AAN 2012: Interview with Dr. Ralph Sacco Reviewing Highlights from the Robert Wartenberg Lecture

HCPLive spoke with former America Heart Association president Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, about the Robert Wartenberg Lecture that he is giving at this year's AAN Annual Meeting. Dr. Sacco holds many clinical positions including Chairman of Neurology, Olemberg Family Chair in Neurological Disorders, Miller Professor of Neurology, Epidemiology and Public Health, Human Genetics, and Neurosurgery, Executive Director of the Evelyn McKnight Brain Institute at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, and Chief of the Neurology Service at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

"This is a terrific opportunity to highlight some of the exciting gains we've made in stroke prevention over decades now. We've learned a lot about risk factors for stroke and ways to prevent stroke. We've made some strides in terms of reducing the mortality of stroke such that stroke is now the fourth leading, instead of the third leading cause of death," said Sacco. "However, when we look to the future, there is still some big concern."

Some of the other things Sacco discusses in this interview includes background information on the Northern Manhattan Study and some of the results that will be presented during the conference, potential impact of genetic discoveries in stroke, and encourage everyone (health care professionals and patients) to become advocates for personally achieving ideal cardiovascular health.