The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, has expanded its International Stroke Conference with multiple pre-conference symposia scheduled for February 3, 2026, in New Orleans. The main conference will follow from February 4-6, 2026, as a premier global event dedicated to advancing stroke and brain health science. Five specialized symposia will address critical areas in stroke care, research, and health equity, reflecting the organization's comprehensive approach to tackling stroke as the fourth leading cause of death in the United States according to the American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics.
The State-of-the-Science Stroke Nursing Symposium Pre-Conference Symposium will provide updates on nursing topics related to stroke care, including prevention, management, rehabilitation and program development. Presentations will cover the top 10 changes in the acute ischemic stroke 2025 guidelines that impact nursing, early palliative interventions to promote positive outcomes with acute stroke treatment, unifying stroke care, and connecting stroke survivors with the health care system. This focus on nursing care is crucial given the frontline role nurses play in stroke patient management and recovery.
A new Brain Health Pre-Con Symposium reflects the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's growing commitment to fostering science that supports optimal brain function across the lifespan. This symposium will explore topics at the intersection of vascular neurology, cognitive neuroscience, aging and public health, including the heart-brain connection, post-stroke cognitive and mental health problems, and the use of AI to improve brain health. This expansion into broader brain health considerations represents a significant evolution in how the medical community approaches cerebrovascular disease beyond acute treatment.
The HEADS-UP symposium (Health Equity and Actionable Disparities in Stroke: Understanding and Problem-solving) represents a multidisciplinary scientific forum focusing on race-ethnic disparities in cerebrovascular disease. This collaborative initiative with the American Stroke Association and the National Institutes for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) aims to reduce disparities in stroke and accelerate translation of research to improve outcomes for race-ethnic minorities who reside in the US. Visit the HEADS-UP Symposium in the Program Planner for details. This focus on health equity is particularly important given documented disparities in stroke incidence, treatment access, and outcomes among different racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
Stroke in Practice: Stroke Lagniappe (formerly Stroke in the Real World) will highlight scientific advances in cerebrovascular disease while emphasizing their application in real-world settings, with this year's topic addressing challenges in acute stroke management. The Experimental Stroke Science symposium (formerly Stroke in the Lab World) will focus on promising new developments in the lab and their possible effects on future stroke treatment, covering topics including intracerebral hemorrhage immunology, subarachnoid hemorrhage, leukocytes, intracerebral hemorrhage pathophysiology, cerebral amyloid angiopathy and intraventricular hemorrhages. These complementary approaches ensure that both practical clinical applications and cutting-edge research receive dedicated attention.
The expansion of the International Stroke Conference comes at a critical time when stroke remains a major public health concern. The Association receives more than 85% of its revenue from sources other than corporations, including contributions from individuals, foundations and estates, as well as investment earnings and revenue from the sale of educational materials. Overall financial information is available here. This diversified funding structure supports the organization's scientific independence and educational mission. Media interested in attending the International Stroke Conference and the Pre-Conference Symposia can register through the conference portal. Statements and conclusions of studies presented at the Association's scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association's policy or position, with findings considered preliminary until published as full manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
