Stephen van Gaal

Dr. Stephen van Gaal serves as a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine, specializing in Stroke Neurology at Vancouver General Hospital through the Vancouver Stroke Program. He holds dual clinical and research roles within Vancouver Coastal Health, contributing to acute stroke care and translational research initiatives.

Education

• Medical Degree: University of Toronto
• Residency: Adult Neurology, University of Ottawa
• Fellowship: Stroke Neurology, University of Calgary
• Current: Master of Clinical Epidemiology, University of British Columbia (supported by CIHR scholarship)

Dr. van Gaal's research focuses on optimizing stroke care pathways through cost-effective diagnostic strategies. His primary interests include emergency-department based CT angiography for transient ischemic attack evaluation and validation of prehospital triage scales like the Los Angeles Motor Scale. His work bridges clinical practice with health services research to improve rapid stroke assessment and resource allocation. Recent publications demonstrate increasing specialization in thrombectomy candidate identification, anticoagulation protocols for cerebrovascular disorders, and implementation of evidence-based stroke prevention guidelines.

Research Trends

• 2023-2025: Dominated by multicenter clinical trials (ESCAPE-MeVO, TEMPO-2) focusing on endovascular interventions and novel pharmacotherapies
• 2020-2022: Shift toward guideline development (Canadian Stroke Best Practice) and neuroimaging biomarker validation
• 2017-2019: Foundation in prehospital stroke recognition systems and physician engagement frameworks

Awards

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research Scholarship supporting Master's studies

Dr. van Gaal actively participates in major multicenter stroke trials including ESCAPE-NA1, ARCADIA, and TEMPO-2 as site investigator. His grant portfolio centers on CIHR-funded clinical epidemiology research examining cost-effectiveness of stroke diagnostics. He contributes to the Vancouver Stroke Program's operational framework through the Vancouver Medical Staff Association engagement charter.

The Vancouver Stroke Program serves as his primary research hub, integrating clinical care with the University of British Columbia's academic infrastructure. Current initiatives focus on emergency department workflow optimization for suspected stroke cases and developing predictive models for thrombectomy eligibility.