Marilyn M. Rymer, MD is the founder of the internationally recognized Stroke Center at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, which she has directed since 1993. In 2001, Dr. Rymer led the development of the Saint Luke’s Brain and Stroke Institute that provides comprehensive services to people with diseases of the nervous system and spine. She was selected to occupy the Edward T. Matheny, Jr. Missouri Endowed Chair in Neuroscience in 1999 and has since has focused her clinical and research efforts on acute stroke intervention, stroke center development, disparities in stroke care delivery, and regional organization of stroke care networks. She is Professor of Medicine at the UMKC School of Medicine. Dr. Rymer is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Northwestern University and graduated with highest honors from Washington University School of Medicine. She did post graduate training in neurology at the Neurological Hospital at Queen Square in London, England, completing neurology residency at the University of Wisconsin. In 1996, she became the first woman to be elected Chief of Staff at Saint Luke’s Hospital. She is the past Vice-President of the Saint Luke’s Hospital Foundation Board and served as chair of the Funding Priorities Committee. She finished a six-year term on the VHA Board of Trustees, where she was the chair of the Finance Committee. As the National Chair for the VHA Stroke Initiative, she traveled to all parts of the country to lead accelerated learning workshops on stroke. She is currently on the Board of Directors for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City. Dr. Rymer is a former trustee of the Pembroke Hill School, Bishop Spencer Place and the Midwest Ear Institute. She serves on numerous national professional committees committed to improving stroke care in the US. Dr. Rymer and her family are avid hikers, runners and skiers. They have climbed to Mt. Everest base camp and the summit of Kilimanjaro and are the veterans of four marathons. Dr. Rymer is the author of numerous professional publications including The Stroke Center Handbook and the Atlas of Ischemic Stroke.