Past Presidents

Sheila Martins was elected President Elect of the World Stroke Organisation (WSO) in 2020 and took office in 2022.

Sheila Martins is member of the WSO Board since 2008. She is neurologist, PhD in Stroke Neurology, Professor of Universidade Federal of Rio Grande do Sul / Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre and Chief of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Hospital Moinhos de Vento. She is founder and President of the Brazilian Stroke Network. As advisor of the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Brazil she started the organization and implementation of the National Stroke Policy. She works with research to modify public policies and led the Brazilian Clinical Trial sponsored by the MoH (RESILIENT Trial) that was the responsible for incorporating the thrombectomy treatment in the public health system in Brazil. Since 2021 has worked in Porto Alegre, south of Brazil, for implementation of the World Health Organization/ Pan American Organization Program – the HEARTS initiative, reorganizing the primary care units for detection and effective treatment of risk factors for stroke prevention. Also, started a WSO clinical trial with a polypill with anti-hypertensive and statin in middle risk patients associated with lifestyle modification – the PROMOTE trial.

She has large experience as clinician in public health, and also as health manager working globally with different levels of governments (Ministries of Health, Health secretaries of States and Cities), helping to implement strategies to improve stroke care.

Since 2015 she is working with other Latin American countries and in 2021 launched the WSO/SIECV Certification of Stroke Centers in Latin American and Caribbean countries (13 countries participating) to ensure the implementation of all evidence-based strategies in 2 levels of stroke services, qualifying stroke care and stimulating the monitoring and organization of the network in the region. Until now, 37 hospitals were certified in 8 countries. In November 2022 the Certification program was launched in India in a partnership with the NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) and the first hospital already received the onsite visit. She assumed the WSO presidency in October, 28th  2022.

Marc Fisher was elected President Elect of the World Stroke Organisation (WSO) in 2018 and took office in 2020.

Dr. Fisher has had a long career as a translational and clinical researcher in the stroke field. He was at the University of Massachusetts Medical School for 36 years, retiring in 2014.

While there, he led a stroke modeling lab for 25 years that focused on using MRI technology to evaluate the ischemic penumbra and the effects of many types of therapies on the evolution of ischemic injury. He trained more than 25 research fellows from around the world, many of whom currently hold prestigious positions.  He participated in many clinical trials as a principal investigator or steering committee member. Dr. Fisher was also an active clinician and teacher. He has published more than 330 peer reviewed papers with an h-index of 80.

Currently, Dr. Fisher is a part time member of the neurology faculty at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and is a Professor of Neurology (part time) at Harvard Medical School.

He continues to see patients and teach residents and stroke fellows. He was the Editor-in-Chief of Stroke from 2010-2020 and continues to serve Stroke as a senior consulting editor. He assumed the presidency of the WSO in November 2020.

Michael Brainin was elected President Elect of the World Stroke Organisation (WSO) in 2015 and took office in 2018.

Professor Brainin was appointed in 2000 full Professor of Clinical Neurology and Director and Chair of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Prevention at the Danube University in Krems, Austria. From 1994-2016 he acted as Chair and Director of the Neurological Department of the University Hospital Tulln. In 1997 he set up the first stroke unit in Austria at his institution.