During the Young Stroke Physicians and Researchers (YSPR) session at ESO 2021 virtual conference, four early career stroke physicians and researchers will present their planned or ongoing projects and receive feedback from two renowned stroke experts.
The session will be held on Wednesday 1st September at 08.30 in Hall A.
In this series of interviews, we are going to meet them and hear about their stories.
Today we are meeting with Vignan Yogendrakumar (@VYogendrakumar on Twitter)
Vignan is Canadian neurologist and he is going to present “Assessing covert brain infarction in patients with acute intracerebral haemorrhage: an evacuate imaging sub-study”. Please stay tuned!
Tell us something about yourself.
I am a Canadian Neurologist and am presently midway through my first year of fellowship with the Royal Melbourne Stroke Program, in Melbourne, Australia. I completed my medical school training at the University of British Columbia in 2014 and my residency in Adult Neurology at the University of Ottawa in 2020. I hope to develop a career as a clinician-scientist with an interest in acute care clinical trials and neuroimaging research.
How did you get involved in stroke research?
My involvement in stroke research started during my first year of residency as I developed an early interest in stroke medicine during my final year of medical school. I was introduced to my research mentor very early on and he played a major role in developing my foundations in clinical stroke research. We were able to collaborate
Why did you choose this topic?
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is an area of stroke medicine where there are still a number of unanswered questions when it comes to pathophysiology and prognosis. I developed an interest in ICH during my years in residency and wanted to continue my research in this area during my fellowship training.
What have been the most difficult challenges regarding your research career so far?
I’ve been very fortunate in regards to how my career has developed thus far. With that being said, an ongoing personal challenge is being comfortable with my own level of productivity and not comparing myself to others. Acknowledging the fact that everyone’s academic journeys develop at different paces is an important lesson that I try to remind myself of.
How do you balance work life and free time/home life?
At present, I try to ensure that my time at home in the evenings is dedicated to my family. If in the event that I have a busy week and work in the evening is required, I try to plan this in advance with my family. If I am being honest however, I am still learning how to strike the balance between work life and home life. My family has been very generous and have supported me when I need to work during off-hours.
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?
In my experience, successful mentors are able:
* To guide mentees to develop projects that the mentee is passionate about, but also help develop projects which are feasible to perform
* Look out for unique opportunities for their mentees
* Be available for mentees to provide honest advice on career options and opportunities
