2023 Stroke Care Network Summit

Lisa Bellamy, RN, BHS, CPHQ

Managing Director
Stroke Care Network
Lexington, Kentucky

Lisa Bellamy is the managing director for the UK HealthCare/Norton Healthcare – Stroke Care Network, co-founder and administrator of the Stroke Community Outreach Prevention and Education (SCOPE) program, and emeritus UK stroke program coordinator. With a 10 year background in Medicare and private health insurance, she began and continued her 24 year nursing career in neuroscience. Lisa’s expertise includes neurosciences with an emphasis in traumatic brain injury and stroke, disease-specific care program development and coordination, quality management, regulatory compliance and program administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health sciences, is a registered nurse and is a Certified Professional in HealthCare Quality.

Lisa was an integral contributor in the development of, and has maintained the Stroke Care Network since its inception in 2008. She and her team currently assist 34 hospitals, in a tri-state region, with their stroke programs and have guided many of these through achievement of stroke certification. Today Lisa works tirelessly to advance all levels of stroke care, further stroke prevention, and encourage stroke research through the promotion of a collaborative, comprehensive and integrated approach via regional/national education and advisory services.

Lisa also serves on the steering committee of the Stroke Encounter Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP) with the KY Department of Public Health. In her spare time she is the Health & Wellness Program Administrator at Lions Camp Crescendo, and the camp’s nurse - serving four special needs children’s camps each summer.

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Christine Cosby-Gaither, Ed. D

Founder and Executive Director: A Stroke of Grace

Dr. Christine Cosby-Gaither is a respected post-secondary educator, serial entrepreneur, stroke survivor, and the inspiring founder of A Stroke of Grace, a nonprofit organization serving Black stroke survivors and their families.
Through navigating entrepreneurship and by supporting students on the campus of Simmons College of Kentucky (the nation’s 107th Historically Black College and University), Dr. Cosby-Gaither has built an amazing career, (with a background in public relations), inspiring both organizations and students. In 2019, she experienced a life-changing stroke, which inspired her to help others who look like her to recover.
Dr. Cosby-Gaither's A Stroke of Grace organization helps Black stroke survivors, and their families embrace their second chance at life. Dr. Christine Cosby-Gaither is a source of hope and change in both her professional and personal life.
Dr. Cosby-Gaither is the author to Overcoming Anxiety: A Practical Guide for Stroke Survivors (Fall 2023) and is the wife to Langston. She is the mother of 2 girls, MaLay and Zuri. Her favorite past time activities are reading and traveling.

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David Dornbos, III, MD

Assistant Professor
Department of Neurological Surgery
UK HealthCare
Lexington, Kentucky

Dr. David Dornbos III is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UK HealthCare, where he specializes in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery. He focuses on treating stroke, carotid stenosis, intracranial aneurysms, arteriovenous malformation, and other vascular disorders.

Dr. Dornbos graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, earning Honors in Biology and a minor in Biochemistry. Following this, he earned his medical degree from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. During this time he authored nearly 20 publications focused on stroke care, prevention, and recovery while working in a lab focused on mechanisms of acute ischemic stroke recovery.

After obtaining his medical degree, Dr. Dornbos completed his residency at The Ohio State University in neurological surgery. In addition to publishing numerous clinical research projects related to aneurysm treatment, he also worked in a translational stroke research lab, developing and testing new drugs with improved safety and efficacy in the treatment of ischemic stroke. He also led numerous quality improvement projects aimed at enhancing patient safety and elevating the quality of neurosurgical care. He then completed a fellowship in open cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery at the Semmes Murphey Clinic in Memphis, TN. During this time, he partnered with industry and numerous collaborators around the world to facilitate device development and multi-institutional research efforts to improve outcomes in ischemic stroke, intracranial aneurysms, and carotid disease.

Currently, Dr. Dornbos focuses his academic research endeavors on the new imaging modalities in ischemic stroke, better understanding of the cerebral microenvironment in the acute setting of stroke, and in facilitating new ways to more safely remove blood clots during stroke. He is collaborating with other providers at UK in numerous clinical trials evaluating new treatment modalities in stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury. He is also leading several quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving the safety and care of neurosurgical patients.

He is the Vice Chair of the AANS Young Neurosurgeons Committee and is heavily involved in numerous other professional societies, including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section.

