Dr. Xuemei Zong is a scientist with substantial experience in stroke research. She holds an MD in Clinical Medicine from Xuzhou Medical University, an MS in Anesthesiology from the same institution, and a PhD in Neuroscience from Nanjing Medical University. She has furthered her training through postdoctoral fellowships at LSU Health Shreveport and Augusta University, where she focused on advancing treatments for stroke recovery.As a tenure-track assistant professor, Dr. Zong's research primarily focuses on non-invasive strategies and stem cell therapies to promote neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, and angiogenesis in ischemic stroke. Her work includes exploring the potential of VEGF-BMSC transplantation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in regulating neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity, and glial cell activation. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers, contributed to an undergraduate textbook, and received multiple awards, including the AHA Career Development Award. Her goal is to continue investigating innovative and combined therapies that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients and neurodegenerative diseases.