Nishant Kumar Mishra, PhD, FRCP, FAHA, FESC
Cards
About
Titles
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute of Global Health
Positions outside Yale
Stroke Director, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, West Haven VA Medical Center
Biography
Bridging the Gap from Acute Stroke to Brain Stewardship
The Mission I am a vascular neurologist and researcher dedicated to a single, urgent goal: ensuring that a stroke survivor’s journey does not end with "survival," but continues into a life of neurological health and cognitive resilience. Over the past two decades, my work has spanned the globe—from India and Europe to my current home at Yale School of Medicine and the West Haven VA.
A Legacy of Impact My early research focused on breaking down unnecessary barriers to acute care. I led the pivotal studies (published in The BMJ and Neurology) that challenged age-based and several other exclusions for thrombolysis, findings that were eventually integrated into the AHA/ASA National Stroke Guidelines. Today, my scholarly work is cited nearly 3,000 times, serving as a foundation for evidence-based stroke protocols worldwide.
The Current Frontier: IPSERC and Brain Recovery At Yale, I have pivoted to the "next frontier" of stroke: long-term recovery.
- Preventing Epilepsy: I co-founded and lead the International Post Stroke Epilepsy Research Consortium (IPSERC). Our recent leadership in JAMA Neurology and Stroke is uncovering the genomic and clinical "signatures" that predict post-stroke seizures, moving us closer to the first generation of preventative anti-epileptogenic therapies. As a stroke specialist, my service on the American Epilepsy Society Scientific Program Committee serves as a strategic bridge for interdisciplinary scholarship. In this role, I lead the development of scientific programming that integrates stroke and epilepsy research, directly advancing my primary research agenda in post-stroke epilepsy.
- Cognitive Resilience: I am investigating how cultural and linguistic assets, such as bilingualism, act as a "cognitive reserve" that shields the brain from post-stroke decline. My vision is to develop cost-effective, community-based interventions that protect the cognitive identity of every patient.
For Future Collaborators and Trainees I am a "traditional" neurologist at heart. Whether at the bedside at the VA or in the teachin session at Yale, I believe in the power of clinical storytelling and meticulous semiology.
- To Trainees: My lab is a global pipeline. I have had the privilege of mentoring students who have won AAN awards, matched into top-tier residencies, and serving as professor internationally. I provide a mentorship experience that balances high-level scientific rigor with personalized professional growth.
- To Collaborators: I believe in "convening power." Through IPSERC (co-convened with Patrick Kwan, MD, Monash University), I foster an environment where multidisciplinary experts from genomics, neurology, and neuro-critical care work together to solve the field’s most complex recovery challenges.
Vision for the Future I am working toward a world where post-stroke epilepsy is preventable and where a patient's cultural background is leveraged as a medical tool for recovery. I invite you to join me in this mission to protect the brain, one patient and one discovery at a time.
Appointments
Neurology
Assistant ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- All Institutions
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Mishra Lab
- Neurology
- Vascular Neurology
- Yale Medicine
- Yale New Haven Health System
Education & Training
- Vascular Neurology ACGME Fellow
- UCLA (2021)
- NIH StrokeNet Fellow
- UCLA (Mentors: J. Saver, MD; D.S. Liebeskind, MD) (2021)
- Fellowship
- University of California Los Angeles (2021)
- MD
- The University of The State of New York, By Conferral (2020)
- Neurology Resident
- Mt. Sinai Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai (2020)
- Neurology Resident
- Tulane University (2018)
- Internship
- Tulane University (2017)
- ORISE Medical Scientist
- US Food and Drug Administration (2016)
- Postdoctoral Fellow in Vascular Neurology
- Stanford University (Mentors: G. Albers, MD; M. Lansberg, MD) (2014)
- Vascular Neurology Postdoctoral Fellowship (PGY 6-7)
- Stanford University (2014)
- PhD
- University of Glasgow, Medicine and Therapeutics (Mentor: K.R. Lees, MD, FRCP) (2012)
- Visiting Researcher
- UT Houston (Mentors: J. Grotta, MD; Collaborator: TA Kent, MD; P Mandava, MD) (2011)
- Visiting ESO researcher
- Karolinska University (Collaborator: N. Wahlgren, MD) (2009)
- Swiss Government's Excellence (ESKAS) Fellow
- University Hospital of Lausanne, Unisanté (2008)
- MBBS
- Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, India (2005)
- Residency
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital
Research
Overview
From Acute Reperfusion to Post-Stroke Brain Stewardship
I. Overview and Scientific Philosophy My research program is dedicated to optimising the entire continuum of stroke care—from the hyper-acute window to long-term neurological recovery. My scientific philosophy is rooted in translational accountability: I believe that discovery is only complete when it fundamentally shifts clinical guidelines and patient outcomes. My career-long trajectory, evidenced by an h-index of 25 and nearly 3,000 citations, reflects a transition from redefining acute thrombolysis protocols to pioneering the field of post-stroke brain health.
