Aleksandra Pikula

Background

About Aleksandra Pikula

I am a Neurologist with subspecialty training in cerebrovascular disease. I completed my clinical training in Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and subsequently pursued post-graduate clinical training in Vascular Neurology as a two-year combined clinical and research fellowship training at the Boston University School of Medicine and at the world-renowned Framingham Heart Study under mentorship from Drs. Philip Wolf, Carlos Kase and Sudha Seshadri. During this time I completed Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Harvard School of Public Health. In 2009 I joined Boston University as an Assistant Professor of Neurology and a Clinical Neurologist with expertise in Vascular Neurology, and I became a Junior Investigator at the Framingham Study. Since 2014, I am a vascular Neurology Staff at UHN/TWH, an Associate Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at the University of Toronto, a Clinician-Investigator at Krembil Brain Institute, Director of Stroke Research at UHN and Co-Director of Women's Neurology Fellowship at U of T. I am a founder and director of the largest Stroke in Young Adults (SiYA) Program in Canada that entails - Combined CNS Vasculitis Clinic, Stroke in Young and Stroke in Women. My clinical interests are focused on comprehensive evaluation and management of variety of cerebrovascular disease, with particular interest in stroke in young population/stroke in young women - outcomes and prevention. A major focus of my research interest is stroke prevention and discovery of novel serum and imaging markers and risk factors for clinical (acute) and subclinical vascular brain disease. In particular, I am interested in elucidating the lifestyle choices and psychosocial/occupational factors in predicting stroke outcomes in young population, and more so on how these factors can guide the secondary stroke prevention and better brain aging after cerebrovascular event. My work has been recognized by, amongst others, the NIH/NINDS-ANA as a recipient of the Young Investigator Development Award in 2009 and the American Heart Association as a recipient of National Clinical Research Award in 2011, which allowed me to study Serum levels and Genetic Variation of BDNF in Stroke and Subclinical Vascular Brain Injury, as well as by U of T, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and CIHR grants for Y STROKE NEEDS Study - focused on development of innovative interventions in stroke prevention based on psychosocial/occupational/lifestyle needs and young stroke patient's lived experience/PROMS as a pivotal tool to help better recovery after stroke.