Vladimir Hachinski of the University of Western Ontario pioneered the early treatment and prevention of stroke and cognitive disorders and discovered a crucial area in the brain that controls the heart. He also pioneered acute stroke units with J. W. Norris, and coined the term ‘brain attack’. He also crystallized the concepts of ‘vascular cognitive impairment’ and ‘multi-infarct dementia’ and devised the simplest, most widely used method of diagnosing them (the Hachinski ischemic scale). He is currently working on developing a common approach to prevention of stroke and cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and is Editor in Chief of Stroke, the leading publication in the field.