Stroke Heroes - The Angels Initiative Podcast

Dmytro Lebedynets is a Ukrainian neurologist who saw that something was missing in the middle of Europe and decided to do something.  

Meet neurologist Dr Francisco Moniche, “Pachi” to his friends, of whom there are many in the global stroke community. A neurologist for close to two decades, he knew right from the start that stroke was what he calls “the best part”. 

For over a decade, Dr Nune Yeghiazaryan has been answering the question, if not now, then when, if not you then who. Following that command has done more than define her professional life - it has reshaped stroke care in Armenia.

Dr Vitor Cruz is an innovator and unifying force who is reshaping stroke care in Portugal with his ability to bring together diverse healthcare teams under a shared vision of excellence. He's a problem-solver for whom being a neurologist means a duty to look after the brains of citizens.

Meet the doctor who is leading stroke care in the Czech Republic, where central organization, mandatory quality indicator reporting, and a penchant for rules are among the reasons it could become the first Angels Country in the world.

Dr Carlos Molina is welcomed everywhere as a teacher about stroke and now also about the potential of AI-based technologies in stroke. But his own life lessons are learnt at sea; ocean sailing provides necessary balance in a life he likens to a fast-paced novel.  

For Claudio Jiménez, transforming stroke management at his public hospital in northern Bogotá has moulded his vision of quality healthcare for all in a caring society. But his view of the world is shaped by poets as diverse as Lucretius, Edgar Allan Poe and especially Walt Whitman. 

When Octávio Pontes Neto became editor-in-chief of the World Stroke Academy he resolved to make a positive difference in the field of stroke education. The Brazilian neurologist and godfather of the Angels Regions strategy, has been as good as his word. 

Valeria Caso is a neurologist from Italy whose leadership in roles that include past president of the ESO, and past president and co-chair of the Stroke Action Plan for Europe, has inspired many. She is also an outspoken advocate for gender equality in stroke care. 

ESO president-elect Urs Fischer is cofounder of the Stroke Winter School and a key player in the European Stroke Master Program. When not educating the next generation of stroke heroes, he looks for answers to the unanswered questions about managing acute stroke.  

In 2016, just 306 patients underwent thrombolysis throughout Ukraine. By October 2023*, that number had risen to almost 1,200 – in a single month, in the middle of a war. Prof Sergii Moskovko recounts the exponential growth towards stroke care excellence in Ukraine.

The public-spirited head neurologist at Armenia’s largest hospital heeds a call to lead change and to dream with all her heart. 

Will the Czech Republic be the first country in Europe, or indeed the world, to convert its entire territory into an Angels Region? With five down and nine to go, one more year may be all they need.