Deanna Saylor, MD, MHS, received the Osuntokun Award, a prestigious honor named for Professor Benjamin Oluwakayode Osuntokun, an influential African neuroepidemiologist known for his pioneering stroke research in Africa. This annual award established by the African Stroke Organization (ASO) recognizes a scientist’s lifetime contributions to stroke research on the continent.
Saylor delivered the Osuntokun Award Lecture November 4 at the 5th Annual African Stroke Organization Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Her lecture was entitled, “Improving Stroke Care in Zambia: From Registries to Interventions.”
Saylor, an associate professor of neurology and a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, utilizes implementation science approaches to improve the delivery of neurological care, particularly stroke care, in Zambia and Uganda. She also uses innovative medical education approaches to improve neurology training in regions with few neurologists; and epidemiological and intervention studies to better understand the mechanisms of and develop appropriate treatments for HIV-associated cognitive impairment and HIV-associated stroke.