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Pamela Duncan, PhD, PT, FAPTA, FAHA

Adjunct Professor
Internal Medicine
Retired Professor
Department of Neurology
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Pamela W. Duncan, PhD, PT, FAPTA, FAHA is Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine and Retired Professor (, Department of Neurology). She received her BS degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina. Her previous academic affiliations were with Duke University, University of Kansas, and University Florida and the Department of Veterans Affairs. She was PI of the VA Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center and was C0-PI of the University of Kansas Pepper Center She joined the Wake Forest Faculty in 2011 to develop and evaluate innovative models of care to manage post-acute services for patients with medically and socially complex chronic conditions. She was the principle investigator of a PCORI-funded large pragmatic trial to implement and evaluate an evidenced-based COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) model. This model of care combines CMS transitional care services provided by advanced practice providers (APP) and early-supported discharge services coordinated by the APPs to develop with patients and families actionable care plans. Standardized assessments of the social and functional determinants of health are used to individualize care plans to manage blood pressure and stroke risk factors, manage medications, increase physical activity, reduce falls risk, optimize functional recovery, and self-management of health, and optimize access to primary care and community-based services. The cluster-randomized trial included over 40 North Carolina Hospitals and over 10000 patients.

The COMPASS transitional care intervention, supporting digital applications, and quality performance measures emerged from front line clinical practice at the Wake Forest Baptist Health Comprehensive Stroke Center. The evaluation of this intervention in a pragmatic trial continues to refine delivery of post- acute stroke care and will support scalability of .our applications and models of post- acute care to other health systems.

In collaboration with Dr. Cheryl Bushnell, Dr Duncan was instrumental in receiving multi-center, patient-randomized control trial This award proposes to asses two interventions to lower blood pressure in the first six months following a stroke—one utilizes telehealth, individualized care planning, and behavioral health coaching to manage physical activity, medication management, and diet, and the other is in-person clinic management. Dr. Cheryl Bushnell is PI of this PCORI project, TEAMS BP.

200 plus publications ( H-Index 99) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/pamela.duncan.1/bibliography/48729806/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending.

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Bryan Eckerle, MD, M.Sc

Cerebrovascular Neurologist
Norton Healthcare
Louisville, Kentucky

Dr. Bryan Eckerle is an inpatient neurologist and stroke physician for Norton Healthcare. He graduated from Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) in 2005 with a degree in biomedical engineering and Indiana University School of Medicine (Indianapolis, IN) in 2009. He completed neurology residency at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA) before stroke fellowship and training for a Master’s Degree in Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH). He has been with Norton Healthcare since February of 2017.

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Kelley Elkins, RN, BSN

Stroke Program Coordinator
Stroke Care Network
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Kelley began her nursing career at UK HealthCare in their Neuroscience Department. After spending several years as a bedside charge nurse, she accepted the role of Stroke Program Coordinator. In this position, Kelley worked closely with physicians, nurses, and hospital administrators at UK HealthCare to receive Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification with The Joint Commission. Her efforts ensured the utmost quality of care for complex stroke cases throughout the bluegrass region. In addition, she worked as an Education and Quality Coordinator and now has the Quality and Research Associate for the UK HealthCare/Norton HealthCare-Stroke Care Network which focuses on improving stroke care in the Commonwealth and beyond.

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Larry Goldstein, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAHA

Ruth L. Works Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology
Associate Dean for Clinical Research, College of Medicine
Co-Director, Kentucky Neuroscience Institute
Co-Director, UK Neuroscience Research Priority Area
Interim Director, UK-Norton Stroke Care Network
Lexington, Kentucky

Dr. Goldstein is the Ruth L Works Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, Associate Dean for Clinical Research, College of Medicine, Co-Director of the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, Co-Director of the UK Neuroscience Research Priority Area, and Interim Director of the UK-Norton Healthcare Stroke Care Network at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Goldstein focuses his clinical, research, and service activities on stroke and related disorders. He has published over 330 peer review journal articles, 51 chapters, 136 editorials, position papers and letters, and 820 professional reports. He has served in multiple leadership positions for the American Academy of Neurology, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, and the Association of University Professors of Neurology, including each organization's national board of directors. He has also served on review panels for the NIH, the FDA, and other organizations. Dr. Goldstein has received multiple awards for his teaching, research, and service contributions, including the Chairman’s Award from the American Heart Association, the AHA National Volunteer Advocate of the Year Award, the William Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke, and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor, for his service to the state related to improving stroke care. He currently is the contact Principal Investigator for the Kentucky CDC Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program award.

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Jessica Lee, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAHA

Jessica D Lee, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAHA
Director, UK HealthCare Comprehensive Stroke Program
Departmental Quality and Safety Program Officer
Professor and Vice Chair for Quality
Department of Neurology
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Lexington, Kentucky

Dr. Lee received her Doctorate of Medicine from University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 2000. She completed a residency in neurology at Madigan Army Medical Center in 2004, and remained on faculty there on active duty in the US Army until July 2007. She completed a fellowship in Vascular Neurology in 2008 at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX and remained on faculty there until 2012. She served in various roles during this time, including Medical Director for inpatient neurology services. She joined the faculty of University of Kentucky’s Department of Neurology in August 2012, where she is now Professor and Vice Chair for Quality in the Department of Neurology and the Medical Director for the UK HealthCare Comprehensive Stroke Program. Nationally, she has served on the Patient Safety Subcommittee for the American Academy of Neurology, as the vice- chair and later chair of the Women’s Issues in Neurology Section for the AAN. She has received local and national awards for excellence in teaching.

