Ebony Spur for cardiologist Pedro Brugada

For the fifth year running the N-VA is awarding the ‘Ebony Spur’ to a deserving new Fleming. This year the honour falls to cardiologist Pedro Brugada. Brugada is a prime example of perfect integration, and an absolute authority among heart specialists. He is the discoverer of Brugada syndrome, a condition in which the electrical activity of the heart is impaired, leading to a heightened risk of sudden cardiac arrest. One of Brugada's hobbyhorses is the greying of the population and its effect on healthcare affordability. As a Catalan and a Fleming, Pedro Brugada is also familiar with the notions of nationality, identity and migration. In previous years the Ebony Spur has gone to athlete Svetlana Bolshakova, surgeon Nasser Nadjmi, boxer Sugar Jackson and Gilbert Nyatanyi.