Awardee: Iulia-Cosmina Stoican, The National Institute of Neurology and Neurovascular Diseases, Bucharest, Romania 
Host Institution: Stroke Research Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK, 04-15 September 2023
This is more of a thank you letter than a report. This year, I had the incredible privilege of being one of the ESO D2D awardees, and I was part of the stroke route at UCL in London, under the supervision of Prof. David Werring, at the beginning of September.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Prof. David Werring for organizing my entire stay. I was able to visit the Hyperacute and Emergency Stroke Unit, the Acute Stroke Unit, several clinics (stroke, TIA, ICH, and SVD clinics), the Stroke Research Centre, and attend multidisciplinary presentations and the Gowers Round Lecture. I felt like I was visiting a wonderful stroke and neurology sanctuary, for which I am thankful.
Secondly, I met a lot of wonderful people during my stay. I am grateful to them for being a part of my journey. Dr. Larysa Panteleienko was exceedingly gracious in introducing me to the Stroke Research Centre and its team. She was warm and welcoming, and she filled my schedule with activities related to stroke and other neurological disorders. The entire team at the Stroke Research Centre was amazing, and they were eager to show me and explain their findings. They were also a lot of fun, and lunch with them was full of laughs.
I would also like to thank the clinical trials team, who not only let me view the entire process of including and excluding participants in their research, but who were also always nice to me and greeted me with a big smile on their faces.
The clinical experience was no different. I had the opportunity to meet with some stroke consultants who discussed all my questions and included me in clinical matters. I am grateful to Dr. Arup Sen, Dr. Maneesh Bhargava, and Dr. Arvind Chandratheva for making my hospital stay so enjoyable.
Furthermore, all of the registrars there were really nice to me and provided me with a fantastic perspective on working in the NHS as a young physician. Despite the differences between our countries, this entire experience made me believe that we are all extremely similar and have similar interests when it comes to treating our patients.
I was quite nervous on my first day, but everyone took care of me, and I must say that I miss these people and can’t wait to see them again one day.
Finally, there is a significant difference in stroke care between Romania and the United Kingdom. It is a fantastic opportunity for a young physician to watch protocols and paths that result in a positive outcome, and I am grateful to ESO for making this accessible. It was an eye-opening experience, and I encourage anyone who is interested in stroke to apply for the award. It is appropriate for those interested in clinical aspects as well as those engaged in research. And I am confident that this type of experience will inspire excellent ideas in the future of stroke care.
About the ESO Department to Department Visit Programme
The Department to Department Visit Programme aims to provide insight into stroke departments outside the applicant`s home country through a grant of EUR 1,500 offered to up to 10 young physicians and researchers to support a short visit of a week or as a contribution to a longer visit to an European department or laboratory.
