Cheryl D. Bushnell, MD, MHS

Dr. Bushnell completed her neurology residency training, stroke research fellowship, and graduate degree in clinical research at Duke University. After 6 years on faculty in the Duke Division of Neurology, she joined the Neurology faculty at Wake Forest Baptist October 2007. She was Associated Director of the Women’s Health Center of Excellence from 2008-2010, led the WFB Stroke Center from October 2010 to June 2018, and has been Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurology since July 2018. Her clinical practice is focused on inpatient and outpatient stroke treatment across the continuum. Her research spans women’s issues related to stroke, including sex differences, preeclampsia, and a registry to study maternal and newborn stroke. Her current focus is on novel treatments for post-stroke cognition, and post-discharge care for stroke patients. She led the development of a new model of care using a nurse practitioner/nurse care team, which was shown to decrease 30-day readmissions. She is co-PI of COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Service (COMPASS) Study, a pragmatic clinical trial funded by Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which compares an enhanced version of the WFBMC post-acute stroke model of care vs usual care in 41 hospitals across North Carolina. She is PI of the Western NC StrokeNet Regional Coordinating Center funded by NIH/NINDS, and co-Director of the Neuroscience Clinical Trial and Innovation Center at WFBMC