Johns Hopkins and the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington, D.C., today announced a new institute for stroke research and clinical care funded by a $50 million gift from the UAE.
The Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute will enable top clinician-scientists at Johns Hopkins to build on their pioneering work in neurology and neurosurgery, leveraging advances in biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, and precision medicine to better diagnose, treat, and restore function to stroke patients.
The gift, believed to be the largest ever for a stroke-specific initiative, was announced this afternoon at an event in New York City, where speakers included Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels; Paul Rothman, dean of JHU’s medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine; philanthropist, Johns Hopkins alumnus, and former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; and Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the U.S.
“We are grateful for the UAE’s gift, which enables us to leverage our considerable strengths in neurology, physical medicine, and rehabilitation—in combination with our expertise in biomedical engineering and patient safety—to develop new tools for stroke diagnosis, treatment, and recovery,” Rothman says. “These efforts will improve the health of millions of people in Baltimore, the UAE, and around the world.”
About one-third of people who have strokes die each year, accounting for 5.5 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Of the survivors, two-thirds leave the hospital with a disability, the U.K. Stroke Association reports.
“This new institute will not only generate better outcomes for stroke patients in the UAE and the U.S. but will also strengthen opportunities for collaboration between UAE and U.S. scientists and researchers,” Otaiba says. “We are grateful to Johns Hopkins for their continued leadership in patient-centered medicine and are proud of our longstanding partnership.”
The Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute will be directed by Justin McArthur, professor and director of neurology at Johns Hopkins.