Dr. Mark Freedman. Keynote Speaker

Transcription

1 Dr. Mark Freedman Mark Freedman, HBSc, MSc, MD, CSPQ, FAAN, FRCPC, is professor of medicine in the field of neurology at the University of Ottawa, as well as director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit at the Ottawa Hospital, General Campus and a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He holds his specialist certification in Quebec CSPQ and all of Canada FRCP(C) and is a Fellow of both the American Neurological Association (FANA) and the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN). Dr. Freedman has published over 250 pieces, including articles, books, book chapters and abstracts and has been invited to give hundreds of lectures and presentations nationally and internationally. His extensive research includes the area of molecular neurochemistry, cellular immunology, neuroimmunology and clinical studies in MS. He is currently holding peer reviewed and industry related funding for translational research investigating immune mechanisms of damage in multiple sclerosis, with particular interest in the role of gamma-delta T-cells. He is also the lead investigator in the Canadian Bone Marrow Transplant Study in MS and co-chair of the International Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Study Group. Dr. Freedman has over 25 years of experience in the management of patients with multiple sclerosis and has been the principal investigator on numerous clinical trials with new therapeutic agents for MS.

2 Dr. Elaine Kingwell Elaine Kingwell, PhD is a Research Associate and Epidemiologist in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests include the epidemiology of MS; co-morbidities and mortality in MS; the natural course of MS and the long-term influence of MS disease-modifying therapies, with an emphasis on utilizing administrative and clinical databases for MS research. She has been funded as a MS researcher through grants or awards from the MS Society of Canada, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National MS Society (U.S.) and the Fondation ARSEP (France). Insights about MS from real world data: cancer risk, lifespan and the beta-interferons. Dr Kingwell will present some examples of real world observational studies that use information collected during visits to the MS clinic and through routinely collected administrative health data. She will talk about how the Pharmoacoepidemiology in MS (PiMS) Research group at UBC is attempting to answer challenging questions that are relevant to MS such as whether MS changes the risk of cancer, how MS impacts life expectancy and how we can estimate the number of people living with MS.

3 Trish Robichaud Trish Robichaud is a multiple award-winning Disability Awareness Coach, Maximum Life & Business Coach, Author, Facilitator, Advocate & Motivational Speaker who lives with multiple sclerosis, major depression and heart disease. She may be a woman living with disability but she is NOT a disabled woman. Since forming her company, CHANGING PACES, in 2003 it has been her passion to promote work/life balance, disability awareness and wellness through coaching, consulting, and online webinar training to stakeholders in the disability community. Trish teaches people living with chronic illness or disability how to honour and accommodate their health while striving to achieve optimal health, work/life balance and entrepreneurial success.

4 Jitender Kalra Speaker Jitender Kalra is an Occupational Therapist and a Certified Ergonomist. He graduated from University of Delhi with Bachelor of Occupational therapy in He obtained a Master of Business Administration from Université de Montréal in Over the last 14 years Jitender has gained clinical expertise in Occupational Therapy while working in variety of areas including orthopedics, neurology, rehabilitation and inpatient medicine. He currently works at the Central Alberta Multiple Sclerosis Clinic and has presented to healthcare professionals and patient groups on issues concerning MS including fatigue management and cognition. He will be presenting a poster on The Role of the interdisciplinary team in managing caregiver s stress in Multiple Sclerosis at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centre s Annual Meeting in May Tired of feeling Tired? Fatigue affects up to 80% of people with MS. Fatigue is known to impact quality of life. MS fatigue is unique from the fatigue experienced by the general population. The presentation will help people living with MS to understand the basic definition of MS fatigue as well as will provide tools to measure MS fatigue. Fatigue management is all about thinking about new ways to use your energy. Information will be provided about energy conservation as well as compensatory strategies. The presentation will help in understanding and devising ways to use energy in an efficient way including practical tips to optimize the use of energy in activities of daily living.

5 Rachel Pharo Speaker Rachel Pharo has a Masters of Social Work in Clinical Social Work from the University of Calgary. She currently works as the social worker in the MS clinic at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic providing support to patients and families who are dealing with this illness. IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE Annunziata Marcoccia has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Windsor. She currently works in the psychology department at the University of Alberta Hospital where she provides psychological treatment services to patients and families who are dealing with MS and other medical diagnoses. Talking about MS In this presentation, we will discuss the topic of communication and MS. We will present points to consider when talking about MS with friends, family, co-workers, and health professionals. We will also discuss assertiveness and ways to feel empowered through effective communication.