Hariklia Proios
President
Greece

Hariklia Proios, PhD, is a Professor of Neurocognitive Disorders and Rehabilitation at the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece. She has served as President of SAFE (Stroke Alliance for Europe) since 2020 and has been a Board member since 2016, representing the Hellenic Alliance for Stroke SSO. Holding a PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. from Hofstra University, she achieved tenure as an Assistant Professor at Montclair State University. Dr. Proios has organised community support groups globally and currently leads the educational segment of the FASTHEROES project. She is also actively engaged in international stroke and rehab committees and contributes to the World Health Organization and the American Congress of Rehab Medicine.

Marina Charalambous
Secretary
Cyprus

Marina holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and works as a Clinical Lecturer at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Cyprus University of Technology. Marina is the founder of the Cyprus Stroke Association, a Stroke Support Organization, and an Inaugural Future Stroke Leader Alumni of the World Stroke Organization. She investigates Patient and Public Involvement in Stroke and Aphasia research, has several peer-reviewed scientific publications, and presents her work at international stroke and aphasia conferences. She is a stroke and aphasia advocate in Europe and Cyprus and a National Coordinator of SAP-E.

Chris Macey
Treasurer
Ireland

Chris Macey is Director of Advocacy and Patient Support in the Irish Heart Foundation, A journalism graduate, Chris worked as a senior journalist with the Irish Press Group for 12 years, specialising in politics, health and social issues before being appointed as a Special Adviser in the Departments of the Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs. He later worked for the Sunday Independent and established a stable of quality local newspapers and magazines after working for the Rehab Group as Head of Communications. Chris was previously Chairman of both the Neurological Alliance of Ireland and the Volunteer Stroke Scheme and is currently Treasurer of the Stroke Alliance for Europe.

Sarah Belson
Member at large
UK

Sarah Belson has over 25 years’ experience working in health, social care and community development. Sarah leads capacity strengthening activities for SSOs across the globe for the World Stroke Organization and is the International Lead at the Stroke Association in the UK. Her work includes facilitating the meaningful involvement of people affected by stroke in international research collaborations and policy consultations. Sarah supports the collation of service delivery and advocacy resources available globally and facilitates SSO knowledge exchange and networking. Sarah holds an MSc in International Development Studies, University of London and is currently a PhD candidate at Brunel University London exploring the lived experience of stroke in a community setting in Ghana.

Maja Bozinovska Smicheska
Member at large
North Macedonia

Dr. Maja Bozinovska Smicheska is neurologist specialized in neurophysiology with strong interest in stroke and public health. As founder and president of first Macedonian Stroke NGO she has organized public campaigns, community based interventions and collaborated with healthcare professionals and policymakers toward reducing the burden of stroke. She is involved in Angels projects and she is one of the SAP-E national coordinators. Her major project as SSO leader was EU funded project aimed at improving quality and accessibility of healthcare and social services in N. Macedonia as well as researching different levels of stroke risk and the prevalence of stroke risk factors among population in North Macedonia (2018-2021).

Yago Bundgaard
Member at large
Denmark

Yago was born in 1972 and is married to Marianne. They have three grown-up children. He suffered a stroke in 2019 which resulted in aphasia. Thus, an entirely new life for him, and first and foremost for his whole family and friends. Yago has an MA in Philosophy as well as one in Public Governance. He worked for many years in high school, first as a teacher, then as Head of School.

Presently, Yago is engaged in the following associations and research projects:

– The Danish Stroke Association (www.hjernesagen.dk), member of the board.
– The aphasia group in Denmark, present on Facebook / www.afasi-gruppe.dk
– https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/navnenyt/bevilling_novo_nordisk_afasi

Liliana Curea
Member at large
Romania

Liliana Curea – president of ALIA Association, the only association in Romania dedicated to stroke patients. I am a television journalist and I have been working at PRO TV for 13 years, where I deal with the health field. I have been writing  about the health system in our country for 7 years, and during this time I learned about the problems faced by stroke patients, their relatives, and the doctors who treat them. I founded ALIA because I want that all this people know that they are not alone in this fight and my desire is to help the development of the stroke program. The steps we have taken so far are extremely important and expanding the thrombolysis network is one of the most important step. Through ALIA, we started in 2022 the first campaign to raise awareness of the signs of a stroke, which is called “Time means life”. I am an ambitious person, I like working in a team and I am sure that the treatment of stroke patients in Romania and in Europe can be improved and we will succeed in developing programs to support stroke patients.

Dorina Dobreva
Member at large
Bulgaria

Dipl. Eng. Dorina Dobreva, with a decade-long commitment to the non-governmental sector, founded the Association for Stroke and Aphasia in Bulgaria in 2020. Serving as a board member of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) two years later, she played a pivotal role in securing the Bulgarian Ministry of Health endorsement of the European Stroke Action Plan for Europe. Under her leadership, the Association orchestrated an impactful campaign on World Stroke Day, earning the WSO award for the Best stroke campaign in a country with low and middle income. Recognizing her outstanding achievements, the European Stroke Association (ESO) appointed Dorina as the Bulgarian National Coordinator for the Stroke Action Plan in Europe.

Hrvoje Jurlina
Member at large
Croatia

Dr Hrvoje Jurlina is a Specialized doctor of Family Medicine at the Community Health Center in Zagreb County, Croatia. He is also an External associate of the Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb, Croatia. Hrvoje himself is a stroke survivor. A stroke that created an aspiration to improve the holistic needs for other stroke survivors as well as the needs of their families and care givers. He is also an active Board member of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) and is the Second Vice President of The Croatian Stroke Society.

Nenad Nikolic
Member at large
Serbia

Nenad Nikolic, a stroke nurse from Serbia, has 21 years of experience working in neurology at his local General Hospital. Specialising in stroke care, he served as head nurse between 2013 to 2017. Nenad is also an educator at The Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies, responsible for the education of future nurses in neurology. Beyond his professional role, he’s been a caregiver for his stroke-survivor mother for over 15 years. He is also actively engaged in volunteer work, he has contributed over 8 years to the Stroke Association Serbia, participated in SAFE conferences since 2015, and actively campaigns for World Stroke Day. Nenad brings a unique blend of professional expertise and personal experience to the SAFE board.

Marianne Tangen
Member at large
Norway

Marianne Helén Tangen, a 50-year-old from Molde, Norway, serves as a board member at SAFE. Overcoming three strokes and dealing with the rare Moyamoya condition, she offers valuable insights. Professionally, she is a dementia care nurse in Molde. During leisure, Marianne enjoys football, rock music – particularly Def Leppard – and occasional cultural outings.