Neurologist
University of California, Los Angeles
Bruce Ovbiagele, a vascular neurologist, is assistant professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Among other responsibilities, Ovbiagele directs the UCLA PROTECT program, which helps hospitals provide the highest-quality stroke treatment to patients. He is a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association’s “Power to End Stroke” campaign.
Born in Nigeria, Ovbiagele came to the United States in 1995 to pursue specialist training in stroke, the second-leading killer of Africans and the single most deadly neurological disease. He plans to return to Nigeria to set up stroke centers. “Given the dearth of resources in this region, the main emphasis will be on preventive therapies and public education,” he says. He also hopes to help train new African doctors and medical researchers.