Dr. Dorothea Altschul doesn’t just like her job at The Valley Hospital–she loves it, and it is not uncommon for her to put in extra time, weekends included. On a recent Saturday, Dr. Altschul volunteered to lead a program on stroke education at The Valley Hospital. The program was targeted towards the general public, and anyone who was interested in learning about stroke could attend for free.
And attendance was great–about 80 participants came.
Attendees enjoyed a light breakfast, and then listened as Dr. Altschul spoke about “Stroke in the 21st Century.” Modern stroke treatment is one of Dr. Altschul’s specialties. She completed medical fellowships about problems of blood vessels in the brain, and minimally invasive methods of treating them, at Harvard and Columbia. She enjoys sharing her expertise with the community.
After her talk, Dr. Altschul led a tour of the Neurovascular Interventional Laboratory at Valley. Guests were invited to suit up in sanitary bodysuits and hair caps, and take a look inside a high-tech operating room.
Dr. Altschul leads an OR tour, explaining some of the cutting-edge technology used to treat stroke today.
About half of the group opted to go on the tour, and the participants were excited. They admired the OR and took plenty of pictures. At the same time, they learned even more from Dr. Altschul.
For example, Dr. Altschul spoke about a minimally-invasive procedure using a stent-retriever (also known as a stent-on-a-stick). This procedure is a good option in certain cases of stroke, but it is only performed by physicians (like Dr. Altschul) who have been specially trained in minimally-invasive techniques.
Overall, the program was a wonderful learning experience for participants. They left feeling interested and informed–of course everyone hoped they wouldn’t be seeing the inside of an OR again anytime soon, but if they did, they’d want it to be at The Valley Hospital, with Dr. Altschul at the helm!
Learn more about Dr. Altschul on her bio page here.
