Dr. Ajay Wakhloo Transitions to New Role at Lahey Clinic

Ajay Wakhloo, MD, PhD, FAHA transitioned from UMass to the Lahey Clinic in January. Professor Wakhloo had been a faculty at UMMS since 2005 with joint appointments in Radiology, Neurology and Neurosurgery. During his time at UMass, Dr. Wakhloo served in many leadership roles, including Director of the Division of Neuroimaging and Intervention, and Co-Director of the New England Center for Stroke Research at UMMS.

Professor Wakhloo's many accomplishments include:

• Widely acknowledged father of flow diversion treatment of brain aneurysms, which he described at the annual ASNR meeting in 1992 and published in AJNR in 1994. Flow diversion became a clinical reality following a successful PMA trial in 2010, and the 5 year data from the PUFS trial recently showed >95% complete aneurysm occlusion rate for aneurysms deemed untreatable or that had failed a prior treatment.
• Was the first to publish the concept of stent-retriever thrombectomy in a preclinical model at the New England Center for Stroke Research, a therapy that has become after 5 randomized clinical trials to be the most effective stroke treatment ever described.
• Built the clinical and research neurointerventional (NIR) program at UMASS into one of the most recognized programs in the world.
• Trained numerous UMass NIR fellows who have gone onto national and international prominence and inspired countless researchers.
• Most importantly -  provided exceptional care for countless patients with stroke, cerebral aneurysms, and other neurovascular disorders. His patient population included not only those in central Massachusetts, but also many others from around the world who sought his expertise.

Ajay is a dedicated husband for 25 years to Veronica De Greiff and proud father of Albert and Nathan Wakhloo. We wish him well, happy and successful in the next stage of his career.