Recognising Excellence in Stroke Care and Research
The ESO Awards celebrate individuals who have made exceptional contributions to stroke care, research, education, and policy.
The ESO Presidential Award is bestowed upon a researcher in an advanced career stage who has made a significant impact on stroke care internationally over many years, with important influence on scientific, educational, or political development for stroke care across Europe or even worldwide. The achievement thus need not be research-based only, but may involve leadership, mentorship, implementation, or changing of attitudes.
The second ESO award is the Scientific Excellence Award. This award is given to an emerging, mid-career researcher, for whom an award for repeated research excellence could assist advancement to a final career position.
ESO proudly honours two outstanding colleagues each year for their exceptional contributions to advancing stroke care and research through two prestigious distinctions. All ESO members are warmly invited to submit nominations for the 2025 awards. Nominations are open until 12 January 2026 — please send the completed nomination form to esoinfo@eso-stroke.org
ESO Presidental Award recipients
ESO Scientific Excellence Award recipients
Diederick W.J. Dippel (2025)
The Netherlands
Kennedy Lees (2024)
UK
Philip Bath (2023)
UK
Valeria Caso (2022)
Italy
Michael Brainin (2021)
Austria
Bo Norrving (2020)
Sweden
Jean-Louis Mas (2019)
France
Werner Hacke (2018)
Germany
Joanna Wardlaw (2017)
United Kingdom
Heinrich Mattle (2016)
Switzerland
Marie-Germaine Bousser (2015)
France
Arthur Liesz (2025)
Germany
Ashkan Shoamanesh (2024)
Canada
Jonathan Coutinho (2023)
The Netherlands
Guillaume Turc (2022)
France
Georgios Tsivgoulis (2021)
Greece
Urs Fischer (2020)
Switzerland
Stéphanie Debette (2019)
France
Götz Thomalla (2019)
Germany
Rustam Al-Shahi Salman (2018)
United Kingdom
Daniel Strbian (2017)
Finland
Stefan Kiechl (2016)
Austria
Geert Biessels (2015)
Netherlands