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What We Do

A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function. It’s caused when the flow of blood to the brain is interrupted (an ischemic stroke) or there’s a rupture of blood vessels in the brain (a hemorrhagic stroke). The interruption of the blood flow or the rupture of blood vessels causes brain cells (neurons) in the affected area to die. The effects of a stroke depend upon where the brain was injured, as well as how much damage occurred.

The Stroke Prevention Clinic has a team of experts to treat patients who are at risk of having a stroke. We also provide ongoing care for those who have already experienced a stroke to prevent this happening again and to manage risk factors. And we offer education and support for patients and their families.

What are the warning signs and symptoms of a stroke

The symptoms of a stroke usually develop quickly over minutes or hours and can be long lasting or temporary. These symptoms are an emergency. If they happen, call 911 immediately.

Your symptoms may include:

  • Sudden weakness, numbness and/or tingling in the face, arm or leg
  • Sudden loss of vision, especially in one eye or double vision
  • Temporary loss of speech or trouble understanding speech
  • Sudden, severe and unusual headaches
  • Sudden unsteadiness especially with any of the above signs

Learn more about the signs of a stroke.

Stroke Risk Factors

​Taking care of your physical health is the best way to prevent another stroke. There are many risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, irregular heartbeat, physical inactivity, smoking and obesity. If you have any of these conditions or more than one, you need to manage them. The Stroke clinic will help you identify your personal risk factors and provide appropriate management.

Learn about the TAMS Unit

Learn more about our innovative approach to treating patients through our TAMS Unit, located at Toronto Western Hospital.

How to Prepare

Learn more about what you can expect when you have a clinic appointment.​

Materials and Resources to Help You

Resources from the Patient & Family Education Program PDF Icon

* These material(s) are also available in other languages.

Visit our health information section.

Meet Our Team

A stroke can be devastating. And it's all too common. It's estimated that each year, a Canadian suffers a stroke every 10 minutes. That's a time bomb for the heart and brain. But our Stroke Program is working on defusing this killer and finding better ways to prevent it.

We've already found the process for how brain cells die from a stroke – a special channel on the surface of brain cells is triggered to produce toxins, and when a person suffers the stroke, they destroy precious cell components. This is a key to understanding strokes better. Thanks to this breakthrough, drugs can be developed to prevent the damage.

But we have more going on than just research. Our Acute Stroke Program team is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When a "Code Stroke" is called, the team can assess a patient to begin treatment in minutes.

If you have already experienced a stroke or are at a high risk of having one, it's important you get the right medical treatment and make necessary lifestyle changes. Our stroke prevention team is here to do just that. We're a group of doctors, nurses and dietitians who are dedicated to helping you stay healthy.

Medical Director of the UHN Stroke Program: Dr. Leanne Casaubon

Physicians

Nursing

  • Anne Cayley, Stroke Nurse Practitioner
  • Janice Williams, Stroke Nurse Practitioner
  • Tim Stewart, Stroke Nurse Practitioner
  • Farhana Akthar, Stroke Nurse Practitioner
  • Lisa Crellin, Stroke Nurse Practitioner
  • Relu Wiegner, Clinical Nurse Specialist

Research

  • William To, Program Manager
  • Ammar Baig, Database Manager
  • Kay-Ann Allen, Research Coordinator​​​

Virtual Classes for Our Patients

The Stroke Prevention Clinic is offering virtual educational opportunities for patients belonging to our clinic. Current educational sessions include 2-part Stroke Education Class and 4-part Nutrition Series. Please contact the clinic for more information or to sign up for a session.

Learn more 

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