What to expect in Episode 14
Ep 14: Prof Danilo Toni | All the world’s a stage
In this episode recorded in Maastricht during ESOC 2026, Italian neurologist Professor Danilo Toni reflects on three decades of stroke care transformation in Italy. He describes a flourishing relationship between Angels and the Italian Stroke Association (of which he is a past president), the genius of the data activation program MonitorISA, and the Trojan Horse strategy that paved the way for the proliferation of stroke units in Italy.
He recalls his role in the ECASS trials that fundamentally transformed stroke care, and outlines the most urgent questions that remain unanswered.
A passionate actor who is currently playing King Lear in an offbeat amateur production, he shares his views on the benefits of being on stage:
“Thanks to theater, you can show your emotion without any limitation, without any judgment, not your personal judgment toward yourself, nor the one toward the others ... It’s the best thing I could do for myself. And I always say it is better than any benzodiazepine and any anti-anxiety treatment and antidepressant treatment. And I definitely suggest to everyone should do it.”
In this episode:
• First encounter with Angels
• The genius of MonitorISA
• Dramatic changes for stroke neurology in Italy
• Benefits of stroke unit care
• A Trojan Horse strategy
• Becoming a doctor and choosing neurology
• The focus on ICH
• Past trials and urgent unmet needs
• The gratitude of patients and their families
• The benefits of theatre
LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE BELOW
If you ask the Italian Angels team what the key was to stroke care transformation in Italy, they may mention the very successful data activation program, MonitorISA. And if you ask them why MonitorISA is so successful, they will tell you about the support and guidance of Prof Danilo Toni, esteemed past president of the Italian Stroke Association, and one of the leading stroke neurologists in Europe.
Prof Toni has been a great friend to Angels right from the outset, so on the occasion of our tenth birthday we wanted to ask him about a very important meeting that took place a decade ago . . .