The New York State Department of Health selected Crouse Hospital as an official state-designated Stroke Center because our dedicated stroke team is organized to respond in the most efficient, patient-supportive manner to provide comprehensive care for stroke patients. In fact, Crouse is the first area hospital to have earned the "Gold Plus" status for stroke care treatment from the American Stroke Association. Meet the Crouse Stroke Program leadership and our neurologists who provide the best in patient care.
Tarakad Ramachandran, MD
Medical Director of Neuroscience Services for Crouse Hospital
Highly regarded nationally and internationally as a clinician and educator, Dr. Ramachandran came to Syracuse in 1976 with training in internal medicine from the United Kingdom. After two years of residency and a year of chief residency in neurology at Upstate Medical University, he advanced his training with a year of fellowship in neuromuscular diseases and electrophysiology from Boston University School of Medicine. He returned to Syracuse in 1980 to pursue his career in neurology at Crouse and University hospitals. Dr. Ramachandran also holds a master’s in business administration from Syracuse University and a master’s in public health from Upstate and Syracuse University.
Dr. Ramachandran has a strong interest in vascular neurology (stroke medicine) and chaired Crouse’s Operation Stroke Committee from 1996 to 2000. As chief of neurology at Crouse, he was instrumental in creating Crouse’s Stroke Unit, which was the first in the region to be designated with “Gold Plus” performance achievement from the American Stroke Association. He also was active in the creation of the Stroke Unit at Upstate Medical University, from which he retired in 2010.
Dr. Ramachandran is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, which awarded him the A.B. Baker Teaching Award in 2007. Over the years, he has contributed significantly to neurological training and teaching in India as a visiting professor to many of its universities. In the 1980s he helped create a free CT scanning program for the underprivileged in Pune, India. As a delegate of the World Stroke Foundation, he participated in the inauguration of the Regional Asian Stroke Congress and first Indian Stroke Association Meeting, endorsed by the World Stroke Federation at Chennai, India in 2006.
Rochele Clark, RN, BSN
Stroke Program Administrator
Rochele Clark, RN, BSN, coordinates the clinical processes of the hospital’s stroke center through data collection, quality improvement initiatives and education to ensure the highest level of stroke care across the continuum, including prevention, acute hospitalization and rehabilitation.
Ms. Clark, who has more than 25 years of nursing leadership experience, most recently served as Vice President, Clinical Services, for REACH Call Inc., where she was responsible for providing clinical expertise and education to develop and sustain telestroke programs at a national level. She served as the stroke program coordinator at Upstate Medical University from 2006 to 2008 and also served as co-chair of the CNY Stroke Task Force, responsible for coordinating a multi-media campaign for improving stroke awareness in conjunction with the American Heart Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Upstate Medical University. In 2008, she was awarded the American Heart Association’s quality award for outstanding nurse leader.
Meet Our Neurologists