The WSO Future Stroke Leaders Programme builds and connects a global talent pool with far-reaching and long-term benefits for future cerebrovascular healthcare provision
World Stroke Organization Future Leaders are international medical practitioners connected by proven accomplishments, growth potential, and a persevering commitment to excel. To support the development of regional as well as global capacity and networks, the programme supports participants recruited from four global regions.
The Programme brings together participants to engage in a series of didactic presentations and mentored workshops, supplemented with the latest research, WSO educational materials and quality improvement tools, and other resources designed to support effective delivery of stroke services and advocacy for stroke investment.
The theme of the 2022 intake is “Implementation of Quality Stroke Care”. The curriculum, developed and delivered by the WSO faculty, spans the stroke care continuum from prevention, acute treatment, post-stroke care through to rehabilitation and supports the development and exercise of key skills including research, peer review, writing for publication, care quality improvement tools, multidisciplinary collaboration, project design, management, and stroke advocacy.
Participants will work in small groups to develop actionable projects, each of which will have budgetary support. The taught program is followed by practical project delivery, culminating in the presentation of results and key learning at the World Stroke Congress in Abu Dhabi (2024).
Beyond the Future Leadership programme, WSO provides multiple learning opportunities that are of significant value to early career professionals and dissemination channels which can support development of stroke prevention and treatment more broadly.
Core curriculum
The Future Stroke Leaders curriculum will span the stroke care continuum from covering prevention, acute treatment, post-stroke care and rehabilitation and will support the development and exercise of key skills including research and peer review, writing for publication, quality improvement tools, multidisciplinary collaboration, project design and management, and stroke advocacy.
The programme curriculum pairs the accessibility of distance learning with the strength of WSO faculty-led coaching, creating a hybrid learning environment that is as efficient as it is effective.
Participants will be allocated a WSO mentor based on his or her professional, clinical or research interest. Mentors will track and support the progress of Future Stroke Leaders and where appropriate support their engagement with further relevant learning and development opportunities.
Future Stroke Leaders will also be encouraged and supported by mentors to submit abstracts to the International Journal of Stroke and other leading research journals. The World Stroke Academy, in addition to providing a vehicle for delivery of learning resources, is a platform for sharing learning which can be leveraged to disseminate key learning from the Future Stroke Leaders Programme.
In addition, WSO produces regular podcasts, publishes regular member newsletters, feature articles and individual profiles which will help to promote our members and the wider stroke community to engage with the key learning from the programme.
Stroke and cerebrovascular conditions, including TIA and dementia; primary or secondary stroke prevention; acute stroke care; epidemiology and public health; comorbid conditions including circulatory diseases, diabetes, atrial fibrillation etc.
It is anticipated that ‘graduates’ from the programme will go on to take leadership roles in national, regional and global stroke organizations’ research networks using the knowledge, skills and networks they have forged to drive improvements for patients around the world.