Dr. Raivo Soodla

Dr. Raivo Soodla is a neurologist at the North Estonia Medical Centre (PERH) in Tallinn, Estonia's largest hospital and primary neurology referral center. With 16 years of clinical experience, he has developed expertise in stroke medicine, multiple sclerosis, and the application of digital health tools in neurology.

Estonia's pioneering digital health infrastructure extends to neurology. Dr. Soodla has been involved in developing Estonia's telestroke network, which uses telemedicine to extend specialist stroke expertise to smaller regional hospitals, dramatically reducing time-to-thrombolysis for rural patients. This program is internationally recognized as a model for digital stroke care.

He completed a neurology fellowship at the University Hospital of Helsinki, Finland, gaining training in acute stroke management protocols and MS disease-modifying therapy. He is an EAN member and participates in Baltic and Nordic neurology research networks.

Dr. Soodla is known for his integration of digital tools — from electronic health records to telemedicine platforms — into everyday clinical neurology practice, making Estonia a model for digital neurology implementation.

Dr. Soodla received his MD from the University of Tartu Faculty of Medicine in 2005. He completed his neurology residency at PERH and undertook a neurology fellowship at the University Hospital of Helsinki (HUS), Finland (2010–2011). His PhD from the University of Tartu in 2014 focused on telestroke outcomes in the Estonian national stroke network. He is a member of the European Academy of Neurology and is certified by the Estonian Health Board in neurology.

Dr. Soodla's clinical expertise covers stroke (acute thrombolysis, telemedicine stroke consultation, secondary prevention), multiple sclerosis (disease-modifying therapy including all approved agents), epilepsy (EEG, antiepileptic drug management), Parkinson's disease, and migraine. He is a key figure in PERH's telestroke program, providing remote stroke specialist consultations to regional Estonian hospitals. He performs EEG, EMG, nerve conduction studies, and lumbar puncture.

Dr. Soodla has published over 18 peer-reviewed articles in journals including Stroke and the European Journal of Neurology. His research focuses on telestroke outcomes, the Estonian national stroke network, MS epidemiology in Estonia, and digital health in neurology. He collaborates with neurologists in Finland and Sweden and participates in Baltic and Nordic neurology research networks.

Dr. Soodla speaks Estonian, Finnish, and English and provides telemedicine neurology consultations for international patients. PERH has an international patient service. Estonia's exceptional telemedicine infrastructure makes high-quality remote neurology consultation readily available. Finnish patients in particular frequently access PERH given the proximity of Helsinki by ferry and the shared healthcare familiarity.

Dr. Soodla received the Estonian Neurological Society Award for Innovation in Stroke Care in 2017 for his leadership in the telestroke program. He was recognized by PERH for his contributions to digital neurology and received EAN recognition for his research on telestroke as a model for digital stroke care in Europe.