Speaker: Fiona d'Young, MS Clinical Nurse Specialist, Auckland District Health Board Te Toko Tumai
What key insights will you be sharing in your session and why is this important?
Fiona d'Young: Hi. I'm Fiona d'Young. I'm a clinical nurse specialist in multiple sclerosis. I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and I'm delighted to be speaking at ECTRIMS in the nursing session about something I'm very passionate about. I feel like this topic is a key component for us as clinicians. So I'm talking about the two superpowers that we can grow within our patients. That's self management and self advocacy. I can't say how important this is from diagnosis throughout the whole disease trajectory empowering our patients to know when and who, and what they need to do as far as a new symptom develops. Who to speak to at the right time thinking about how best they can look after themselves, what they're eating, how best to help their and promote their brain health. This is completely within an MS nursing role and so, so very important. So I'm going to be giving a roundup of what's been happening in this space. And some examples of some of the brilliant work that's being done internationally. I really look forward to seeing you in Copenhagen. Please do come and say hello if you see me. And we'll see you there.
Why is ECTRIMS 2024 a must-attend event for the MS and neurological research community?
Fiona d'Young: ECTRIMS 2024 will be the first time I have ever attended this conference. It is something of a career highlight for me. Actually, I have been hoping to attend for over 20 years. I feel like ECTRIMS is similar to the Olympics, where you have a venue full of great and talented people who are sharing their work. And growing a sense of community, it makes the world seem a lot smaller when everyone can get together and share their research for the greater good. So a must attend event as far as the research community and anyone with an interest and passion in MS.
