Author: Märit Jensen & Ellis van Etten
As 2025 has drawn to a close, the ESO YSPR committee reflects on a productive and inspiring year and looks forward to launching exciting initiatives throughout 2026.
A major highlight of 2025 was ESOC in Helsinki, Finland. Once again, the conference provided an excellent platform for scientific exchange and networking among stroke professionals from across Europe and beyond. The YSPR Research Design Workshop was well received, giving young researchers the opportunity to present their study ideas and receive structured, constructive feedback from experienced mentors.
Together with the European Stroke Journal (ESJ), the YSPR Young Reviewer Programme continued successfully in 2025. The participants for the current round have been selected, and this cycle will conclude in April 2026. Building on the strong interest and engagement seen so far, the call for new candidates for the ESJ Young Reviewer Programme will open after ESOC 2026.
The Department to Department Programme continued to offer valuable opportunities for young stroke physicians to experience different clinical and research environments across Europe. Those interested in applying are encouraged to read the previous participant reports published on the ESO blog, which provide insightful first-hand perspectives on the programme.
The ESO blog continues to be an important platform for presenting current topics and sharing perspectives. Working on the blog remains a great part of our committee work. We would like to thank everyone who contributed over the past year, and we are always happy to welcome new guest bloggers with fresh views on timely and relevant stroke-related topics.
Looking ahead to 2026
The coming year will mark the start of a new YSPR initiative: Back to Bedside. This programme aims to present short, focused clinical vignettes with clear take-home messages, highlighting the importance of clinical reasoning and bedside neurology in everyday stroke care. In case you have missed the first episodes, you can listen here to Episode 1 and Episode 2
Finally, we would like to thank all ESO members, collaborators, mentors, and participants for their continued support and engagement.
We wish everyone a successful 2026 and look forward to seeing you in person in Maastricht at the 12th ESOC!
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ESOC is Europe’s leading forum for advances in research and clinical care of patients with cerebrovascular diseases. ESOC 2026 will live up to its expectation, and present to you a packed, high quality scientific programme including major clinical trials, state-of-the-art seminars, educational workshops, scientific communications of the latest research, and debates about current controversies. Learn more.
