Ep 4: Dr Vitor Cruz | Reshaping stroke care in Portugal

In this episode, we talk to Vitor Cruz, senior neurologist and Head of Department at Hospital Pedro Hispano, ULS Matosinhos, and President of the Portuguese Stroke Society. 

An innovator, compassionate leader and unifying force, he is reshaping stroke care in Portugal with his ability to bring together diverse healthcare teams under a shared vision of excellence.

Vitor is a problem-solver for whom being a neurologist means a duty to look after the brains of citizens – and he means all citizens, from Lisbon to a group of tiny dots in the Atlantic Ocean. In a conversation recorded in Helsinki, where he received the 2025 Spirit of Excellence Award, he talks about growing up in Porto with parents who instilled a sense of social responsibility and becoming a public health advocate as well as the best doctor he can be. 

He says, “You have a a job as a single practicing doctor, but you have a responsibility as a group to move things forward.”

He explains the need for bridging the gap between what is known and what is done (a task that starts with assembling a team “of people not like you”), how to treat acute stroke in the middle of the Atlantic, and about why patients are at the heart of all decision-making.

In this episode:

• The role of a neurologist
• The gap between science and citizens
• A complex disease needs complex teams
• Growing up in Porto
• Becoming a neurologist and public health advocate
• The importance of sharing solutions
• Treating stroke in the middle of the Atlantic

Vitor Cruz is a problem-solver for whom being a neurologist means a duty to look after the brains of citizens – and he means all citizens, from Lisbon to a group of tiny dots in the Atlantic Ocean. 

This senior neurologist and President of the Portuguese Stroke Society is an innovator, compassionate leader 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.

Something else that sets him apart is his steadfast belief in the patient’s central role within the stroke care journey. 

This episode of the Angels Initiative Stroke Heroes podcast series was recorded in Helsinki where Professor Cruz received the 2025 Spirit of Excellence Award. He talks about growing up with a sense of social responsibility, about bridging the gap between what is known and what is done, and why patients are at the heart of all decision-making.