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UCL World Stroke Day Forum launches online 26-30th October 2020

The pandemic has changed our way of life, and while this impact is shown across the country, a recent report by The Stroke Association shows that the recoveries of stroke survivors across the UK have been particularly negatively impacted. COVID-19 has affected every part of stroke treatment and care, with impacts shown no matter when individuals in the survey had their stroke. This research, along with much more, will be highlighted in this year’s UCL World Stroke Day Forum.

Now in its third year, the Forum aims to empower stroke survivors to contribute to and influence the future of stroke research and rehabilitation at UCL. Traditionally a one-day event, where over 200 stroke survivors are invited to have open dialogue between researchers, clinicians, stroke survivors and charities, this year, the Forum will be taken online, in a week-long series of events from Monday 26th  – Friday 30th October.

The event will bring together a collaboration of over 40 researchers and clinicians, alongside six stroke charity partners, and will be host to over 30 sessions throughout the week, including:

  • Live Q&A sessions to respond to the questions of stroke survivors and their loved ones
  • Engaging Workshops to explore topics about stroke research and rehabilitation in depth
  • Informal ‘Meet & Greets’ – a chance to meet the teams and discuss their work
  • There are also a number of pre-recorded talks, describing the innovative work underway, which can be viewed ahead of the Forum.

This year, the Forum has a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has created for stroke survivors and research into stroke, with events including:

  • A chance to talk to Professor Nick Ward from the N-ROL team, a telerehabilitation initiative funded by an ongoing campaign run by Emilia Clarke’s SameYou charity. This project has found that people with stroke and other brain injuries are spending less time in hospital receiving neurorehabilitation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • A Q&A session with a team from The Stroke Association to discuss their report on the experience of around 2,000 people affected by stroke during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • A session with the UCL ‘SWAN’ team to hear about their game-based digital intervention to rebuild number skills in aphasia. They will describe their work exploring whether a digital intervention called ‘SWAN’ helps adults with aphasia improve their number skills.
  • A panel discussion with the Effort Lab team behind the Experiencing Fatigue project. This artistic and scientific research project is exploring experiences of post-stroke fatigue through stroke survivor’s own narratives and metaphors, and has had to innovatively adapt their creative workshops to a digital space.

Cassandra Hugill and Joanne Thomas, The Public Engagement Team at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging who are running this year’s event:

“We’re delighted that this event will be running in a digital format this year. We hope it will enable more stroke survivors and their loved ones to join us during the Forum, to contribute to and input into the incredible work that the UCL research groups and our charity partners are undertaking.”

You can find out more and sign up to events now by clicking HERE.