Amit Kandel, MD, MBA, FAHA

Neurologist
Stroke

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Amit Kandel, MD, MBA, FAHA, is the Dorrance Chair of Vascular Neurology, the director of the Neurovascular Division and the Petznick Stroke Center, and a professor in the Department of Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute. He also serves as senior advisor of global systems care for Barrow Global. He is board certified in neurology, vascular neurology, and brain injury medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Kandel specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke and other neurovascular diseases, providing comprehensive care for patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He has particular expertise in building and leading stroke systems of care, as well as in neurological education across multiple health systems. He is a fellow of the American Heart Association and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. He is also a member of the World Stroke Organization, where he serves on the taskforce for Prehospital Care (WSOTP).

Dr. Kandel earned his medical degree from Nepalgunj Medical College at Kathmandu University in Kohalpur, Nepal, and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Management in New York. He completed both his neurology residency and vascular neurology fellowship at the University at Buffalo.

Dr. Kandel’s research focuses on stroke and cerebrovascular disease across three intersecting domains: translational neuroscience, health systems, and global neurology. His translational work includes an investigator-initiated functional MRI study evaluating neuroimaging as a prognostic biomarker in large vessel occlusion stroke, and a prospective study examining Galectin-3 as a novel acute neurological biomarker for risk stratification in stroke and critical neurological events. He has served as a site principal investigator and co-principal investigator on more than 20 National Institutes of Health (NIH)- and industry-sponsored Phase II-IV clinical trials through NINDS StrokeNet and collaborative networks, spanning acute reperfusion therapy, anticoagulation strategies, cardiac monitoring, neuroprotection, and brain-computer interface technology.

Dr. Kandel’s health systems research centers on stroke quality improvement, simulation-based medical education, and neurological health equity including studies on social determinants of stroke outcomes, sociodemographic disparities in hospital arrival time, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cerebrovascular disease presentation. His neurology simulation curriculum received the American Academy of Neurology 2024 Clerkship Director Innovation Award.

Globally, Dr. Kandel is engaged in brain health policy development, health system design, and neurological education, including curriculum revision and simulation-based training, alongside implementation science research in Nepal focused on strengthening brain health systems. This includes the minimal viable neurological system (MVNS), a proposed clinical workflow framework designed to help standardize care for acute neurological emergencies including stroke, traumatic brain injury, seizures, central nervous system infections across hospitals in Nepal’s three major geographic regions: Terai, Hill, and Mountain. A related project, NeuroClimate-Nepal, will examine how climate hazards such as heat, flooding, air pollution, and landslides affect neurological disease burden and health system resilience. Both efforts emphasize capacity building to empower local health systems to become self-sustaining and resilient, advancing neurological health equity by improving access to care in resource-diverse settings.