European Life After Stroke Forum Scientific Committee

Dr. Anita Arsovska is Head of Department for Urgent Neurology at the University Clinic of Neurology and Professor of Neurology at the University “Ss Cyril and Methodius”, Faculty of Medicine in Skopje, North Macedonia. Her main interest involve stroke management, neurosonology and neuroimaging. Prof. Arsovska is Full member of European Academy of Neurology, Fellow of European Stroke Organization and Board member of World Stroke Organization.

She is President of the Macedonian Stroke Association, Associate Commissioning Editor of World Stroke Academy and former Vice-President of Stroke Alliance for Europe. Prof. Arsovska is involved in the ESO-EAST and Angels projects. She has also participated in the Stroke Action Plan for Europe as part of the acute stroke management working group and is one of the national coordinators for implementation of SAP-E in N. Macedonia. Prof. Arsovska is very active in promoting stroke prevention and raising stroke awareness, organizing many public campaigns and scientific meetings and supporting the European and the World Stroke Day.

Stacie Broek is a Motivational Speaker, Patient and Public Advocate, Author and Digital Course Creator. An ex-marketing professional turned author, Stacie had to teach herself to write again after a stroke at age 46.

An advocate for passion-based therapy, Stacie believes in transforming stroke recovery into a journey of meaningful action. Her work includes writing, public speaking, and influencing public health policy globally. Notable contributions include serving on the Advisory Board: Clinical Rehabilitation, participating in the World Stroke Campaign Committee, filming a pilot for the AI media company “In the Room” and publishing her first book (al)ONE: Thriving a Stroke and a course for families of stroke survivors The Caregiver’s Guide to Stroke Recovery.

Stacie supports stroke survivors worldwide through her dedicated mailing list and comprehensive resources. She collaborates with fellow survivors, healthcare professionals and academics to promote a brighter post-stroke life, working to ensure that survivors have the tools and support they need to thrive.

Her mission is to foster positive change within the system, empowering stroke survivors with independence and opportunity so they can live the life they envision.

Stacie currently resides in Zürich with her husband, Johan, and their three children, Lulu, Friso, and Cleo (the Squidge).

Niall Broomfield is a stroke psychologist and hold the Chair in Clinical Psychology at University of East Anglia. His principal research interest is neuropsychological (mood and cognition) stroke consequences. He also directs the UEA Stroke Research Group and he is CI on EASE trial, Co-I on SIGHT trial and AISCs study.

Marina holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and works as a Clinical Lecturer at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Cyprus University of Technology. Marina is the founder of the Cyprus Stroke Association, a Stroke Support Organization, and an Inaugural Future Stroke Leader Alumni of the World Stroke Organization. She investigates Patient and Public Involvement in Stroke and Aphasia research, has several peer-reviewed scientific publications, and presents her work at international stroke and aphasia conferences. She is a stroke and aphasia advocate in Europe and Cyprus and a National Coordinator of SAP-E.  

Jennifer Crow is a clinical specialist occupational therapist with more than 25 years of clinical experience working mainly in hyperacute and acute stroke settings. She has also worked in neuro rehabilitation settings in the UK and South Africa. She was the chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section Neurological Practice Stroke Forum. Her master’s research project focused on identifying the unmet needs of people at 6 months after a stroke and she was involved in the reconfiguration of stroke services in London.

Jennifer is currently completing a PhD through Imperial College London and Imperial College healthcare NHS Trust exploring how best to improve follow-up care provided to people after minor stroke. This research is focusing on improving information provision, secondary prevention and managing the hidden impairments experienced after stroke. She is also a co-applicant on a research grant that is looking at the treatment of spatial neglect after stroke. Other research interests include health equity and working with people who have had strokes to ensure that the development and design of research studies and service improvements are underpinned by those that have lived experience of stroke.

Marie Elf is a Professor in Nursing at Dalarna University, Sweden, with a background in nursing and a PhD in Architecture from Chalmers University of Technology. Her research centers on how the physical environment influences health, well-being, and participation for individuals with stroke and other long-term conditions. She leads the research group Environment, Technology and Participation and coordinates several international research projects, including SELMA (Self-management and stroke) and EQL (Enhancing quality of life for people with stroke), with a consistent focus on the role of the environment in supporting recovery and quality of life.

Marie brings to the ELAS committee a strong interdisciplinary perspective, combining healthcare and architectural design. Her expertise includes self-management, social support, and the physical environment all critical components for improving life after stroke. Through her work, she aims to contribute to evidence-based strategies that enhance stroke survivors’ everyday experiences and long-term outcomes.

Christina Franzisket is a health economist and works as a project manager in healthcare research at the German Stroke Foundation. She is interested to involve the patient’s perspective in stroke research and study unmet needs in stroke aftercare to help establish patient-oriented stroke services.

