SUMMARY
Oana M. Dumitrascu, M.D., conducts research in stroke and cerebrovascular disorders, and cognitive disorders due to cerebrovascular disease and neurodegeneration. Dr. Dumitrascu explores systems of care including telestroke and tele-ophthalmology. She is evaluating the relevance of artificial intelligence (AI) applications for these areas.
Dr. Dumistrascu's research approaches use techniques such as clinical AI modelling for disease prediction and monitoring, and neuroimaging, including magnetic resonance and transcranial Doppler ultrasound operation. Other strategies apply integration in hyperacute stroke care and retinal imaging biomarkers validation for neurological disorders. Her studies implement meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, quality improvement initiatives and investigator-initiated clinical trials.
Focus areas
- Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in health care. Dr. Dumitrascu aims to develop ocular biomarkers of cognitive disorders. She employs various retinal imaging biomarkers to create AI-based tools that can:
- Accurately predict the development of Alzheimer's disease in preclinical stages.
- Distinguish between vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
- Retinal biomarkers for stroke and cognitive disorders. Dr. Dumitrascu examines various retinal biomarkers for cerebrovascular disorders and Alzheimer's disease, such as retinal amyloid imaging and retinal vascular imaging. She explores the relationship between retinal vascular dysfunction and amyloid deposition in the retina and brain. She also examines their correlation with cognitive performance, brain volume and brain imaging abnormalities.
- Neuroimaging tools for acute vision loss. To accurately diagnose ischemic optic neuropathy and central retinal artery occlusion in hyperacute settings, Dr. Dumitrascu is developing novel orbital and brain magnetic resonance imaging modalities.
- Telemedicine for acute visual loss. Dr. Dumitrascu is working on protocols to improve the diagnosis and management of patients that present with acute visual loss to emergency departments that lack around-the-clock ophthalmologic coverage. She hopes this will help patients receive more timely and accurate diagnoses, subsequent emergent therapies, and improved triage, as well as allow them to avoid unnecessary transfers.
- Transcranial Doppler ultrasound in acute stroke care. Dr. Dumitrascu investigates the role of transcranial Doppler ultrasound in patients with acute ischemic stroke after intravenous or endovascular reperfusion therapy. She aims to provide individualized management to patients with acute stroke and to improve their short-term and long-term outcomes.
- Prospective randomized placebo-controlled trials in acute ischemic stroke and optic neuritis. Dr. Dumitrascu serves as site principal investigator or co-investigator in several multicenter clinical trials. These studies are designed to evaluate various novel therapies for patients with acute ischemic stroke and optic neuritis due to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disorder.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Dumitrascu's research in brain and eye vascular disorders serves to benefit acute systems of patient care. Her findings could improve patient access to expert care, reduce health care disparities, increase patient triage and clinical efficiency, reduce cost of care, and enhance patient and provider satisfaction. By implementing multimodality clinical AI modeling, she aims to acquire clinically translatable, cost-efficient computational tools to predict Alzheimer's disease development. Other benefits would include the ability to monitor disease progression in individuals who are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic, and to differentiate between various causes of cognitive deterioration.
Professional highlights
- Associate program director, Vascular Neurology Fellowship (Arizona), Mayo Clinic, 2022-present.
- Co-director, Neurology Artificial Intelligence Program, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, 2021-present.
- Academic editor, PLOS One, 2018-present.
- Early-Stage Investigator Research Award in Neurology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, 2022.
- Editor, NeuroBytes online learning program, American Academy of Neurology, 2022.
- Fellow, North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society, 2021.
- Co-principal investigator, AI-Enabled Fully Automated Retinal Image-Based Biomarkers for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Neurodegenerative Disorders, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2019-2021.