Sean I. Savitz

Title(s): Director, UTHealth Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases 

Current: Professor

Institutional Affiliation: UTHealth Houston 

Active Email Address: sean.i.savitz@uth.tmc.edu

Telephone Number: 713 500-7083 (WhatsApp)

Sean I. Savitz, MD, is a Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Professor, the Frank M. Yatsu Chair, and Director of the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth). He graduated from Harvard College, received his MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed neurology residency training and a cerebrovascular fellowship at the Harvard Medical School Neurology Training Program. With over 40 participating faculty, the UTHealth Stroke Institute’s mission is to develop novel treatments and healthcare delivery models for patients with ischemic stroke and brain hemorrhage.

Relevant Professional Skills/Experiences

  • 2018 – Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council CEO Award
  • 2012 – Sanberg Award in Brain Repair, American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair
  • 2010, 13, 20 – Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth
  • 2006 – Neurology Faculty Teaching Award, Harvard Medical School Neurology Residency Program Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • 2000 – Andrew Doyle Award for Excellence in Neurology, Albert Einstein Col. Of Medicine
  • 2000 – Distinction in Neuroscience Research, Albert Einstein College Of Medicine
  • 1998-2000 – Howard Hughes Continuing Studies Award, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • 1998 – Scholarship in Cerebrovascular Disease, American Heart Association

Relevant Career Highlights

Dr. Savitz’s research focuses on stroke recovery, rehabilitation, and the application of stem cells as an innovative treatment for stroke. He also oversees an NIH-funded fellowship program to train stroke specialists and has won several teaching awards in Boston and Houston. Grants from the National Institute of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the American Heart Association have funded him. He is an author of over 300 publications in the biomedical literature. From 2017 to 2021, he served as the inaugural medical director for the integrated stroke program involving 11 hospitals in the Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, providing care to over 4,000 patients yearly with cerebrovascular disease. He chaired for 4 years and is currently the medical director of the stroke committee of the South East Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC), which establishes standards of care and best practices based on consensus among all health systems and EMS agencies in Southeast Texas.

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