular interventions, traumatic carotid and vertebral dissection, vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for acute spinal fractures

Jose R Romero, MD

Neurologist

Special Interests

Stroke, cognitive disorders, dementia

Patient Resources

Appointments and Visiting BMC

To schedule an appointment with a health care provider in the Stroke and cerebrovascular Center at the Boston Medical Center campus, please call the provider or department directly. Remember, if you have an emergency, please dial 911.

Brain Aneurysm Second Opinion

We're happy to give a second opinion to patients who are considering brain aneurysm treatment at another hospital. We also support our own patients seeking a second opinion if that provides additional reassurance.

Clinical Instructions

BMC Cerebrovascular and Stroke Center offers a wide variety of tests to diagnose your condition. View this section for a list of test instructions prior to your appointment. You will be able to download and print these instructions from your computer. If you do not see your test, please contact your office location for instructions.

Glossary of Terms

Common terms used in relation to the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center

Insurance and Billing

If you have insurance, we will bill your insurance plan directly. If you have a PPO or HMO insurance plan, we will collect the required co-payment due at the time of visit. If your health plan decides a service is "non-covered," we will bill you, and payment is due when you receive a statement.

Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke

At Boston Medical Center, our Neuroendovascular and Stroke teams are committed to providing rapid, safe and effective treatment of these patients 24/7/365. We value our partnerships with our EMS, ER, Neurology and Hospitalist colleagues at Primary Stroke Centers in identifying these patients early and providing streamlined care of these patients. 

Links

Additional external resources

Patient Rights

Any individual who has concerns about patient care or safety in the organization is encouraged to contact the organization's management at 617.414.4970.

Public Reporting

At Boston Medical Center (BMC), we are dedicated to the highest quality and safest care for our patients. BMC adheres to Stroke Performance and Outcome Measures put forth by the American Heart Association (AHA).

Stroke Patient Information

Our staff is dedicated to making your experience here as pleasant and informative as possible. The links below will help guide you to the information you are looking for. If you have further questions, don't hesitate to call us directly at 617.638.8456.

Stroke Prevention

Stroke is an event that changes life for a person, his/her family and society. Stroke is the leading cause of disability and the third cause of death in the United States. Approximately 780,000 new and recurrent strokes occur annually.

Stroke Types and Risks

There are two major types of stroke: hemorrhagic and ischemic. A hemorrhagic stroke refers to bleeding occurring in the brain or in the space surrounding the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage). Although bleeding in other spaces surrounding the brain may occur (subdural, epidural), this is usually not considered a stroke. An ischemic stroke occurs when there is occlusion of a blood vessel, resulting in lack of blood supply to an area of the brain and death of brain tissue (infarction).

Provider Resources

Affiliated Hospitals & Health Centers

The Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at Boston Medical Center is pleased to serve as the tertiary affiliate for the following hospitals and provide emergency patient care, quality assurance, education and transfers services as needed, to support the neuroscience programs at these facilities. Please click on an affiliated hospital name below for more information about the hospital.

Trial Endovascular Aneurysm Management

The Trial of Endovascular Aneurysm Management (TEAM) study is the first and currently only large multicentre prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) of endovascular management of unruptured aneurysm as compared to indefinite deferral of treatment in the world.

Additional Information

Research Overview

Residency and Fellowship Information

Stroke and Cerebrovascular Education

The Department of Neurology at Boston Medical Center is affiliated with Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and has a long and distinguished history in both the academic and clinical arenas. Learn about our Vascular Neurology fellowship program.

Stroke and Cerebrovascular Education

To learn about our Neurology residency program, please visit the Neurology section of the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine website.

Grand Rounds Schedule

Vascular Neurology Fellowship

The Vascular Neurology Fellowship has existed at the Boston Medical Center for more than 20 years, and it has trained stroke fellows continuously for more than 10 years. It is ACGME accredited for one year, and fellows are encouraged to stay for a second research year. Up to two fellows are accepted for clinical training each year. Twenty-three fellows have graduated from the program since 1996, with seven completing two-year fellowships. Ten of the graduates have pursued academic careers.

The strengths of the Vascular Neurology Fellowship include extensive involvement in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders, with exposure to patients in the emergency room, inpatient stroke ward and intensive care unit, and outpatient follow-up clinic. The patient population is very diverse, allowing exposure to uncommon conditions. The program is also integrated with interventional neuroradiological and neurosurgical treatment of these patients.

The education of the stroke fellows also includes intensive exposure to neuroradiology and neurosonology, as well as involvement in multicenter clinical trials. Trainees are strongly encouraged to formulate research projects both at the Boston Medical Center and at the Framingham Heart Study under the direction of the stroke faculty. They frequently present their work at national and international meetings and publish their findings in peer-reviewed medical journals. Bedside teaching and weekly didactic lectures supplement their training.

Application

Applications for 2021 should be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). A link to the ERAS system can be found on the NRMP website.

Contact

Julie G. Shulman, M.D.
Program Director, Vascular Neurology Fellowship
Department of Neurology

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
72 East Concord Street, C-3
Boston, MA 02118-2394

617.638.5312

Julie.Shulman@bmc.org

Above: Dr. Masoud, Dr. Johnsen, Dr. Catanese and Ms. Clark receive the BMC Quality Improvement award for Acute Stroke Management through Simulation Training.

Faculty Listing

Affiliations

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Logo

As the principal teaching affiliate of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center is devoted to training future generations of healthcare professionals.  Learn more about Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.