I think I was last in Helsinki about 20 years ago. It’s a great place for a conference and I truly have enjoyed Finland. Compared to the rest of Europe (and home, the US), it has a modest, less consumer oriented culture. The favored drink here is tap water, which I think speaks volumes about the culture. They have adopted sustainability as a core philosophy, but it’s not performative in any way. It seems to fit with the Finnish culture of having enough.
Cloudy with a bit of rain. Cool. No real opportunity for photography, but I did grab some establishing shots with the phone.
My aim at the conference was to connect with those who are in the trenches treating stroke and figuring out what all of the new data really means for patient care. While I no longer practice medicine, in designing trials, the single biggest success factor is fitting into to the standard of care. And in an area like stroke treatment, where that standard changes on a yearly basis, understanding what the field is thinking is absolutely critical.
Not much discussion of mind and consciousness among these neurologists. They’re too busy trying to save brain.