Before she worked at the German Stroke Foundation, she was a research associate and developed quality indicators for different health sectors (i.e., hospitals, nursing homes) based on different data (routine data, quality data in hospitals).

Dr Nicola Hancock is Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of East Anglia, UEA, UK and a Lecturer and Researcher in Physiotherapy/Neurorehabilitation at the same institution. Her research interests include investigating activity and interventions and technologies that might promote recovery of coordinated, functional movement after onset of stroke; quality improvement via person-centred approaches to neurological rehabilitation; and user-centred design and evaluation for technology enhanced rehabilitation interventions.

Nicola has considerable experience of leadership, research and innovation and improvement across the stroke pathway, both as an expert clinician in stroke and as an academic. She is an immediate past member of the Royal College of Physicians Intercollegiate Stroke Working party, contributing to three sets of influential National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke, UK. Current projects include an evaluation of telerehabilitation services for stroke in the East of England.

Grethe Lunde, 51, is a former board member (now honorary member) of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) and is also member of the Steering Committee for implementing the Stroke Action Plan for Europe 2018-2030. As a new member of the European Life After Stroke Forum Scientific Committee, she hopes to bring her nearly 30 yearlong stroke survivor experience to the good for other stroke survivors and their loved ones. Even professionals. She has also since being a part of SAFE had several “personal” presentations at the EU parliament and numerous online talks about how she is coping with life after stroke.

She had a severe and lifechanging cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CVTS) on her 22nd birthday and woke up from an induced coma totally paralysed. Luckily, she was sent to a rehabilitation hospital where she could relearn necessary skills that were lost that day in February in 1994. She had to start over on several levels and had to relearn how to speak, read, type, write – and most importantly she had to learn how to sit, stand and walk again. Motto; A saved life should be a life worth living – and if anything else doesn’t seem to work – SMILE.

Dr Carina U Persson works at the Department of Occupational therapy and Physical Therapy at Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SU) in Gothenburg, Sweden and is clinically active at the stroke unit at SU/Östra.

She has worked as a physiotherapist and graduated with a PhD in Medicine and was appointed associate professor in Rehabilitation Medicine at GU in 2019. Carina is a member of the research group Rehabilitation Medicine, GU, and her research areas are within post-stroke rehabilitation and epidemiology. She is a board member of the Nordic Stroke Society, Stroke Centrum Väst Inspirationsforum and Neuro Section of Fysioterapeuterna.

Associate Professor Melinda B. Roaldsen serves as Vice Head of the Department of Clinical Medicine at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway.

A medical doctor, Dr. Roaldsen has dedicated her career to advancing stroke research, care and clinical practice.

With clinical experience in the fields of neurology, neurosurgery and ophthalmology and over a decade experience in stroke research, Roaldsen has led major research initiatives, is a lead author of several Cochrane reviews and holds key leadership roles as Chief Operations Officer of the Stroke Action Plan for Europe (SAP-E), Ambassador for the Global Stroke Action Coalition and serves on the European Stroke Organisation’s guideline committee.

In 2023, Dr. Roaldsen experienced a stroke herself. This life-altering event has added a deeply personal dimension to her professional mission. Since then, she has become a passionate advocate for stroke awareness, prevention and patient-centered care – sharing her journey to inspire change and foster empathy within healthcare systems.

Dr Dagmar Souckova is a stroke neurologist and specialist in neurosonology living in Prague, Czech Republic.  

She works at the Comprehensive Stroke Center of the Na Homolce Hospital and is one of the founders and head physicians in Sonolab, Cerebrovascular outpatient clinic.  

She is a member of the Cerebrovascular Committee of the Czech Neurological Society and the Vice President of the Board of Cerebrum, the Association of People with Acquired Brain Damage (member of SAFE).  

She is interested in the often neglected connection between acute and follow-up care.  

Having taught at the First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, Dagmar is an experienced lector. She continues to work in the academic field, mainly focusing on neurosonology and practical neurosonologic courses. 

Katherine Staley is the Associate Director of Services at the Stroke Association. She leads a team providing and coordinating support to people affected by stroke, through a range of different products. These are available to people in their local areas through services such as the Stroke Recovery Service and nationally through different forms of remote provision, including the Support Line, telephone peer support and online activities.

Katherine has had a long and happy career at the Stroke Association working in many different areas and roles, starting off providing direct support to people with aphasia. Prior to this she worked in a Psychology research role at Manchester University focused on language in stroke and dementia.

Diana Wong Ramos was 34 years old and working as a journalist-editor for a magazine when she had a Cerebral Venous Thrombosis stroke. Her life changed and she had to adapt to her new circumstances. Thanks to exhaustive work with a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team Diana began to regain some mobility and independence.

She has a special interest in patient advocacy and patient engagement and was involved in the creation of the first Portuguese association of stroke survivors www.portugalavc.pt and participated in the redesign of the Stroke Action Plan for Europe 2018-2030.