Words from the President, June 2024

04 Jul 2024

The month of June was quite intense with visits to various locations by the World Stroke Organization. It started with attending the fantastic Bold Hearts celebration for the 100th anniversary of the American Heart Association, hosted in Chicago. It was truly an honor to be present at such a significant moment for a society that is a strong model for many others. Following this, alongside the WSO President-elect Jeyaraj Pandian, we had the pleasure of participating in Sri Lanka's International Stroke Meeting hosted by the National Stroke Association of Sri Lanka. The discussions revolved around updates on cerebrovascular disease and the initial stages of implementing stroke center certification in the country. Later in June, we had the opportunity to visit two potential candidate countries for the 2026 World Congress – South Korea and Thailand, where we were warmly welcomed by the Stroke Societies and vascular neurologists. Either of these countries would serve as excellent hosts for the Congress. We were delighted after our visits to both nations.

A great achievement for Brazilians that occurred in June was the establishment of the National Stroke Day on October 29th, the same day as World Stroke Day. The National Day was published in the Official Journal of the Government and signed by the President of the Republic and the Minister of Health of Brazil. This significant milestone is the result of work initiated in 2015 by the Brazilian Stroke Network, raising awareness with Senator Jorge Sola, who led the entire political process for the establishment of the day, now gaining more momentum led by the Ministry of Health.

Finally, preparations for the World Stroke Congress 2024 in Abu Dhabi continue to be intense, promising to be one of the best and largest global conferences. With immense dedication from the International and local committees, the Congress will gather experts from around the world to discuss the latest advancements in cerebrovascular disease, new protocols, clinical trials, and various sessions on stroke program implementation worldwide. The Congress will also feature a Brain and Heart symposium, hands-on of acute stroke care, neurointervention, and transcranial doppler therapy. Come to the Scape Room to know a unique challenge to test participants' knowledge of cerebrovascular diseases. We look forward to welcoming everyone in Abu Dhabi with open arms!