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Misty Lewis, RN

Stroke and Trauma Coordinator
Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center
Hazard, Kentucky

My name is Misty Lewis and I am the Stroke and Trauma Coordinator for Hazard ARH. I have been a nurse for 21 years. I graduated the LPN program in 2002 and the RN program in 2006. My nursing background is varied and includes experience in Psych Nursing, OB/L&D, Employee Heath, Nurse Manager, and House Nurse Supervisor. I have been in my current role since October 2020 and I love my job!! I married my high school sweetheart and we have three wonderful boys (16,14, & 11). Most of my free time is spent at a basketball court or under stadium lights and I would not have it any other way! It has been an absolute joy and honor to participate in Hazard’s stroke program and watch it grow over the last couple of years. My favorite part of this job is being able to witness the difference we make in our patient’s lives with quick treatment decisions. The results are life changing for the patient, family and our staff.

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Emily Merritt-Lawless, MSPAS, PA-C

Emily Merritt-Lawless is a proud 2015 UK College of Physician Assistant Studies graduate. She worked in inpatient internal medicine before focusing expressly on cardiology in 2020. She works at Gill Heart Institute on the electrophysiology team and remains involved with UK’s PA program as a student preceptor. In EP, atrial fibrillation is her primary clinical interest, as is promoting strong patient education.

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Casey Okong'o, MSN, RN, CNRN, SCRN

Nurse Educator
Stroke Care Network
Louisville, Kentucky

Even from a young age, Casey has had a heart for helping others. Born in Kentucky, raised in West Virginia and eventually transplanting to Indiana, Casey worked in various capacities with mentally challenged adults for 14 years. Having a desire to understand healthcare in a deeper way, she decided to go on to become a registered nurse. She attended Ivy Tech Community College and obtained her ASN and began immediately working as an RN on a stroke unit. Eventually she went on to get her BSN and even her MSN along the way. She loved the work she did on the stroke unit and decided she wanted to become a stroke certified RN – so she did. Casey has always believed that you can truly do anything you desire if you work hard and believe you can do it. As the first person in her family to receive any college degree, she was determined to take this desire for learning to others and educate as many people as possible about stroke and risk reduction. Casey is passionate about people, passionate about caring, and passionate about educating others. It is her hope that anyone who wants to learn more and further their education in order to be better providers for the patients they serve will be able to do just that!

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Lacy Shumway, BA

Program Manager, Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program
Kentucky Regional Extension Center
UK Healthcare
Lexington, Kentucky

Lacy Shumway is a graduate of Indiana University, where she studied Broadcast Journalism and earned her Bachelor of Arts. She has spent the last 13 years working in healthcare; 7 of those as the Coordinator, Stroke Program Outreach at Norton Healthcare where she successfully marketed the stroke program and developed a pre-hospital stroke education training that was offered throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. She has served as the Vice-Chair of the Cardiac and Stroke Subcommittee at the Kentucky Board of EMS for the last 4 years and is the Chair of the EMS and Education Committee with the Stroke Encounter Quality Improvement Program (SEQIP). She is currently the Program Manager for the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program with the University of Kentucky.

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Nadeem Talpur, MD

Stroke Medical Director
Norton Healthcare
Louisville, Kentucky

Nadeem A. Talpur, M.D. earned his medical degree at Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences in Pakistan. Dr. Talpur completed his residency training in neurology at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, where he later finished his fellowship in vascular neurology. He also completed an internship at Prince George Hospital in Maryland and currently serves as the Medical Director for the Norton Healthcare stroke program.

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Shelly Zielke, BSN, RN

Quality Specialist
Stroke Care Network
UK HealthCare
Lexington, Kentucky

Shelly Zielke has been a registered nurse with the University of Kentucky Medical Center for 16 years. She is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Nursing. Shelly has 10 years of experience as a bedside nurse in the neurology and neurosurgery fields. In addition, she has served as the Chair of the SCOPE (Stroke Community Outreach Program and Education) Committee, has been a clinical instructor for Morehead State University, and has been a case manager at UK Healthcare. Shelly is now working as the Stroke Care Network Quality Specialist to contribute to the overall mission of the network, helping improve stroke care throughout Kentucky and beyond.

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