Disparities in Hypertension, Stroke, and Hypertensive Diseases of Pregnancy

Description:

This talk will examine how structural inequalities - rather than biological differences - drive disparities in hypertension, stroke and maternal neurocritical illness, with a particular focus on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Using contemporary data and neurocritical care-relevant case examples, the talk will highlight how social determinants of health shape who presents to the ICU, when they arrive and with that outcomes. The sessions will conclude with practical, systems level strategies clinicians and institutions can implement to advance equity as a core dimension of quality and safety. 

Goals/Objectives: 

This talk will frame health equity as a core neurocritical care issue. 

Review disparities in hypertension, stroke and maternal stroke. 

Discuss structural drivers and system level implications. 

Identify actionable strategies for clinicians and health systems. 

Speaker: 

Monisha A. Kumar MD FNCS

Professor and Vice Chair for Quality and Safety

Department of Neurology

Medical Director, Neuro ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Perelman School of Medicine

Bio:

Dr. Kumar is a distinguished neurointensivist and clinical researcher whose expertise focuses on coagulation derangements associated with severe brain injury. She has edited two textbooks of neurocritical care and is an expert in the study of ICU mobilization and in the practice of in situ simulation for clinical emergencies. She serves as Vice Chair for Quality and Safety in the Department of Neurology and Medical Director of the Neuro ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Her leadership extends across Penn Medicine, where she has advanced equity and inclusion through initiatives such as the Neurology Department’s IDARE (Inclusion, Diversity, and Anti-Racism Efforts) Committee.

A dedicated advocate for women in medicine, Dr. Kumar has served as Chair of the Penn Forum for Women Faculty and Gender Equity, bringing national attention to issues of pay equity, caregiving, and faculty advancement—particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has curated impactful programming, advised university leadership, and fostered networks that strengthen institutional support for women faculty.

Her commitment to mentorship and leadership development is evident in her work as chair of the Anna T. Meadows Society, which was re-launched to support clinician-educator faculty, and in her service on the Neurocritical Care Society’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, where she advised the President of the Society and fervently championed diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Dr. Kumar’s achievements have been recognized through her selection as a Penn Fellow, induction into the Penn Medicine Academy of Master Clinicians, and her fellowship in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program. These honors underscore her dual excellence in clinical care and leadership—hallmarks of her advocacy for women in academic medicine.