The African Stroke Organization Conference 2021: Building Capacity, Careers, Collaborations, and Contributions.

ABSTRACT

The inaugural African Stroke Organization Conference (ASOC) aimed to create a forum to discuss the latest stroke science, highlight opportunities to address the high burden of stroke in Africa, develop a viable pipeline of emerging African stroke researchers, honor leading scientists and policy makers, and provide networking avenues to bolster future collaboration. Using a virtual platform, ASOC was held from Nov 3-4, 2021, and was attended by 236 participants. ASOC 2021 sessions included (1) Osuntokun Award Lecture delivered by Prof. Richard Walker of Newcastle University; (2) Distinguished Policy Maker Lecture delivered by Dr. Raj Tajudeen of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (3) Invited presentations by prominent global stroke academicians on acute stroke, vascular malformations, vascular brain injury, Covid-19, nursing/allied care, rehabilitation/recovery, health services, imaging, pediatric stroke, precision medicine, and unusual causes of stroke; (4) six oral scientific abstract presentations; and (5) fifteen moderated oral poster presentations. Other sessions were (i) Vascular Brain Trust where early career African scholars presented manuscripts and grant proposals under development for feedback from seasoned researchers (ii) Moving on Up during which presentations were given to early career scholars about pathways for success in funding and advancement. A capstone event was the Frontiers of Research in Africa session which showcased the work and capabilities of 20 scientists and sites in Africa. All the ASOC sessions were lively and post-conference feedback from attendees showed high levels of satisfaction for the conference platforms and content. The ASOC marks a new dawn in the era of an escalating stroke burden in Africa, and it is anticipated to serve as a catalyst for exponentially building the capacity, careers, collaborations, and contributions of Africans to ameliorating stroke within and beyond the continent.