Lifesaving Stroke Care in Northern Michigan

Stroke touches everyone’s life; the stroke patient, their family, their caretakers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 4 minutes, someone dies of a stroke. The difference between death and survival is early action, making it critical to have robust stroke resources close to home. Michigan native and neurosurgeon Dr. Gary Rajah joined Munson Healthcare in June 2020 to expand Munson Healthcare’s stroke center. Rajah is already making a difference in the lives of people impacted by a stroke in Northern Michigan by bringing endovascular stroke treatment to Munson, a lifesaving and lifechanging service not previously offered in the region.

- Laurel Sutherland

Rajah is drawn to stroke care because of the critical nature of the specialty and the chance for amazing outcomes. Prior to joining Munson Healthcare’s stroke center, Rajah completed medical school and a seven-year neurosurgery residency at Wayne State University. He then completed a vascular/endovascular/neurosurgery fellowship at the University at Buffalo Gates Vascular Institute at the Canon Stroke & Vascular Research Center. After completing his fellowship, he chose to join Munson because it was important to him to serve a Michigan stroke program that did not yet offer in-house endovascular treatment.