To qualify as a 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 2020 interview series and thank them in advance for taking the time to share with our readers.

For the April issue of the ESO member newsletter, we present Annette Fromm, MD PhD MSc (Stroke) FESO, Bergen Stroke Research Group, Center for Neurovascular Diseases, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Annette is a graduate of the ESO supported, European Master Programme in Stroke Medicine and active in ESO and the Norwegian Stroke Organisation. In addition to being an FESO, she is a member of the WISE working group and participated in the ESO national society stroke meetings as the Secretary of the Norwegian Stroke Organisation.

What are your main fields of interest in stroke medicine and research?

My clinical work is mainly focused on the field of acute stroke treatment and monitoring, including the implementation of new evidence into clinical practice. I largely enjoy the tight collaboration with specialists from all medical fields related to neurovascular medicine at our hospital, in order to continuously improve routines and standard procedures. The last months we have been working a lot on the adaptation of our acute stroke pathways and stroke investigation procedures in light of the additional challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neurosonology is a subject of special interest to me. I am truly amazed by the various opportunities the available methods deliver both regarding acute phase monitoring options, causal and preventive investigation options, and the possibility to visualize and understand complex hemodynamic contexts impacting further decision making.

As member of the Bergen Stroke Research Group, the research I am involved in is diverse, combining the fields of acute stroke treatment and prehospital alert, Neurosonology, secondary prevention and the wide field of young stroke.

What is the role of ESO in facilitating and promoting the projects you are coordinating or where you are involved?

ESO has gained worldwide recognition as one of the leading stroke societies, with a profile of responsibility, trustworthiness and passion for the field. I understand ESO as a great platform for exchange and collaboration between researchers and clinical practitioners. The work on and continuous renewal of guidelines and expert opinions based on newly gathered knowledge is especially important to me, providing a valuable foundation to follow, re-think or improve own research questions.

What do you expect from ESO in the future to support research?

I expect ESO to keep its open and including profile, as the ESO society makes multicenter and international cooperation and networking easy, pushing the stroke field further in many directions. Possibly ESO may function as an umbrella society for large scale international research proposals, utilizing the enormous professional variety among its members, and being able to involve a large number of research institutions worldwide.

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?

A mentor should be open to new ideas of the mentee, help to adjust and support them, guide professional development, encourage self-reflection, suggest alternative directions and, if possible, provide a network to follow those.

A mentee may benefit from several mentors covering the mentee`s need for guidance in different areas of their development. The mentee may bring along curiosity and passion, and should be encouraged to ask for guidance and mentorship whenever needed.