Did you know that one in four individuals will have a stroke in their lifetime, with over 50% of them occurring in people under 70 years of age? Stroke is the third-leading cause of death and disability globally. Out of the 15 million strokes per year, five million lead to death and another five million lead to permanent disability. Every minute after a stroke, 1.9 million brain cells (neurons) die, making prompt intervention essential to reduce disability risk.
Prof. Jean Calleja-Agius from the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, hosted the first edition of 'The Stroke Journey' seminar in collaboration with the (MSPRM) and the (MANNS). This seminar was held in the last week of May, as part of the stroke awareness campaign, and was attended by health care professionals, students, academics and the general public.
For more information, please contact Prof. Jean Calleja-Agius at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.
Following the opening speech by Dr Andrei Agius Anastasi, Consultant in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and president of MSPRM, there was a series of informative lectures spanning from basic research, to clinical management to rehabilitation, which were all presented by key experts and specialized healthcare professionals forming part of the multidisciplinary team caring for stroke patients. Keynote speakers included Dr Christian Zammit, Head of Department of Anatomy, who outlined his team's work on experimental models of stroke; Prof. Reuben Grech, Head of Department of Radiology, who highlighted his work on mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischaemic stroke; Dr Maria Bonello, consultant neurologist and Ms Amy Lomax, stroke specialist nurse, who spoke about elevating stroke outcomes from the initial diagnosis to aftercare; and Dr Christa Vella and the Stroke team at Karen Grech Rehabilitation Hospital who emphasized the importance of the multidisciplinary team (including the physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists and dieticians) in stroke recovery. Finally, there were 3 very moving and sobering testimonials from stroke survivors. The success of this pioneering event will lead to an annual meeting held every May, which is the stroke awareness month.
For more information, please contact Prof. Jean Calleja-Agius at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.
