Meet the winners and nominees recognised for their commitment to stroke care excellence and for their outstanding contributions to raising the standard of treatment in their hospitals and communities.
ANDREA ZINI (WINNER 2023)
Neurologist at Ospedale Maggiore Carlo Alberto Pizzardi Bologna, Dr Zini is always willing to test new initiatives, introduce innovations in stroke code activation and share his experience with the stroke community. His hospital was the first in Italy to win an ESO Angels Award, and the first to apply for ESO Stroke Unit Certification.
VLADIMIRA TATARKOVÁ (WINNER 2023)
Physiotherapist in the neurological department at Liptovský Mikuláš Polyclinic, Mgr Tatarkova commands exceptional theoretical and practical skills and is an innovator in stroke patient recovery support, and dedicated to improving stroke care in the post-acute phase.
ALEŠ TOMEK (WINNER 2023)
Neurologist at Faculty Hospital Motol, Assoc Prof Tomek is his country‘s leading strokologist. He actively works to raise the bar for stroke care quality standards in the Czech Republic, including working with the Ministry of Health and health insurance providers to gain a comprehensive overview of stroke care in the country.
ADAM KOBAYASHI (WINNER 2023)
Neurologist at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology Warsaw, Prof Kobayashi leads the Angels Steering Committee in Poland, and is President of the Polish Neurovascular Section of the Polish Neurological Society. As well as a major influence on stroke care improvement in Poland, he is an ardent supporter of the FAST Heroes campaign.
“DREAM TEAM” OF NEUROLOGISTS (WINNERS 2023)
Lead by national coordinator prof. Cristina Tiu, neurologists Dr. Elena Oana Terecoasă, Dr. Vlad Tiu and Dr. Răzvan Radu of Spitalul Universitar De Urgență București earned their reputation as a dream team by investing 100s of hours to train almost 3,000 healthcare professionals to date. They are shaping the future of medicine in Romania through their dedication, leadership and thrust for change.
GEORGIOS TSIVGOULIS
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.
DÁNIEL BERECZKI
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.
MARIA ALEXANDRA LOURENÇO AFONSO
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.
ISABEL CRISTINA TAVEIRA DOS SANTOS SILVA
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.
HIPÓLITO NZWALO
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.
DIANA VIDAL
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.
PROYECTO FLECHA TEAM
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
RAIMUNDO CARO QUESADA
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).
MYKHAILO TONCHEV
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.
LYUDMILA LYPOVENKO
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.
