Title(s):
- Faculty Instructor (Research)
- Graduated NIH StrokeNet Fellow
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Lucas Rios Rocha is a research-focused physician and Research Instructor at the UPMC Stroke Institute, where he leads biobanking initiatives and contributes to studies of cerebral hemodynamics and outcomes after stroke. His work spans protocol development (REDCap, SOPs), informed-consent and regulatory workflows, biospecimen processing/biobank management, transcranial Doppler assessments, and trial screening/enrollment. He previously completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital (Emergency Medicine Network), contributing to NIH-funded multicenter cohorts. His experience includes clinical research operations, data quality/management, and statistical analysis.
Education & Training
- Research Instructor, UPMC Stroke Institute, University of Pittsburgh (2025–present)
- NIH StrokeNet Fellow / Faculty Research Instructor, UPMC Stroke Institute (2024–2025)
- Clinical Research Fellow, UPMC Stroke Institute (2023–2024)
- Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Student Exchange Program, University of Porto, Portugal
- M.D. Medical Doctor, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil
Specialized Areas of Clinical, Research and/or Education Interests
- Vascular neurology; stroke systems of care
- Collateral flow & hemodynamics; transcranial Doppler
- Neuroimaging biomarkers; endovascular therapy outcomes
- Biobanking & prospective cohort design; pragmatic/registry-based trials
- Aging, cognition, and functional recovery after stroke
Professional Organization Membership
- American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
- American Neurological Association (ANA)
- American Heart Association (AHA)
Selected Recent Publications
Rios Rocha L, Kayyali MN, Mahat BC, Al-Qudah A, Doheim MF, Al-Bayati AR, Bhatt NR, Starr MT, Song SS, Nogueira RG, Rocha M. Association of renal biomarkers with fast progressor phenotype and related outcomes in anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke. Front Neurol. 2024 Oct 30;15:1475135. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1475135. PMID: 39539662; PMCID: PMC11557537.
Rios Rocha L, Gao J, Espinola JA, Camargo CA. Longitudinal Analysis of Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits from 1993 to 2021. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Jun 30:kwaf139. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf139. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40607677.
Bhatt NR, Martin-Gill C, Al-Qudah A, Dermigny K, Doheim MF, Rios Rocha L, Sultany A, Kakamyradov G, Rocha M, Starr M, Patterson R, Al-Bayati AR, Guyette FX, Nogueira RG. Acquisition of Prehospital Stroke Severity Scale is associated with shorter door-to-puncture times in patients with prehospital notifications transported directly to a thrombectomy center. J Neurointerv Surg. 2024 Sep 18:jnis-2024-022122. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/jnis-2024-022122. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39299743.
Rios Rocha L, Doheim MF, Al-Bayati AR, Al-Qudah A, Bhatt NR, Starr M, Almast A, Correia Lima J, Lang M, Gross B, Nogueira RG, Rocha M. Outside Hospital Transfer Significantly Influences Clinical Outcomes in Octogenarians Undergoing Endovascular Thrombectomy for Vertebrobasilar Artery Occlusions. Poster presentation at AAN 2025, https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000212032, April 2025.
Rios Rocha L, Kayyali MN, Mahat BC, Al-Qudah A, Doheim MF, Al-Bayati AR, Bhatt NR, Starr MT, Song SS, Nogueira RG, Rocha M. Association of renal biomarkers with fast progressor phenotype and related outcomes in anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke. (ID: 4191175). Poster presentation at ISC 2025, https://doi.org/10.1161/str.56.suppl_1.WP88, February 2025.
Rios Rocha L, Kayyali M, Sari M, AlQudah A, Doheim MF, Nogueira R, Rocha M. Effect of Increasing Decade of Life on Long-term Functional Outcomes in Stroke due to Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion. Poster presentation at ANA 2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.27051, September 2024.
Rios Rocha L, Kayyali M, Doheim M, Nogueira R, Rocha M. Older Age is Associated with Frequent Clinical-Core Mismatch in Stroke due to Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion. Poster presentation at AAN 2024, https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000205789, April 2024.
