Kara Swafford

Kara Swafford, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and serves as the Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program Director. She holds a certification as a Registered Physician in Neurovascular Interpretation (RPNI) from the American Society of Neuroimaging (2020).

• Eastern Kentucky University (BS in Chemistry, 2009)
• University of Kentucky College of Medicine (MD, 2014)
• Neurology Residency at University of Kentucky (2014–2018)
• Vascular Neurology Fellowship at University of Kentucky (2018–2019)

Her research spans vascular neurology, stroke medicine, and clinical interventions, with a focus on mechanical thrombectomy, smoking cessation post-stroke, and cerebrovascular risk factors. Recent publications analyze national trends in vascular risk factor control (2024), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (2024), and advancements in acute ischemic stroke management (2023).

Trends in her work include epidemiological studies, neuroimaging, and interventional therapies for stroke. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the provided text. She is affiliated with the University of Kentucky's Center for Advanced Translational Stroke Science (CATSS) and other research centers.