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Sujani Bandela, MD
Assistant Professor/Clinical
Dr. Bandela joined UT Health in San Antonio after completing her vascular neurology fellowship at UT Health in San Antonio. Prior to coming to UT Health, she was at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon and was an administrative chief resident there. She joined as a vascular neurologist here and is an associate program director for the neurology residency at UT Health in San Antonio. She is also trained in post-stroke spasticity treatment and performs Botox for spasticity. She trained in performing Botox injections for migraines, dystonias, and bletharospasm/hemifacial spasms. She has two clinics established for the procedures including the UT Health Medical Arts and Research Center (MARC) and the University Hospital spasticity clinic. She sees a variety of patients including stroke hospital follow-ups, new stroke evaluations, spasticity evaluations, and migraine patients.
As an associate program director, Dr. Bandela works closely with the residents. She is heavily involved in resident didactics, including board review preparation and procedural training. She is leading a few residency tracks including the neurohospitalist track, which is an integrated track within the residency of providing residents adequate training to eventually become a neurohospitalist, and the procedural track. The procedural track provides clinical and simulation training for residents learning how to perform Botox procedures for a variety of neurological conditions. The track itself trains residents on ultrasound and electromyography use. She is working on a variety of educational projects with the residents.
Dr. Bandela is also involved in stroke and neurology advocacy. She has attended Neurology on the Hill through American Academy of Neurology (AAN) to advocate for a variety of neurological diseases to the Senate and House in Washington DC. She was selected to be a part of the prestigious Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum (PALF) through AAN. PALF selects only 30 people per year, and it is a one-year course of media training, close mentorship, and working on an advocacy project. Her project includes stroke advocacy in the South Texas Community that is underserved, and as UT Health caters to that patient population, the project provides closer care to stroke patients. Dr. Bandela is also a student at University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) School of Business. She is part of national and state level committees and is an active member of the Texas Neurological Society (TNS) Education Committee.
Dr. Bandela was also selected to speak at the AAN annual meeting on stroke access in low-resource settings and will be speaking in front of national and international neurology leaders. She has also been accepted to be a part of the International Stroke Conference to moderate a session on Tenecteplase as a choice clot-busting medication in stroke care. She is working on a variety of projects including a grant project comparing Alteplase (tPA) to Tenecteplase (tNK), some clinical trials that are looking more into secondary stroke prevention, and educational projects. The grant project is state funded through the Lone Star Stroke Consortium to compare tPA to tNK as tNK is being more readily accepted as a better clot busting medication for acute strokes. Dr. Bandela was selected for the Rising Star Award for Doctors in the San Antonio Area and was nominated for this award.
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Professional Background
Education
- 2015 - MD - Medicine with Research Distinction - St. George's University Grendada
- 2010 - BMS - Pre-Med - Dallas Baptist University
Training
- 2021 - Fellowship - Vascular Neurology - UT Health Science Center San Antonio
- 2020 - Residency - Neurology - Oregon Health and Science University
- 2016 - Internship - Internal Medicine Preliminary Year - New York Methodist Hospital
Highlights
2020: Resident Scholarship, American Academy of Neurology
2018: Recognition as Neurology Resident for the month of May 2018
2013-2015 Iota Epsilon Alpha Honor Society, St. George’s University
2010 Magna cum Laude, Dallas Baptist University
2009 Marie and Pierre Curie Scholar Award, Dallas Baptist University
2006-2010 President’s List and Dean’s List, Dallas Baptist University -
Research & Grants
Grants
Grant:
2021-Present: Principal Investigator, Multicenter Registry of Tenecteplase Data in Stroke Patients, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Pilot Study with Grant Approval through Lone Star Stroke Consortium, Retrospective Study)-with Dr. Lee Birnbaum2022-Present: Prinicipal Investigator, Directed Didactics: A Quality Improvement Project using Goal-Directed Didactic Interventions to Improve Neurology Residency in Service Examination (RITE) Scores, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Pending acceptance through American Academy of Neurology) with Dr. Kunal Kanakia and Dr. Asra Tanwir (PGY 4 Residents)
2022-Present: Principal Investigator, Innovative Ways to Provide More Neuro-Hospitalist Experience Within the Adult Neurology Residency Program (Pending Submission and Approval through American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology) with Dr. Michael Palm, Dr. Andres Saenz, and Dr. Eithan Kotkowski
Clinical Trials:
2022-Present: Site Principal Investigator, CAPTIVA Trial, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX2020-Present: Sub-Investigator, ARCADIA Clinical Trial, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX
2020-Present: Sub-Investigator, START Clinical Trial, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX
