Abstract: Ischemic stroke is a cerebrovascular disease with a high risk of mortality and long-lasting neurological disabilities. Medical advances have resulted in a declining trend in stroke incidence and deaths in the United States. However, increasing age and risk factors such as diabetes have contributed to an increased lifetime risk of stroke. Particularly, there is a dramatic worldwide increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and sustained increase in T2DM prevalence is projected over the next decade. T2DM is a chronic disease which increases the risk of stroke incidence, stroke recurrence and hospital readmission, and stroke related mortality and morbidity. Ischemic stroke patients with diabetes exhibit worse stroke outcome largely derived from metabolic abnormalities, extensive injury to the cerebral vasculature, white matter injury and an amplified inflammatory milieu that hinders recovery. Thus, there is a compelling need for clinical and research effort to mitigate the burden of diabetic-stroke related complications and improve stroke outcome in the diabetic population.