Community stories

Ecuador is bursting with pride over its first EMS Angels Award for excellence in prehospital stroke care. Dr Verónica Pacheco maps out their journey to international recognition.

Dr Martin Šrámek heads up one of the Czech Republic’s leading stroke centres and plays a key role in the development of RES-Q. Responding to questions at ESOC he talks about his interest in Eastern medicine, the importance of a unified stroke community and why he chose the brain.

For their mission to transform Salalah into Oman’s first Angels Region, the Angels team in the Gulf may count on the support of a formidable ally – the country’s first woman neurologist and a doctor who won’t say no to a challenge.

Spain’s “bonus Angel” leads an award-winning stroke unit and devotes himself to improving stroke care in the autonomous region of Andalusia. This self-effacing stroke champion is only the second nurse in Europe to be recognised with an ESO Spirit of Excellence Award, an honour that thust him into the spotlight during ESOC 2024 in Basel.

The award-winning change agent and stroke centre certification advocate Dr Apostolos Safouris believes in stories and their power to grow communities and spread scientific knowledge. He explains how reading about the history of humanity provides context for his work.

The story of Hospital Antonio Cardarelli shows that for stroke improvement to come about through generational change, each generation must have its pioneers.