Paul Vilar, MSN, RN, SCRN

Paul Vilar is a stroke program specialist and director-level registered nurse having served in facilities for the past eighteen years in stroke certified medical centers. Paul served as the program manager at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center (ASLMC), a 600+ bed Comprehensive Stroke Certified Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His contribution, impact, and growth allowed him to transition to a director-level role where he served as System Stroke Program Director for Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin.

Paul has supported the development and growth of stroke programs for 16 hospitals in the Aurora Health Care System. During this time, he has participated in nearly 100 different stroke reviews including DNV and Joint Commission Stroke Surveys. These surveys included Acute Stroke Ready, Primary Stroke Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center certifications. The hospitals included in the system range from rural community hospitals to tertiary care medical centers. Paul is also a former stroke coordinator at Primary Stroke Centers (PSCs) in two locations, and he is a former ICU Clinical Nurse Specialist, Stroke Responder Nurse, and ICU RN.

Paul is also experienced in telehealth management, having developed and led a robust tele-stroke program for the Aurora Health Care Hospitals. He was directly involved in the integration of clinical service line activities with the merger at Advocate Health and a merger with Atrium. His strategic vision for large-scale implementation and systemization of the delivery of care has been instrumental in the success of the stroke programs during these mergers. Most recently, and over the last few years, Paul has partnered with DNV to develop and implement an integrative stroke survey review process for Advocate Health Midwest Region hospitals. The integrative review consists of 3 weeks of surveys for 25 total hospitals.

Lastly, Paul has been involved in many regional and national based projects relevant to stroke work. He currently serves on the Milwaukee Board for the American Heart Association, Stroke Performance Measures Oversight Committee, Stroke Coordinators of Wisconsin, and he is a member of the Wisconsin Stroke Coalition. Paul earned his Master of Science Degree in Nursing in the Clinical Nurse Specialist tract from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and he completed his Bachelor of Science in Healthcare and Wellness from the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point.