Leveraging my initial Institutional Startup Package, I successfully established national and international collaborative research groups and built the infrastructure necessary to conduct foundational studies in post-stroke epilepsy, cognitive resilience (bilingualism research), and biomarker research. This support directly facilitated the generation of preliminary data regarding post-stroke epilepsy, bilingualism, and post-stroke outcomes, which now serves as the cornerstone for my StrokeNET and R-type application. Despite personal exigencies, I continued to contribute to neuroscience and to keep my interdisciplinary leadership in post-stroke epilepsy as a priority.II. Redefining Acute Stroke Intervention (The Reperfusion Pillar)The first phase of my research addressed critical barriers to acute stroke treatment. By leading large-scale registry comparisons (published in The BMJ, Stroke, Diabetes Care, and Neurology), I demonstrated that several historical exclusion criteria for IV rtPA, e.g. regarding age, were medically unfounded.
- Impact: This body of work served as a primary evidence base for the 2016 AHA/ASA Stroke Guideline updates, effectively expanding life-saving treatment eligibility to millions of elderly patients globally.
III. Mechanisms of Post-Stroke Epileptogenesis (The IPSERC Pillar) joining the Yale faculty, I pivoted to the most pressing unmet need in stroke survivorship: post-stroke epilepsy (PSE). Recognizing the need for global collaboration, I co-founded and lead the International Post Stroke Epilepsy Research Consortium (IPSERC).
- Genomics and Prognostics: Our recent leadership in JAMA Neurology (2023) and Stroke (2024) has defined the epidemiological burden and the genomic "signature" of PSE. We provided the first large-scale evidence that polygenic risk scores for epilepsy can predict post-stroke seizure risk, shifting the paradigm toward personalized prognostic modeling.
- Therapeutic Evidence: Our 2025 Neurology study established the comparative safety and tolerability of modern antiseizure medications, providing the clinical scaffolding for a new generation of preventative trials.
IV. Cognitive Reserve and Bilingualism (The Resilience Pillar)I am currently investigating the neuro-protective mechanisms of bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve. This line of research explores how linguistic diversity delays post-stroke cognitive decline. This work seeks to identify non-pharmacological, community-based interventions that leverage a patient’s cultural assets to foster long-term neurological resilience.
V. Vision for the Future As a stroke faculty at Yale, my goal is to move the field from treating stroke complications to preventing them. My vision includes:
- Anti-epileptogenesis Trials: Leveraging the IPSERC infrastructure to launch the first primary prevention trials for PSE. Building International Post Stroke Epilepsy Research Repository, a platform to promote scientific collaboration and output for future PSE trials. Using years long history in clinical neurosciences to promote PSE research both within stroke and epilepsy communities.
- Cognitive Interventions: Scaling my bilingualism research into cost-effective public health tools to protect cognitive identity in aging populations.
- Mentorship: Continuing to cultivate an international pipeline of clinician-scientists who balance scientific rigor with humanistic clinical care.
Medical Research Interests
Public Health Interests
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Teaching & Mentoring
Mentoring
Pei Yi Chook
Medical student2023 - 2023Shubham Misra, PhD/BTech
Postdoc2022 - 2024Ethan Wang
Ethan Wang2022 - 2026
Clinical Care
Overview
Nishant Kumar Mishra, MBBS, PhD, MD, is a neurologist who specializes in vascular neurology and stroke. “My goal is to make a positive impact in the lives of stroke patients, not only by offering the best care, but also by advancing the field through clinical research and novel discoveries,” he says.
Clinical Specialties
News & Links
News
- December 12, 2025Source: Neurology Advisor
Video: Post-Stroke Epilepsy — AES 2025 Expert Insights
- December 01, 2025
Improving Quality of Life After a Stroke
- January 31, 2025
Poststroke Seizures: New Study Suggests First-line Treatment Options
- January 01, 2025Source: Medcentral
Post-Stroke Epilepsy: Antihypertensive Choice Could Matter
Get In Touch
Locations
Department of Neurology
Academic Office
VA Connecticut Healthcare
950 Campbell Avenue, Fl 6
West Haven, CT 06516
100 York Street
Lab
Wing Neurology, Ste 1-N, Rm 123
New Haven, CT 06511
International Post-Stroke Epilepsy Research Consortium (IPSERC); Vascular Neurology Research Office
Academic Office
100 York Street, Ste Suite 1-N
New Haven, CT 06511
General Information
785.785.5867Patient Care Locations
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