29th International Symposium on ALS/MND

Glasgow, Scotland, UK was the setting for the 29th International Symposium on ALS/MND this December, 2018.  This symposium is put on annually by the MND Association of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is a full week of meetings, presentations and posters. This event attracted over 1300 attendees, including scientists, clinicians, association members and PALS/CALS, from around the world. Terry Heiman-Patterson, MD, Justin Kwan, MD, Donna Harris, MA, CCC, and Sara Feldman, DPT, ATP, spent the week attending the many scientific and clinical sessions and meetings.
 
Each day, the ALS Hope Foundation went on Facebook Live to update our followers on the day’s events and presentations. See our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ALSHopeFoundation for the videos!
 
Steve Bell (MNDA), Chairman of the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations opened the week of meetings December 4, 2018 with the 26th Annual Alliance Meeting. The Alliance brings together ALS/MND organizations from around the globe. The ALS Hope Foundation has been a member of this international group since 2001 and Dr. Sara Feldman is on Board of Directors for the Alliance.

The Ask the Experts event is held the second day of the meetings. This year’s panel included Dr. Brian Dickie (MNDA), Professor Dame Pamela Shaw (Sheffield), Professor Orla Hardiman (Ireland) and Dr. Bhuvaneish Selvaraj and Dr. Arpan Mehta (Euan MacDonald Centre). The event was live streamed on social media and the full video and power point slides are available via this link. 
 
The Allied Professionals Forum was held on December 6, 2018. This is a day-long session developed for Allied Health Professionals and the ALS Hope Foundation has been a committed supporter for many years. Sara Feldman is co-chair along with Rachel Boothman (MNDA). The presentations will be posted to the Alliance website early in 2019. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Feldman received the inaugural Allied Health Professionals Award!
 
The 29th International Symposium on ALS/MND then took place on December 7-9, 2018. Sally Light (MNDA) opened the Symposium and Craig Scott from MND Scotland, this year’s hosts, welcomed everyone in attendance.  It was three full days of presentations and posters. Please see the full program. Dr. Heiman-Patterson was on the judging panel for this year’s clinical poster prize. Dr. Heiman-Patterson and Dr. Kwan also presented a poster, “Effect of Radicava (Edaravone) on uric acid levels: Preliminary results.” Sara Feldman and Donna Harris presented a poster on “Modifying Cervical Support to Allow Rotation with a 3-D Printed Attachment.” Carlayne Jackson (UTHSC) gave a platform presentation on “Measuring rate of decline in pulmonary function in ALS: Results from the ALS nutrition/NIPPV study group” with Dr. Heiman-Patterson and Dr. Ossama Khazaal as co-authors.
 
The International Symposium on ALS/MND is the largest medical and scientific conference specific to ALS/MND in the world and brings together everyone, leading researchers, clinicians, PALS/CALS, and associations, who dream and believe that one day there will be a world without ALS/MND. We all leave invigorated with a renewed sense of purpose, inspired with new ideas, and driven with that ever present urgency. For we know that for those living with ALS/MND, time is all too precious and short.