Robert J. Adams, MS, MD
Professor and Director of MUSC Stroke Center
Contact Information
adamsrj@musc.edu
843.792.7058
Education
BS, Engineering, 1971, St. Louis University, MO
MS, Engineering, 1976, University of Colorado, Boulder
MD, Medicine, 1980, University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Internship, 1980-81, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Academic Appointment, 1981- 1982, Staff Physician, Spinal Cord Injury Unit VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA
Residency, 1982-85 Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA
Clinical Expertise
Formerly the Presidential Distinguished Chair, Regents Professor of Neurology, and Co-Director of the Cerebrovascular Section in the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia moved to MUSC in 2007 and assumed the titles of University Eminent Scholar, Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the South Carolina Center for Economic Excellence in Stroke and Director of the MUSC Stroke Center.
Dr Adams is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Diplomate) and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is co founder of REACH Call Inc, a corporation that provides system equipment, software and decision support for urgent specialist consultations for stroke and other emergency conditions via the internet. He serves also as Chief Medical Consultant for this company which brings expert experience to remote sites to assist in emergency evaluation and treatment of acute stroke.
Research Interests
Dr. Adams extensive research experience includes 4 NIH investigator-initiated grants. He co-designed and directed 2 multicenter clinical trials, STOP and STOP II, which were the first randomized clinical trials of stroke prevention in sickle cell disease and in any childhood stroke condition. Dr Adams has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, including 3 original publications in New England Journal of Medicine, and numerous book chapters and reviews, and has participated in guideline and scientific statement development on various aspects of stroke management through the AHA/American Stroke Association, the American Academy of Neurology and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. His primary research activities are in stroke prevention and novel delivery programs of stroke care.
Awards:
Recipient: Distinguished Faculty Award for Clinical Sciences, Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine Faculty Award, May 1996.
Recipient: Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, June 2001.
Recipient: Exemplary Volunteer Services. American Stroke Association, May 2002.
Recipient: America’s Top Doctors, Medical College of Georgia Health Care Inc., April 2001-2008.
Recipient: Distinguished Faculty Award for Clinical Sciences, from the Faculty Senate of the School of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, 2005.
Recipient: Distinguished Service Award for Chairing the American Stroke Association Stroke Advisory Committee. 2004-2005.
Recipient: Presidential Lectureship of the American Academy of Neurology, San Diego, California April 3, 2006.
Recipient: Award of Meritorious Achievement from the American Heart Association, presented in Washington DC April 9, 2006.
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
Adams RJ, McKie VC, Nichols FT, Carl EM, Zhang DL, McKie K, Figueroa R, Litaker M, Thompson W, Hess DC. The use of transcranial ultrasonography to predict stroke in sickle cell disease. N Engl J Med 1992;326(9):605-610.
Adams RJ, McKie VC, Brambilla DJ, Carl EM, Gallagher D, Nichols FT, Roach S, Abboud M, Berman B, Driscoll C, Files B, Hsu L, Hurlet A, Miller S, Olivieri N, Pegelow C, Scher C, Vichinsky E, Wang W, Woods G, Kutlar A, Wright E, Hagner S, Tighe F, Lewin J, Cure J, Zimmerman RA, Waclawiw M. Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (“STOP”): study design. Controlled Clinical Trials 1997:19:110-129.
Adams RJ, Brambilla DJ, McKie VC, Hsu L, Files B, Vichinsky E, Pegelow C, Abboud M, Gallagher D, Kutlar A, Nichols FT, Bonds DR, Brambilla D, Woods G, Olivieri N, Driscoll C, Miller S, Wang W, Hurlet A, Scher C, Berman B, Carl EM, Jones AM, Roach ES, Wright E, Zimmerman RA, Waclawiw M. Prevention of a first stroke by transfusions in children with sickle cell anemia and abnormal results on transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. N Engl J Med 1998;339(1):5-11.
Adams RJ, the Optimizing Primary Stroke Prevention in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP 2) Trial Investigators. Discontinuing prophylactic transfusions used to prevent stroke in sickle cell disease. N Engl J Med 2005;26(353):2769-2778.
El Gammal T, Adams RJ, Nichols FT, Milner P, McKie VC, et al. MR and CT investigation of cerebrovascular disease in the sickle cell patient. Am J Neurorad 1987;7:1043-1049.
Adams RJ, Nichols FT, McKie VC, McKie K, Milner P, El Gammal T. Cerebral infarction in sickle cell anemia: mechanism based on CT and MRI. Neurology 1988;38(7):1012-1044.
Adams RJ, Nichols FT, Stephens S, Carl EM, McKie VC, McKie K, Fischer A, Thompson WO. Transcranial Doppler: the influence of age and hematocrit in normal children. J Cardiovasc Ultrasonog 1988;7(3):201-205.
Adams RJ, Nichols FT, Aaslid R, McKie VC, McKie K, et al. Cerebral vessel stenosis in sickle cell disease: criteria for detection by transcranial Doppler. J Ped Hemat/Oncol 1990;12(3):277-282.
Powars D, Adams RJ, Nichols FT, Milner P, Charache S, Sarnaik S. Delayed intracranial hemorrhage following cerebral infarction in sickle cell anemia. J Assn Acad Minor Physicians 1990;1(3):79-82.
Adams RJ, Nichols FT, Figueroa R, McKie VC, Lott T. Transcranial Doppler correlation with cerebral angiography in sickle cell disease. Stroke 1992;23(8):1073-1077.
Pegelow CH, Adams RJ, McKie VC, Abboud M, Berman B, Miller S, Olivieri N, Vichinsky E, Wang W, Brambilla DJ. Risk of recurrent stroke in patients with sickle cell disease treated with erythrocyte transfusions. J Pediatrics 1995;126(6):896-899.
