BA, Psychology, Northwestern University
MD, Rush Medical College
Subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, head injury, status epilepticus, infections, neuromuscular respiratory failure, therapeutic temperature modulation and the ICU management of the organ donor.
Thomas P Bleck MD MCCM FNCS is professor Emeritus of neurological sciences, neurosurgery, internal medicine (in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, and the section of infectious diseases), and anesthesiology at Rush University Medical Center, where he is a neurointensivist and the director of clinical neurophysiology. From 2009 – 2015, he was the associate chief medical officer for critical care. He is an ex officio member of the board of directors of the Neurocritical Care Society, of which he was the founding president. He serves on the editorial boards of Neurocritical Care and Annals of Intensive Care. From 1992 – 2015 he was the neuroscience section editor of Critical Care Medicine, and in October, 2016 became an associate editor. In 2012, he completed 12 years as a member of the Council of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
In 2015, the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the Society of Critical Care Medicine elected him a Master of Critical Care Medicine; there are 100 masters out of nearly 16,000 members. He was elected to two terms on the board of the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology. He recently completed two terms on the writing committee of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine subspecialty exam committee in critical care medicine.
From 1990 – 2006, he directed the neuroscience intensive care unit at the University of Virginia as the Louise Nerancy eminent scholar in neurology. From 2006 – 2009, he was the Ruth Cain Ruggles chairman of the department of neurology at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, and professor and vice-chair for academic programs of the Northwestern University department of neurology, where he also directed the section of neurocritical care. His research interests include subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, head injury, status epilepticus, infections, neuromuscular respiratory failure, and the ICU management of the organ donor. He has been involved in therapeutic temperature modulation research since 1999. He has published 181 papers, 129 abstracts, and 175 books and book chapters; and conducted more than 475 national and international visiting appointments and lectureships in 27 countries.
He is currently the medical safety monitor and an executive committee member of the NINDS Stroke Hyperglycemia Insulin Network Effort (SHINE), a Phase III trial of tight versus loose control of blood glucose in acute ischemic stroke. He is also the safety monitor of the NIH Phase III trial of deferoxamine in intracerebral hemorrhage (iDEF). He serves on the executive committee of a phase III trial of intravascular cooling after cardiac arrest. He chaired the special emphasis panels that established the Neurologic Emergencies Treatment Trial network (NETT). He then chaired the data and safety monitoring committees of two NETT phase III trials, RAMPART and ProTECT. He serves on the executive committee of the newest NETT study, the Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT). He currently chairs the DSMBs for a phase III trial of intraventricular nimodipine in subarachnoid hemorrhage, and for a phase III trial of allopregnenolone for super-refractory status epilepticus.
Dr. Bleck is board certified in internal medicine, with subspecialty certification in critical care medicine; neurology, with subspecialty certifications in vascular neurology and epilepsy; clinical neurophysiology; and in neurocritical care by both the United Council on Neurological Subspecialties and the Committee on Advanced Surgical Training of the Society of Neurological Surgeons.
He currently serves on the professional development committee and the program advisory task force of the American Neurological Association, as well as the practice and maintenance of certification committees of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society.
Alpha Omega Alpha, 1976
Aesculapius Award (outstanding resident in teaching and patient care, by vote of the graduating class of Rush Medical College), 1980.
Mark H. Lepper, M.D. Society of Teachers (outstanding teacher by nomination of students and faculty, and election by members of the Society) Rush Medical College, elected 1989.
Nathan Smith Davis, M.D. Award (outstanding teacher in the Alternative Curriculum, by vote of the graduating class of Rush Medical College), 1990.
Presidential Citation, Society of Critical Care Medicine, 1998, 2013.
Distinguished Alumnus Award, Rush Medical College, 2002.
Lifetime Achievement Award, Neurosciences India Group, 2006.
Best Doctors in America:
2006 – 2007
2007 – 2008
2008 – 2009
2009 – 2010
2010 – 2011
2011 – 2012
2012 – 2013
2013 – 2014
2014 – 2015
2015 – 2016
2016 – 2017
John A. Kessler Teaching Award (outstanding faculty teacher by vote of the residents, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), 2008.
Leading Physicians of the World:
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Distinguished Service Award, Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2012.
Master of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Critical Care Medicine and Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2015.
Lifetime Achievement Award, Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2017.
Pierre Gloor Award, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, 2023.
NINDS 1U01 NS069498: Stroke Hyperglycemia Insulin Network Effort (SHINE)
Phase III trial of tight versus loose control of blood glucose in acute ischemic stroke
PI: Karen C. Johnston MD MS
Role: Medical safety monitor and executive committee member
Multicenter clinical trial, Neurologic Emergencies Treatment Trial Network (NETT)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01369069
NINDS 1U01NS088034-01: Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT)
PI: Jaideep Kapur PhD MD
Role: Executive committee member
Multicenter clinical trial, Neurologic Emergencies Treatment Trial Network (NETT)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01960075
NINDS 5U01NS074425-03: Intracerebral Hemorrhage Deferoxamine Trial (iDef)
PI: Magdy Selim MD PhD
Role: Medical safety monitor
Multicenter clinical trial, NIH StrokeNet
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02175225
NIA 5K01AG05082: Cognitive decline after hospitalization in older adults: predictors and
pathogenesis
PI: Bryan James, PhD
Role: K award advisory committee member
American Heart Association Research Grant: The Effect of Diffusion Weighted Imaging
Abnormalities on Outcomes in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
PI: Rajeev Garg MD
Role: advisor and safety monitor
Sponsor: American Heart Association
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01417117
COOL-ARREST (Trial of intravascular cooling after cardiac arrest).
PI: Brian O’Neil MD
Role: Executive committee member
Multicenter clinical trial
Sponsor: Zoll Corporation 2013
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01818388