Goldstein Selected to Help Lead Statewide Task Force Addressing Heart Disease and Stroke

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 12, 2024) —Larry Goldstein, M.D., chair of the University of Kentucky Department of Neurology, has been selected to serve as co-chair of The Kentucky Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (KHDSP) Task Force representing stroke systems of care across the state. 

Goldstein is co-director of the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, co-director of the UK Neuroscience Research Priority Area, contact PI for the state’s CDC Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program grant, and interim director of the UK-Norton Healthcare Stroke Care Network. Additionally, he also sits on the board of directors of The American Academy of Neurology (AAN). 

With his focus on the stroke systems of care throughout Kentucky, Goldstein will lead the task force alongside Nathan Kusterer, M.D., a cardiologist with Baptist Health, who represents the state’s heart systems of care. 

The task force works in partnership with the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. The collaborative group was developed in 2006 to address cardiovascular disease in the Commonwealth. The task force is comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders committed to improving the health of Kentuckians. The initial membership included 27 individuals representing 14 agencies; the task force currently has 419 members representing 194 different agencies.

“Through our work on Kentucky's CDC Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program, I have been working with the KHDSP Task Force to advance stroke prevention and care throughout Kentucky,” said Goldstein. “This is another opportunity to coordinate and leverage efforts to reduce the burden of stroke statewide.”

The task force is represented by health systems, emergency medical organizations, community-based, professional and voluntary health organizations, businesses, higher level educational institutes and local and state government agencies. 

“The KHDSP brings together stroke and heart disease expertise and efforts to impact both conditions across the state.  It is a particularly important approach for improving public health by addressing commonalities between heart disease and stroke,” said Goldstein.

The goal of the Task Force is to improve Kentucky’s cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. “It is wonderful to have the opportunity to lead and work with a group of passionate, dedicated colleagues focused on making our state healthier,” said Goldstein.