SAFE is a network of SSOs (stroke survivor organisations) whose members are stroke survivors, carers, neurologists, researchers, therapists and campaigners. It is the only network of this type in Europe. Half of the current SAFE board are stroke survivors.
It was launched in October 2004 and was born out of a strategic workshop held in the European Parliament in June 2003 that led to a declaration calling upon the European Union and its Member States to tackle stroke as a preventable catastrophe.
SAFE is non-profit-making and has 28 member SSO spread over 24 countries. It represents a range of patient groups whose mutual goals include driving stroke prevention up the European political agenda, supporting stroke research and the prevention of stroke through improved education. SAFE is therefore an umbrella organisation that combines its members’ resources and strategy across Europe and also serves as a role model for the World Stroke Organisation in establishing stroke support organisations on a global level.
SAFE is actively engaged in campaigning, education and research, all of which contribute to the advancement of stroke prevention, acute treatment, and the improvement of the quality of life of stroke survivors, their families and caretakers.
It was launched in October 2004 and was born out of a strategic workshop held in the European Parliament in June 2003 that led to a declaration calling upon the European Union and its Member States to tackle stroke as a preventable catastrophe.
SAFE is non-profit-making and has 28 member SSO spread over 24 countries. It represents a range of patient groups whose mutual goals include driving stroke prevention up the European political agenda, supporting stroke research and the prevention of stroke through improved education. SAFE is therefore an umbrella organisation that combines its members’ resources and strategy across Europe and also serves as a role model for the World Stroke Organisation in establishing stroke support organisations on a global level.
SAFE is actively engaged in campaigning, education and research, all of which contribute to the advancement of stroke prevention, acute treatment, and the improvement of the quality of life of stroke survivors, their families and caretakers.
SAFE will contribute to WP7 Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication in which it will primarily have responsibility for multi-channel communication of the project via outreach to all patient representative bodies and the relevant wider public in the European stroke community.
Dr. Gary Randall
Dr. Randall is European Research Manager at the Stroke Association (UK) and also Research Officer for the SAFE network where he has responsibility for participation in multiple EU projects. Gary has a PhD in Cognitive Psychology and is an expert in the modelling of cognitive function. He has post-doctoral experience as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and until early 2014 he had spent 14 years at BMT Group, rising to Principal Researcher and working on 15 EU funded projects in various roles and sectors, including health.
His current research interests include cognitive rehabilitation and the role of assistive technology in stroke. Gary has wide experience of project dissemination and exploitation support in EU projects and he has direct experience of these issues in stroke via the FP7 project CogWatch of which he was a joint author.
