Professor Alan Bryer – Chairman and Director of the South African Stroke Society – is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town and Head of the Division of Neurology at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. He is also the head of the hospital’s stroke unit which is run in partnership with the University of Cape Town.
With nearly 100 presentations and abstracts delivered since 1989, he is a frequent guest lecturer on national and international academic platforms, speaking on various topics in the areas of neurology and emergency medicine. One such lecture was titled: “Is treatment of acute stroke practical in a developing country” which he presented at the University of Umea in Sweden. More recently he has taught prospective clinicians on stroke prevalence, prognosis and treatment in South Africa.
Professor Bryer is a widely published author and co-author, having contributed chapters to four books – including one on stroke and HIV. Some 40 of his articles have been carried by prestigious journals including the South African Medical Journal, Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, The Lancet, British Medical Journal and International Journal of Stroke. His extensive research efforts over the years have explored stroke and its many genetic, biological and social causes associations.
The healthcare sector and the public also benefit from his contributions to the existing body of knowledge as an advisor to the Department of Health on policies regarding the establishment of stroke services. Currently he is working on study to determine possible biologic mechanisms for HIV-associated stroke in young persons.
