2. Stroke Prevention & Brain Health Program
  3. Research & Key Studies

Research & Key Studies

OVERVIEW
The Stroke Prevention & Brain Health Program conducts and supports research focused on stroke prevention, risk reduction, recovery, and long-term brain health. Studies range from community-based interventions to clinical trials and virtual research initiatives designed to expand access and participation.

★ STEP Program
For more than a decade, the Stroke Transitions Education and Prevention Program (STEP) (external link) has served over 12,000 individuals through education, care transitions support, and risk factor monitoring and management in the STEP Clinic. STEP integrates health service research with comprehensive post-stroke care to improve outcomes for individuals at risk for stroke.

★ Current Active Studies

  • Video-Based Intervention to Reduce Treatment and Outcome Disparities in Adults Living with Stroke (VIRTUAL)– PI Sharrief (closed for enrollment)
  • Community Brain Health Collaborative (CBHC) – PI Sharrief 
  • Vivistim System Registry for Paired VNS Therapy (GRASP)– site PI Sharrief – active enrolling 
  • Digital Biomarkers for Vascular Cognitive Decline in Patients with Minor Stroke ( – MPI)Marsh/Mosher – active enrolling; Sharrief site PI  
  • Race/Ethnicity, Hypertension, and Prevention of VCID After Intracerebral Hemorrhage (REACH-ICH) – site PI Sharrief – active enrolling 
  • Research on Evidence-Based Nutrition Interventions to Promote Brain Health and Wellness After Stroke (RENEW) – MPI Sharrief, Sharma Yamal (closed for enrollment)
  • BehavioraL ActIvation for the PreVention of Post-strokE Depression in LoW-incomE Older Stroke Survivors (LIVE-WEL)– PI Beauchamp- active enrolling 
  • Comparison of Anti-coagulation and anti-Platelet Therapies for Intracranial Vascular Atherostenosis Randomized (CAPTIVA MRI) – site PIs Sharrief/Jeevarajan

★ Pending / Upcoming Studies

  • The Fourth Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study (LAAOS-4)

★ Prior (Completed) Studies

  • Regulating Blood Pressure Control During from Intracerebral Hemorrhage (REDUCE)
  • Sleep for Stroke Management and Recovery Trial (SLEEPSMART)
  • Atrial Cardiopathy and Atherothrombotic Drugs in Prevention After Cryptogenic Stroke(ARCADIA)
  • Atrial Cardiopathy and Atherothrombotic Drugs in Prevention After Cryptogenic Stroke Cognition and Silent Infarcts(ARCADIA-CSI)
  • Stroke Transitions Education and Prevention for Blood Pressure Reduction (STEP)Clinical Ttrial 
  • Stroke Telemedicine Outpatient Program for Blood Pressure Reduction (STOP)
  • Resilience and Quality of Life in Stroke Survivors
  • Speech and Language Processing of People with Aphasia
  • A Global, Phase-2, Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled, Dose-Ranging Study BMS-986177 (Axiomatic-SSP)
  • Multicentered, Randomized, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Active-comparator, Event-driven, Superiority Phase-3 Study(NAVIGATE-ESUS)
  • V-STOP 
  • Meditation for Post-Stroke Depression (MEND) – PI Beauchamp

★ Key Publications and Presentations
Peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, and conference presentations generated by members of our program.

  • Sex differences in etiologies, risk factors, and outcomes among young adult patients with acute ischemic stroke
    • Ekta G Shah, Manish Bhojwani, Kelly Chang, Deepa Dongarwar, Nicole R Gonzales, Erica Jones, Audrey Sarah Cohen, Anjail Z Sharrief
    • PMID: 40532771
    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2025.108380
  • Video-based Intervention to Reduce Treatment and Outcome Disparities in Adults Living with Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (VIRTUAL): protocol for a randomized controlled trial
    • Munachi Okpala, Chigozirim Izeogu, Mengxi Wang, Charles Green, Gabretta Cooksey, Thuy Nguyen, Sarah Cohen, Latonya Bryant, Daphne C Hernandez, Elmer V Bernstam, Michael Gonzales, Rhonda Conyers, Olasimbo Chiadika, Kristin Varacalli, Sean I Savitz, Jose-Miguel Yamal, Anjail Z Sharrief
    • PMID: 40796883
    • PMCID: PMC12344908 (external link)
    • DOI: 1186/s13063-025-09003-5 (external link)
  • When Access Is Not Enough: The Role of Utilization Barriers in Nutrition Security and Cardiometabolic Risk
    • Maha Almohamad, Ruosha Li, Natalia I Heredia, Jayna M Dave, Eric E Calloway, Anjail Z Sharrief, Shreela V Sharma
    • PMID: 40573142
    • PMCID: PMC121595690
    • DOI: 3390/nu17122031 (external link)
  • Telehealth Trials to Address Health Equity in Stroke Survivors