As I begin my term as WSO president I would like to share a few observations. I inherit a vibrant and thriving organization from Professor Michael Brainin who did an outstanding job during his tenure as WSO president. The organization is growing and extending its impact on stroke care and education around the world. The recently completed WSO/ESO virtual congress was a great success with almost 5300 registrants and an outstanding program. The congress proceeded without any technical issues and the live question and answer sessions were well attended. We thank the congress organizing committee and the congress organizing company, Kenes, for all of their efforts.
Beginning in 2021, the WSO will begin to have yearly conferences and the plan for next year is a virtual congress, but it may evolve into a congress that is partially in person. Save the dates of October 28 and 29 for what will be a highly educational and informative meeting. The recently completed World Stroke Day activities on October 29, 2020 were also highly successful. World Stroke Day has become an important event and it achieves widespread recognition and participation. We should acknowledge the hard work of Sheila Martins and her colleagues in the coordination of this event. The WSO has just begun its Future Leaders program under the direction of Werner Hacke, Valeria Caso and Christopher Chen that will enhance the careers of 32 participants from around the world and train the next generation of people to build upon the successes of the recent past in improving patient care and research. The World Stroke Academy under the leadership of Gustavo Saposnik is increasing the educational content of its portfolio. I encourage all of you to take advantage of the material that is available through it. The WSO has many other activities and I encourage all of our members to be aware of them and to participate. If I or the excellent WSO staff under the leadership of Mia Grupper can be of help to you or if you have suggestions for us, please contact the WSO office (admin@world-stroke.org)