ESO Spirit of Excellence awards

Neurologist and professor at University Hospital Attikon, Prof Tsivgoulis is a leader in stroke care improvement in Greece, and Vice-President of the ESO. He believes stroke care excellence requires an integrated approach including primary and secondary prevention, acute stroke management, rehabilitation and community reintegration – with a focus on evidence-based practice.

Head of the Neurology Clinic in Semmelweis University in Budapest, Prof Bereczki is a past president of the Hungarian Stroke Society and his country’s national RES-Q coordinator. He is an inspiring advocate for quality monitoring whose impact on stroke care in Hungary spans two decades.

A speech therapist at Unidade Local de Saude do Litoral Alentejano in Santiago do Cacém, she is focused on fostering teamwork in the stroke patient’s rehabilitation plan, including providing training in managing dysphagia and aphasia.

Internist and stroke expert at Centro Hospitalar Universitario do Algarve and a fierce fighter for stroke care improvement, she carries out formal and informal training for professionals and patients, and actively seeks to achieve articulation between primary and hospital health care through health education.

Neurologist at Faro Hospital, Dr. Hipólito is noted for his exceptional dedication to providing the highest quality care to stroke patients, and is well-known in his community for his exceptional teamwork and patient-centered approach. He is actively involved in EMS training and in several patient-related areas.

A neurologist at Hospital Universitario de León, Dr Vidal is noted for her energy and passion, as a result of which many stroke survivors can now live their lives with dignity. She has also helped open doors in her region to the FAST Heroes campaign, thereby impacting almost 900 children.

Almuena Fernández Prados, Sergio González-Román Montalván and Álvaro López Castro are neurology nurses at Hospital Regional Universitario in Málaga, and the originators of Proyecto Flecha, a visual “checklist” that standardises post-acute care in the stroke unit

Neurology nurse at Hospital Universitario Virden Del Rocío in Seville, Raimundo is an advocate of scientific research in neurovascular nursing care whose many achievements include founding the stroke unit at his hospital, and the Spanish Society of Neurological Nursing (SEDENE).

Head of neurosurgery at Sklifosovskii Poltava Regional Clinical Hospital, Dr Tonchev is also Chief Neurosurgeon of the Poltava Region, and a cofounder of the Angels stroke simulation centre in Poltava. He works closely with Angels to implement stroke care improvement models not only in his own hospital but throughout Ukraine.

Head of the stroke department at Bila Tserkva City Hospital n2, Prof Lypovenko was one of the first neurologists in Ukraine to implement the Angels model in her hospital, which to date has won nine ESO Angels Diamond Awards.