MSU has received a grant of nearly $1 million from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to participate in an effort to assess treatment and care of stroke.
The one-year grant, which is one of four given out by CDC, will fund the Michigan Acute Stroke Care Overview & Treatment Surveillance System, a pilot program to survey stroke victims in Michigan and how they are treated.
The other three grants will go to universities in Ohio, Massachusetts and Georgia.
Nigel Paneth, chairperson of the Department of Epidemiology, said the Michigan program is not only an MSU project - it’s a joint effort with the University of Michigan and Wayne State University.
“This is a really big deal for not only us - but the entire state of Michigan,” he said. “This is only a one-year grant, but we hope to do surveillance in the future and build a platform for more research.”
Mathew Reeves, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, is leading this project and hopes to take the first step toward tracking stroke cases in Michigan, and improving how victims are cared for.
“It’s a chance to gather that baseline information, which is what the goals of this project are,” he said.
Sixteen health institutions ranging from rural to university-size hospitals will take part in the surveillance, Reeves said.
Stroke cases will be looked at on a case-by-case basis, from the time the patient walks in until the patient walks out, he said.
Stroke, which affects the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain, is the third-leading cause of deaths in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer. More than 600,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
But only acute strokes will be researched for the program, not recurring complications.
“We are focusing on stroke types where the person feels fine in the morning and then come down with the first onset stroke symptoms like headaches, vision problems and numbness,” Reeves said.
MSU Provost Lou Anna Simon said receiving the grant is an indication of how beneficial the program is to the university.
“It reflects the talent and expertise the Department of Epidemiology has,” she said. “It also reflects the importance of efforts outside the research laboratories.
“This is great for medical research and the university, more broadly. It’s great to be part of making a difference.”