2020-Present: Sub-Investigator, TIMELESS Clinical Trial, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX
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Service
Service to the Profession
Leadership Courses:
2022: Neurology on the Hill, American Academy of Neurology, Representing State of Texas and speaking to Texas senators and congress members, 2.5 day conference, Washington DC
2022-Present: Class of 2022 Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, American Academy of Neurology, 4 day course including 30 total members in the country selected
2022-Present: Executive Development Program (EDP) for Emerging Health Leaders, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio/UT San Antonio School of Business (1 year program pathway to the Executive MBA)
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Publications
Oral/Poster Presentations and Speaker Conferences:
June 2022: Stroke Overview, Workup, Treatments and Clinical Trials, PGY 2 Boot Camp-combining the Military (Brooke Army Medical Center) and UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX residents (Invited Speaker)
May 2022: Judging Residents’ Oral and Poster Presentations for Annual UT and Military Research Day, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX (Speaker and Judge)
May 2022: Overview of Headaches, Internal Medicine Conference, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker)
January 2022: Age of Thrombolytics, Tenecteplase Review, Lone Star Stroke Consortium, Austin, TX (Invited Speaker)
January 2022: Ischemic Stroke Risk Factors and Management and Post Stroke Spasticity, Medicine, Primary Medicine Faculty Development Speaker, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker)
July 2021: Update on the Stroke Preventative Guidelines, Grand Rounds, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker)
June 2021: New Age of Thrombolytics, Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Counsil, Stroke Presenting Committee, San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker)
May 2021: Review of Post Stroke Manifestations and Therapies Available, Monthly Stroke Patient Meetings, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker)
April 2021: Tenecteplase Data, Grand Rounds, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker)
November 2020: Administration of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, Rapid Response Team, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker)
Publications:
Brown, GG, Foroughi, R, Bandela, S, Cardentey, A, Clark, KL & Dula, AN 2023, 'A tale of two cities: A retrospective observational cohort study of the impact of COVID-19 on acute stroke presentation, timing, and outcomes', Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, vol. 32, no. 9, 107274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2023.107274
July 2018-November 2018: RCVS and Primary CNS vasculitis, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon. (Accepted to SVIN-November 2018 Presentation, published in Interventional Neurology Journal-Abstract).
October 2017-November 2018: Bilateral Lymphadenopathy and Strokes from angiitis, Dr. Hormozd Bozorgchami, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon. (Accepted to Oregon Stroke Conference and Presented, SVIN Presentation November 2018, published in Interventional Neurology Journal-Abstract).
Book Chapter:
Bandela, Sujani; Mozumder, Aaisha; Birnbaum, Lee. “Acute Ischemic Stroke Presentation, Natural History and Treatment”. Introduction to Vascular Neurosurgery, edited by Justin Mascitelli and Mandy Binning, Springer Publication, January 2022, 201-214.Public Health Policy Platforms:
2022: Stroke Awareness Segment on the local San Antonio, TX, KENS News (Invited Guest)Research Experience/Abstracts:
2022-Present: QI Project to Address In-Hospital Strokes using simulations and educational classes to address stroke alerts, with Dr. Lee Birnbaum (Pending submission)
2022-Present: Innovative Ways to Increase Residency in Service Examination (RITE) Scores and Improve Resident Satisfaction in Didactic Sessions, Educational Research with Kunal Kanakia and Asra Tanwir (Pending AAN Educational Grant Submission)
2021-Present: The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Acute Stroke Presentation, Timing, and Outcomes: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study of Consecutive Patient Regional Registry, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio and Austin, Dell (Pending Manuscript Review-JMIR)
2020-2021: COVID and Stroke Outcomes, Retrospective Study, UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX (Poster Presentation at International Stroke Conference 2022)
August 2019-2020: Does Anticoagulation Reduce Risk of Developing Degenerative Disease in Intracranial Hemorrhage Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Cortical Cerebral Microbleeds?, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, Dr. Helmi Lutsep and Dr. Wayne Clark (Presented at SVIN 2019)
July 2018-November 2018: Carotid Body Tumor and Strokes Prior to Resection, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon. (Accepted to Oregon Stroke Conference and Presented).
July 2018-November 2018: RCVS and Primary CNS Vasculitis, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon. (Accepted to SVIN and Presented).
October 2017-November 2018: Bilateral Lymphadenopathy and Strokes from Angiitis, Dr. Hormozd Bozorgchami, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon. (Accepted to SVIN-November 2018 and Presented).
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Clinical
Board Certifications
- 2022 - American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Vascular. Neurology
- 2020 - American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology