Inaugural MND New Zealand Research Conference

On Monday 9th December, in conjunction with the MND Research Network, we proudly hosted the Inaugural MND New Zealand Research Conference at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland.
It was a momentous occasion, gathering 16 speakers, both national and international experts, to discuss the latest updates in MND Research.

The Morning's session focused on understanding and diagnosing MND. We heard from Dr Emma Scotter of the Motor Neuron Disease Lab at Auckland University, fellow kiwi Chris Shaw, now based at King’s College in London and Professor Orla Hardiman from Trinity College  in Dublin to name but a few.

In the afternoon, we learned about caring for and supporting those with MND. Speakers included  Professor Alister Neil from the University of Otago at Wellington, also a Respiratory & Sleep Physician at Wellington Hospital (CCDHB), Professor Chris McDermott from Sheffield Institute of Translational Neuroscience and Professor David Oliver (Yes, the David Oliver Beacon award is named after him!) among others.

The  thought provoking keynote address was delivered by Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi award winning consultant neurologist and Director of the King’s Motor Neuron Disease Care and Research Centre at Kings College in London.

Professor Al-Chalabi’s talk, MND Where do we go from here? focused on the importance of understanding the reasons MND develops and how technological advances have supported research into understanding the underlying causes of MND.

A huge thanks goes to all our amazing speakers for taking the time to be with us to share their insights. It was an enlightening day, and attendees left feeling inspired by the information shared and hopeful for the future.

We'd also like to acknowledge the generous financial assistance from the Neurological Foundation, Dairy Goat Cooperative Trust and The Trusts Community Foundation, which helped bring the conference to life.

If you were unable to make it on the day, each session has been captured on video, as well as a six minute highlight video if you just want an overview. Check the videos out below: