Professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery
Vice-Chairman, Clinical Affairs
Director, UPMC Stroke Institute
Phone: (412) 647-3030
e-mail: kukicta@upmc.edu

Specialized Areas of Interest

Stroke; neuron implantation.

Biography

Lawrence Wechsler, MD, professor of neurology and neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Stroke Institute and has been very active in the treatment of stroke and its debilitating effects. He was among the first doctors to report on the direct intra-arterial injection of urokinase to dissolve blood clots in brains of people suffering stroke. He is co-editor of one of the leading texts on transcranial doppler ultrasound, a method that uses a microprocessor-controlled adjustable probe that records blood flow in intracranial arteries.

Dr. Wechsler has served as local principal investigator for national and international clinical trials testing new treatments for acute stroke. He also serves on advisory and steering committees for several large multicenter trials of acute stroke therapy.

Dr. Wechsler and Douglas Kondziolka, MD, Peter J. Jannetta Professor with the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery, pioneered studies of implantation of LBS-Neurons within a stroke patient's brain to restore nerve function.

Dr. Wechsler earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Harvard College and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at UPMC Presbyterian and residency in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he also completed a fellowship in cerebrovascular disease.

Dr. Wechsler holds memberships in several organizations, including the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Society of Neuroimaging. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is board certified in vascular neurology.

He has authored or co-authored many papers and chapters on stroke and stroke treatment.

Dr. Wechsler's publications can be reviewed through the National Library of Medicine's publication database.

Board Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Vascular Neurology

Hospital Privileges

UPMC Presbyterian

Professional Organization Membership

American Academy of Neurology
American Medical Association
Society for Neuroscience

Editorial Service

• Editorial:

Journal of Neuroimaging (Editor-in-Chief)

• Ad Hoc Reviewer:

Neurology
Stroke