The Southwestern Stroke Alliance (SSA) is an NIH StrokeNet Regional Coordinating Center that unites three Comprehensive Stroke Centers—University of New Mexico, University of Colorado Anschutz, and University of Oklahoma—to run and accelerate federally funded stroke prevention, acute treatment, and recovery trials across the Mountain-Southwest corridor. Leveraging centralized IRB oversight, streamlined start-up processes, and robust telestroke infrastructure, the SSA enables dozens of urban, rural, partner hospitals to enroll patients in high-impact studies. It also hosts an NIH StrokeNet fellowship offering protected research time, structured mentorship, and leadership training to cultivate future trialists.