Angels Stroke Heroes : Inspiring the Global Stroke Community

In a conversation recorded in Maastricht during ESOC 2026, Latvian neurologist Kristaps Jurjāns explains how consistency earned Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital in Riga more diamond awards than any other hospital in the world.   He says, “Mostly what gives us these awards is that we do it consistently. We do not drop our standards and our data shows this. I can trust everybody that work...

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...

The Angels Initiative is 10 years old. In a special birthday edition of the Angels Stroke Heroes podcast, we talk to project lead and cofounder Jan van der Merwe about a decade of Angels, the organization he and Thomas Fischer brought to life in May 2016.   Ten years later, the Angels Initiative has reached every goal, and exceeded every target.   It is estimated that more than 50 million stroke p...

Evidence that a combination of actions performed together can reduce death and disability in intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke (ICH) was a call to action for the Angels Initiative to devise a set of tools that supports and standardizes implementation.     That task fell to Madeline Bucher and Ines Carvalho who, in this episode of the Angels Stroke Heroes podcast, join us to tell the story of desig...

Prof Sheila Martins is founder and president of the Brazilian Stroke Network, Neurology Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Coordinator of the Stroke Programme at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and Chief of Neurology and Neurosurgery Service at Hospital Moinhos de Vento (a private hospital affiliated to Johns Hopkins Institute).   In 2008, as advisor of the Ministry of H...

Dr Carlos Molina is stroke unit director at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, and head of the stroke research group at its research institute. He’s also a leading explorer of AI-based technologies in stroke management, and clinical lead of UMBRELLA, an ambitious project that promises to revolutionize stroke care in Europe.  Carlos is welcomed everywhere as a teacher about stroke and...

Dr Claudio Jiménez is director of stroke at Simon Bolivar Hospital in Bogota, Colombia. A neurologist and neurophysiologist, he’s dedicated himself to the care of stroke patients, and to supporting the establishment of stroke centers and networks throughout Colombia.  He says, “In Bogotá as a physician, you have a social responsibility. You can deny it. You can say, I don't want to do it, but...

Meet the godfather of the Angels Regions strategy, Brazilian neurologist Dr Octávio Pontes Neto , whose home city of Ribeirão Preto became the world’s first Angels City in 2024, in a significant step towards making the world safe for stroke.   “I’m very proud of this,” he says. “An Angels City, or Angels Region, is all about committing different players to the stroke cause. And in the end, this ha...

Dr 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, and a role model especially for young female neurologists.   Originally from Germany, she studied medicine in Italy where she met h...

In this episode we talk to Swiss neurologist Urs Fischer , who is the Director and Chairman of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Bern, Switzerland, president of the Swiss Neurological Society, and president-elect of the European Stroke Organization.   He is also cofounder of the ESO ESMINT ESNR Stroke Winter School, and the Asian Stroke School, and actively involved in the Eur...

In this episode: Choosing between medicine and molecular biology The value of a single Stroke Society under single leadership Becoming a neurologist by chance Neurology is an action-packed adventure Better too fast than too slow Central organization and following rules Nature photography as a life-saving hobby Meet the doctor who is leading stroke care in the Czech Republic, Stroke Society chair D...

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 Meet Vitor Cruz, senior neurologist and Head of Department at Hospital Pedro Hispano, ULS Matosinhos, and President of the Portugu...

In this episode: A duty towards country The stars that guide her “You have lost your ability to dream” A Soviet education The importance of empathy Progress in stroke care in Armenia Of dreams and travel Nune Yeghiazaryan is head of neurology at Erebouni Medical Center in Yerevan, president of the Armenia Stroke Council, and a member of the European Academy of Neurology, the ESO and the WSO. For o...

In this episode: Medicine is emotional The schoolboy revelation that medicine is his home The second revelation: becoming dedicated to stroke Research to benefit recovery Working with Angels  The mission to share knowledge 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 fro...

In this episode: Stroke care in Ukraine from the early 2000s Becoming a neurologist Stroke education outside Ukraine Making a decision to change the system Coorperation with the Ministry of Health Training the next generation of neurologists Something missing in the centre of Europe A family of stroke care reformers Ukrainian neurologist, Dmytro Lebedynets is head of the Stroke Center at Feofania...