Adam de Havenon, MD

Adam de Havenon, MD, is a vascular neurologist who primarily treats patients with stroke, but also cares for patients with vascular malformations, aneurysms, and a variety of other neurological diseases including cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

“I was always interested in the brain, and I knew in medical school that I wanted to be a neurologist,” Dr. de Havenon says. “During my general neurology residency, I was drawn to the ability to effectively treat patients with stroke, as well as the fact that stroke is such a common disease, allowing you to have an impact on many patients.” As the field evolved, he trained to be able treat complicated stroke cases.

“Even in the 10 years or so I’ve been practicing, there have been so many developments,” Dr. de Havenon says. Treatments for acute, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke have been evolving so rapidly that “we’re able to offer interventions to improve outcomes for patients that we couldn’t do even three years ago.”

But it’s also important for anyone who is experiencing symptoms of stroke to get to the hospital as quickly as possible so treatments can be administered, he says. People should call 9-1-1 right away if they notice sudden symptoms including numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; confusion; trouble seeing or walking; or severe headache with no known cause.

Dr. de Havenon says his clinical work and research overlap in that he typically treats similar patients in both areas. He is especially interested in intracranial atherosclerosis, vascular cognitive impairment, and stroke in people younger than 50. “Essentially, I think of it as stroke prevention research,” he says. “What I am trying to find out is how to prevent future strokes and improve the quality of life for my patients.”