Bradford Worrall

Brad Worrall is the Guest Editor of this issue of Seminars in Neurology on stroke, and the Guest Editor of a companion issue of Seminars in Neurology on stroke that follows this one. Although still very young, Dr. Worrall has already distinguished himself as a one of the leaders in the field. Dr. Worrall is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Virginia. He was born in Charlottesville, Virginia and although he has received some of his education and training outside of Charlottesville, he has had the great fortune of spending most of his life in that beautiful little town in virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree from Yale University, where he graduated with distinction. He went to medical school at Emory University and there was awarded the Robert F. Kibler, Sr. Prize in Neurology. He did his internship at Emory University and his residency in neurology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He was Dr. Clarke Haley's fellow in stroke, and he subsequently obtained a masters degree for his work in interleukin-1 receptor antagonist polymorphisms in carotid atherosclerosis.

Dr. Worrall's primary areas of interest are in the genetic and inflammatory risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases and atherosclerosis. He is also interested in health care disparities in stroke risk factors in underserved populations. Dr. Worrall is presently funded by an NINDS/NIH/KO8 award to study genes and gene expression in cerebrovascular atherosclerosis, and is a co-investigator on several other studies including the Siblings with Ischemic Stroke Study, the Ischemic Stroke Genetics Study, the Genetics of Cerebral Hemorrhage with Anticoagulation, and A Family Study of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: Stroke and Cognitive Impairment.

There will be two volumes on stroke. Dr. Worrall had such a comprehensive vision of what he wanted to cover, and was so successful in recruiting such an incredible team of experts, that all of this material could not be contained in one volume. This volume is dedicated to cerebrovascular disease, including the management of transient ischemic attacks, acute stroke (including perinatal and pediatric stroke), carotid artery disease, subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage, and neuroimaging of acute stroke. The controversy surrounding patent foramen ovale and stroke risk is also covered. The second issue on stroke, which will be published within 30 to 60 days of this issue, contains manuscripts on dietary habits for the prevention of stroke, homocysteine and stroke, disorders of coagulation in stroke, the metabolic syndrome, diabetes impact on stroke risk, hormone replacement therapy in stroke, sleep disorders in stroke, single gene stroke disorders, and the contribution of infection and inflammatory mechanisms to stroke and vascular biology. Also covered in these issues is recovery from stroke, depression and stroke, and health care disparities and stroke risk factors.

In addition to his obvious skills as an editor, Dr. Worrall is a tremendous teacher and delivers his lectures with infectious enthusiasm and expertise. He is married to Donna Chen, M.D., and together they have one of the world's cutest babies. We are very grateful to Dr. Worrall for his outstanding issues on stroke, and to all of the contributors for their time and expertise.