Neurologist Dr Wan Asyraf Wan Zaidi was the first Malaysian ever admitted to the inaugural World Stroke Organisation (WSO)'s Future Stroke Leaders Programme, a global initiative to equip early-career clinicians, educators, and researchers with an understanding of the key challenges in stroke care.

Vice-chairperson of the Malaysia Stroke Council and a clinical lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Asyraf, 35, was one of 32 candidates selected out of 113 applications received by the WSO.

His experience as the national lead investigator for...