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Neurologist Named Heart Association’s
Physician
of the Year
James C. Grotta, M.D., professor of neurology and director of the Stroke Program at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, was awarded the American Heart Association’s Physician of the Year Award in April, during the organization’s annual Volunteer Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
James C. Grotta, M.D.
Since joining the UT Medical School in 1979, Grotta’s research has focused on the development of new therapies for acute stroke patients, including studies on the biology of brain injury and recovery after stroke. Grotta, who holds the Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair in Neurology, has taken innovative research projects from the laboratory to the bedside while training new stroke physicians.
“Dr. Grotta continues to find ways to garner the support needed to fight this nation’s number three killer,” said Midge Epstein, executive vice president of the American Heart Association’s Texas affiliate. “His dedication to patients is deeply known and felt by all who work alongside him. It is precisely why we have honored him.”
Grotta has led numerous research studies, including one that was the first to support the use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a now widely accepted treatment that can reduce disability from stroke. Establishing a collaborative network between the Medical School, Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center, the Houston Fire Department-Emergency Medical Services and other regional hospital stroke centers, Grotta guided medical stroke teams to increase the delivery of appropriate therapy to acute stroke patients in a timely manner.
Today, more than 60 percent of Houston-area stroke victims who call 9-1-1 arrive at stroke centers within two hours of symptom onset, a benchmark unmatched by any other city in the country. Using Grotta’s protocols, Memorial Hermann Hospital successfully administers tPA to 20 percent of emergency room stroke patients, much better than the national average.
In collaboration with colleagues across the nation, Grotta continues to assist hospitals in developing their stroke programs. When the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) launched its Primary Stroke Center certification program in 2004, Memorial Hermann Hospital became the first JCAHO-certified hospital in Houston. Today, 11 Texas hospitals are JCAHOcertified stroke centers.