American Stroke Association Stroke Council Update.

This new feature in the journal Stroke is intended to update readers at least yearly about activities within the AHA/ASA. Although clinical and laboratory science are the focus of ASA’s flagship journal, Stroke , there are many other critical issues related to stroke and the mission of the ASA/AHA, such as improving cardiovascular and brain health, public education, delivery and access to stroke care in the United States and worldwide, advocacy and funding for research, and political and societal engagement, which are all critical to accomplishing our goals. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the burden of death and disability from heart disease and stroke. It advocates, funds research, and provides professional and community education to accomplish these goals. There are 2 distinct arms of the AHA/ASA: local and national. Both have ample opportunities for physician volunteerism and require that involvement to be successful. The local chapters are engaged in community education, fundraising for research, policy implementation (eg, stroke systems of care), and local implementation of quality programs such as Get With the Guidelines. The National organization provides peer review for research grants, hosts the International Stroke Conference and other national conferences, and sets the policy and advocacy agenda. All of these functions require physician and allied health engagement, which is provided through the Scientific Councils. The Stroke Council is 1 of 16 Councils in the AHA/ASA. It is unique among the councils owing to its enormous scope ranging from basic and clinical research to clinical efforts for stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery. In addition, the pathogenesis of stroke is diverse. As a consequence, it is probably the most diverse council in terms of different medical specialties and allied health professionals. It is one of the largest councils with >4700 members. The …