Research Fellows

M. Fernanda Bellolio, M.D.

I am finishing a Master's in Clinical Research from the Center for Translational Science Activities. I have been involved in research for 8 years, and I began working on ischemic stroke with Dr. Latha Stead in April 2006.

Some of our stroke projects include:

• Creating a score to predict subsequent vascular events in a cohort of patients with acute ischemic stroke
• Searching for serum markers (like S-100, NSE, Interleukins) that correlate with the time from symptoms onset of the stroke and stroke severity
• Mechanical devices for thrombectomy in stroke
• Stroke in children
• Cardioembolic strokes and atrial fibrillation as predictors of worse outcome after stroke
• Risk of stroke after transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Validation of the ABCD2 score in an ED cohort
• Glucose management and outcomes in stroke
• Stroke in young adults

I contribute data from the ED to the Stroke Center certification, a joint commission initiative to measure the performance of the ED with patients presenting with acute stroke. I also support EM residents and fellows in their research projects. Particularly, I help them write the research protocols, tabulate and manage data, analyze statistics, interpret results, and prepare posters to present their work at different meetings.

I am currently doing a systematic review and meta-analysis for the Cochrane Collaboration about insulin and hyperglycemia in acute ischemic stroke patients, and I am also working on my thesis project.

Sailaja Enduri, M.B.B.S.

My role is to identify, enroll, and educate the patient with the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attacks. I am also involved with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), ischemic stroke classification (TOAST), and functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale) for acute ischemic stroke patients. My current, ongoing research project is sleep apnea risk in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Veena Manivannan, M.B.B.S.

My primary research interests are Emergency Department management of anaphylaxis. I am working on establishing an anaphylaxis registry. Through a retrospective and prospective database, I hope to assess the incidence, cause, features, and outcome of anaphylaxis. I am involved in establishing a standardized approach toward anaphylaxis patients and thus improve clinical practice.

David Nestler, M.D.

My primary research interests are the Emergency Department evaluation and management of chest pain and possible acute coronary syndromes, as well as those with ST elevation MI. I am working on ongoing research between the Emergency Department and Cardiology on the best methods to manage patients who present with evidence of ST elevation MI. In addition, through retrospective databases as well as future prospective data collection, I hope to examine the use of cardiac risk factors for risk stratification and management, and incorporate new diagnostic modalities for patient care. I am also involved in a project to better improve the quality of residency training in Emergency Medicine.

Smitha Suravaram, M.B.B.S.

I am a part of the ‘BEST’ team (Better Early Stroke treatment). My role is to enroll patients with stroke or TIA into our prospective clinical registry. Our team is responsible for collecting and analyzing their clinical data, which we use to continually improve clinical practice. My primary research interests involve collecting and analyzing the data of TIA patients. I also regularly analyze our data, write abstracts and manuscripts, and present our work at national meetings.

With the help of my team members, I recently wrote abstracts on the “Validation of the ABCD2 score in the Emergency Department Cohort” and “Usefulness of the ABCD2 score in predicting subsequent vascular events,” which got accepted in International Conference in Emergency Medicine (ICEM) 2008 and American Academy of Neurology 2008 for oral presentations.