Words from the President: LOOKING AHEAD

01 Mar 2019

Dear friends and colleagues,

I am happy to update you on our activities. Preparations are ongoing to review and update the WSO Strategy and set our priorities up to 2022. This will be done at a strategy meeting in May which includes all executives, committees and task forces along our mission: to reduce the global burden of stroke through prevention, treatment and long-term care

Already now we are preparing the joint European Stroke Organisation and World Stroke Organization Conference (ESO-WSO 2020), which will take place in Vienna, Austria on 12-15 May 2020. This will be the largest stroke conference ever held and we foresee a packed scientific program. We look forward to seeing you there.

This year we are also preparing a Regional Meeting in Manila, Philippines, to celebrate the World Stroke Day in October. Together with the Philippine Stroke Society and the Asia Pacific Stroke Organization we will participate in a scientific program. For the first time, WSO Angel awards will be given to the most effective stroke care centers of the region. The Run for Stroke campaign dedicated to promoting awareness and healthy lifestyle will be one of the highlights in the program.

This public activity is aligned with the 2018 World Stroke Day Campaign, which was life after stroke. Our campaign acknowledges the things that stroke can take away such as ambulation or verbal communication but focuses on the many things it can’t – creativity, love, joy, connection. It is worth to run for it.

In early 2019, WSO produced The Global Stroke Fact Sheet. The 10-page document overviews the best available scientific evidence to provide up to date information on stroke epidemiology and its impact around the world. Due to its consistency and science-based verification we expect the stroke community to use this Sheet whenever quoting stroke numbers around the world.

Throughout 2019, WSO leaders will take part in science and educational activities, such as: Chinese Stroke Conferences in Nanjing in April and in Beijing in June 2019, Korean Stroke Conference in April 2019, All Russian Neurological Congress in June 2019, Regional meeting in Costa Rica in June 2019, the World Stroke Congress of Neurology in Dubai in November 2019 and many more.

Of note, we are focusing on collaborations with regional stroke societies such as the Asia Pacific Stroke Organization (in Manila, October 2019) and the Iberoamerican Stroke Society (in Costa Rica, June 2019). We also have a tradition of jointly holding a session at the International Stroke Congress with the American Stroke Association as was the case in February in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is our ambition to add value to the regional stroke societies by supporting their goals and at the same time adding a global perspective.

There are so many other things to report: preparations are ongoing to share an agenda with the Non-Communicable Disease Alliance of which we are a full member, to prepare our presence and activities at the WHO General Assembly and the United Nations General Assembly which will focus on universal health coverage. Internally, we have started to revamp our website which will be launched in early September, we have set up a call for a new Editor-in-Chief for our journal, the International Journal of Stroke and a call for a tender for a new contract with a professional congress organizer company. More about these issues when the time comes nearer.

With kindest regards

Michael Brainin, President WSO

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