Angels Stroke Heroes : Inspiring the Global Stroke Community

In this episode:Stroke care in Ukraine from the early 2000sBecoming a neurologistStroke education outside UkraineMaking a decision to change the systemCoorperation with the Ministry of HealthTraining the next generation of neurologistsSomething missing in the centre of EuropeA family of stroke care reformersUkrainian neurologist, Dmytro Lebedynets is head of the Stroke Center at Feofania Hospital in Kyiv, associate professor at Kharkiv National University, and founder of the Ukrainian Stroke Medicine Society. He steers a group of experts in neurology and neurosurgery in the Ukrainian Ministry of Health who in the past five years have made Ukraine an outstanding example of how to build and improve stroke care. While enrolled in the European Master Program in Stroke Medicine in Krems, Austria, Dmytro became aware that Ukrainian stroke care lagged far behind that in most of Europe. It made no sense. “Ukraine is in the center of Europe. Why should we be nowhere? So that’s why I decided okay, we need to do something.” In a conversation recorded during ESOC in Helsinki, Dmytro describes how, over the next five years, Ukraine would become an outstanding example of how to build and improve stroke care, and what it takes to keep improving while your country is at war. He also talks about the decision to follow his father into neurology, at first reluctantly, and then in turn inspiring his younger brother, Paolo, to become the third stroke care reformer in the Lebedynets family. Find out more about the Angels Initiative⁠www.angels-initiative.com⁠

Bookmark the new Angels podcast where five doctors share the human stories behind their commitment to improve outcomes for stroke patients. The conversation ranges from dreams to split-second decision-making, as they grapple with the question: if not you, then who? Listen to this clip from Episode #1 where Dr Dmytro Lebedynets from Ukraine talks about building a stroke service almost from scratch, and what it takes to keep improving while your country is at war.