Adams RJ, McKie VC, Carl EM, Nichols FT, Perry R, Brock K, McKie K, Figueroa R, Litaker M, Weiner S, Brambilla DJ. Long term stroke risk in children with sickle cell disease screened with transcranial Doppler. Ann Neurology1997;42(5):699-704.
Pegelow CH, Wang W, Granger S, Hsu LL, Vichinsky E, Moser FG, Bello J, Zimmerman R, Adams RJ, Brambilla D. Silent infarcts In children with sickle cell anemia and abnormal cerebral artery velocity. Arch Neurol 2001;58:2017-2021.
Jones AM, Seibert JJ, Nichols FT, Kinder DL, Cox K, Luden J, Carl EM, Brambilla DJ, Saccente S, Adams RJ. Comparison of transcranial color Doppler imaging (TCDI) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) in children with sickle cell anemia. Pediatr Radiol 2001;31:461-469.
Nichols FT, Jones AM, Adams RJ. Stroke Prevention in Sickle Cell Disease (STOP) study guidelines for transcranial Doppler testing. J Neuroimaging 2001;11:354-362.
Files B, Kutlar A, Adams R, Vichinsky V, Wang W, Brambilla B. Longitudinal changes in ferritin during chronic transfusion: a report from the Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP). J Pediatr Hematol/Oncol 2002;24(4):284-290.
M Prengler, SG Pavlakis, I Prohovnik, Adams R. Sickle cell disease: the neurological complications. Ann Neurol 2002;51:543-552.
Hsu LL, Miller ST, Wright E, Kutlar A, McKie V, Wang W, Pegelow CH, Driscoll C, Hurlet A, Woods G, Elsas L, Embury S, Adams RJ; Stroke Prevention Trial (STOP) and the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD). Alpha thalassemia is associated with decreased risk of abnormal transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in children with sickle cell anemia. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2003;25(8):622-628.
Adams GT, Snieder H, McKie VC, Clair BA, Brambilla D, Adams RJ, Kutlar F, Kutlar A. Genetic risk factors for cerebrovascular disease in children with sickle cell disease; design on a case-control association study and genomewide screen. BMC Med Genet 2003;18:4-6.
Wang S, Lee SB, Pardue C, Ramsingh D, Waller J, Gross H, Nichols FT, Hess DC, Adams RJ. Remote evaluation of acute ischemic stroke: reliability of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale via telestroke. Stroke 2003;34:e188-e191.
Abboud M, Cure J, Gallagher D, Hsu L, Wang W, Zimmerman R, Brambilla D, Lewin J, Adams RJ. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in children with abnormal transcranial Doppler (TCD) velocities in the STOP study. Blood 2004;103:2822-2826.
Adams RJ, Brambilla DJ, Granger S, Gallagher D, Vichinsky E, Abboud MR, Pegelow CH (deceased), Woods G, Rohde EM, Nichols FT, Jones A, Luden JP, Bowman L, Hagner S, Morales KH, Roach ES, for the STOP Study Investigative Team. Stroke and conversion to high risk in children screened with transcranial Doppler ultrasound during the STOP study. Blood 2004;103:3689-3694.
Fullerton H, Johnston SC, Zhao S, Adams RJ. Declining rates in Californian children with sickle cell disease. Blood 2004;104(2):336-339. Epub 2004 Mar 30.
Gebreyohanns M, Adams RJ. Sickle cell disease: primary stroke prevention. CNS Spectrums 2004;9(6):445-449.
Jones A, Granger S, Brambilla D, Gallagher D, Vichinsky E, Woods G, Berman B, Roach S, Nichols F, Adams RJ. Can peak systolic velocities be used for prediction of stroke in sickle cell anemia? Pediatr Radiol 2005;35:66-72.
Lezcano NE, Odo N, Kutlar A, Brambilla D, Adams RJ. Transfusion Lowers Plasma Free Hemoglobin in Children with Sickle Cell Disease at Risk for Stroke. Stroke (In Press).
Switzer JA, Hess DC, Nichols FT, Adams RJ. Pathophysiology and Treatment of Stroke in Sickle Cell Disease: Present and Future. Lancet Neurology. 2006 Jun;5(6):501-12.
Fullerton HJ, Gardner M, Adams RJ, Lo LC, Johnston SC.Obstacles to primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell disease. Neurology. 2006 Sep 26;67(6):1098-9.
Mehta SH, Adams RJ.Treatment and prevention of stroke in children with sickle cell disease.
Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2006 Nov;8(6):503-12
Gross H, Hall C, Switzer JA, Adams RJ, Wang S, Hess DC, Nichols FT, Pardue C. Using tPA for acute stroke in a rural setting. Neurology. 2007 May 29;68(22):1957-8;
Edward Feldmann, Janet L. Wilterdink, Andrzej S. Kosinski, Michael J. Lynn, Marc I. Chimowitz, Jo-Ann Sarafin, Harriet Howlett-Smith, Fenwick T. Nichols, Jeffrey Rogg, Harry Cloft, Lawrence R. Wechsler, Jeffrey L. Saver, Steven R. Levine, Charles H. Tegeler, Robert J Adams, and Michael A. Sloan. Stroke Neuroimaging of Intracranial Stenosis (SONIA). Neurology 2007;68:2099-2106.
Brambilla DJ, Miller ST, Adams RJ. Intra-individual variation in blood flow velocities in cerebral arteries of children with sickle cell disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2007 Sep;49(3):318-22.
C. Ongoing Research Projects