Stories

Marvin Blaski Endowed Chair in Stroke Care

A pivotal conversation with his father started then 18-year-old Ashish Nanda, M.D. on his remarkable journey to becoming one of the top neurologists in the U.S. Born and raised in a small town in India, Dr. Nanda knew early on that he wanted to focus on neurology. 

During his third year of medical school in India, he became aware of a handful of U.S. centers developing new interventions to remove clots from stroke patients. So new, in fact, that very few physicians were trained to do them at that time.

“I knew this was the beginning of a revolution for stroke treatment, and I knew I needed to be a part of it,” he says. “This was a game changer for me.”

He moved to Cleveland Clinic, which was pioneering advanced stroke treatments and was mentored by one of the leading clinicians who brought acute stroke intervention into existence. Then his career moved him to Case Western Reserve University for further training and became amongst the first few neurologists in the country to learn to use endovascular technology for stroke.

Dr. Nanda went on to build the University of Missouri’s first stroke program, and from there, he collaborated to create an advanced stroke program at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital.  After building two leading stroke programs from the ground up, he was pleased to join Providence St. Jude Medical Center in September 2022.

Bringing innovations to the bedside

Honored to be awarded the Marvin Blaski Endowed Chair in Stroke Care, Dr. Nanda is grateful for community support. “Providence St. Jude is already an excellent comprehensive stroke program thanks to donor support,” he says. “I’ll be using funds from the endowment to further advance and develop a leading neurointerventional program in the region.”