FESO Interview with Marco Duering
To qualify as an FESO, members must demonstrate scientific quality and a willingness to actively volunteer in ESO. There are no age requirements, but FESO must meet minimum standards. FESO receive additional benefits, including participation in the Council of Fellows. Visit our website for more information on how to distinguish yourself as a FESO.
We hope you enjoy getting to know the Fellows who participate in the 2019 interview series and thank them in advance for taking the time to share with our readers.
For the September newsletter, we interviewed Marco Düring, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), Klinikum der Universität München. Dr. Düring is an active FESO. He is a member of the Dementia Committee and has served as invited speaker at ESOC and the ESO European Stroke Science Workshop.
What are your main fields of interest in stroke medicine and research?
My main interest is cognitive impairment due to cerebrovascular disease, in particular cerebral small vessel disease. Apart from sporadic small vessel disease as the most frequent vascular contributor to cognitive decline, my lab at the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research in Munich is also interested in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and inherited small vessel diseases, such as CADASIL.
What is the role of ESO in facilitating and promoting the projects you are coordinating or where you are involved?
The work in the ESO dementia committee has broadened my view even further for the way stroke care and research is conducted throughout Europe. Finding consensus – such as common terminology, diagnostic criteria and guidelines – is essential for the progress in multinational research.
In addition, I highly enjoy the European Stroke Science Workshop held every two years by ESO at Eibsee. This workshop is a great opportunity to keep in touch with European colleagues and to discuss recent and future developments in a pleasant, informal setting.
What do you expect from ESO in the future to support research?
The ESO congress is already an outstanding platform for stroke research and I expect it to develop further during the next years. I’m especially looking forward to the ESO-WSO joint stroke conference in Vienna next year and I hope to see more joint conferences in the future.
With its many members throughout Europe, ESO is a powerful voice for stroke. This could help to make political leaders more aware of the importance and challenges of stroke care and research, also in order to promote new funding schemes for stroke research.
What do you think a mentor should do to support the projects and the career of a mentee and, conversely, what should a mentee expect from a mentor?
Especially when trying to combine clinical and research work, in my view the most important aspect is simply to provide guidance and advise. A crucial aspect for a mentee is to find a mentor with a genuine interest in mentoring junior people. One aspect that might be worth considering for a mentor is that stroke medicine (and medicine in general) has changed dramatically over the last years. The changing environment, with increasing patient numbers and staff shortage, might make it more challenging to follow the same career path as the mentor.
