IRENE COST Action strives to involve young researchers in our network. Combining postgrad studies, your own research, and clinical practice, and having a say in broad networking project is a tough task. One of those that managed to pull it off and became an important part of IRENE is a 33-year-old neurologist from Lithuania Rytis Masiliūnas.
“IRENE COST Action acts as a platform to facilitate international collaboration for collection and sharing of data on key stroke care metrics with a solid international network of stroke professionals. For a young researcher it is of key importance, as it also provides conference grants, means for covering the open-acces publication fees, and, crucially, mentorship through direct interaction with outstanding internationally-renown stroke researchers.”
Since having become doctor in 2012, Rytis has joined a handful of stroke panels, boards and specialist organisations, actively participated at almost two dozen international conferences throughout Europe, and got involved in various clinical trials. All of that he managed while teaching at the Vilnius University.
In 2018, his work landed him an expert role in the project set up by the World Bank and taking place at Astana Medical University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
“My PhD research in Vilnius University focuses on the impact of a comprehensive national policy on improving acute stroke patient care in Lithuania. The scope of my research, and the trust endowed by my wonderful supervisor and mentor Prof. Dalius Jatužis, allowed me to be invited to join his team of experts, to share our findings and know-how with our colleagues from Astana Medical University in Kazakhstan. It was a fantastic experience, that lead to a mutual improvement and a fruitful professional collaboration on many levels.”
Despite being relatively young, Rytis has become Management Committee Member of IRENE COST Action and he is of the most active members of our network. If everything goes well with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rytis will take part in a Short Term Scientific Mission in 2022. We certainly hope that his example will motivate further interest in this important tool for international scientific collaboration.
“IRENE COST Action provides young researchers with a possibility to receive methodological support, statistical advice, and mentorship from leading experts of the field through a Short-Term Scientific Mission. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major obstacle to international travel, but if all works well (fingers crossed), I would intend to use the STSM for investigating the quality of stroke prevention in patients with known atrial fibrillation in countries with different reimbursement policies of antithrombotic medications.”