MS Ireland
Informing, Supporting and Caring for the MS Community
MS Ireland helps researchers with their projects by offering advice, data and access to our MS community. We encourage people with MS to get involved in research that is ethical, appropriately organised by a recognised institution and sanctioned by that research authority.
The projects listed here are for information purposes only. If you choose to get involved in any project you do so at your own discretion. Please read the information provided carefully and make contact with the individual researchers if you have questions
Check out our health professionals section for news and more information.
If you would like help with your research, contact Harriet Doig on harrietd@ms-society.ie or call (01) 6781600.
Request from researchers at University of Augusta, US You're invited to participate in this survey exploring the impact, if any, of health literacy on emotional health in people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of this survey is to help clinicians and health educators determine whether a person's knowledge of MS can promote well-being. It will take about 25-45 minutes to complete, depending on how many symptoms of MS you are experiencing. In addition to basic demographic, MS-related health, and emotional health questions, the survey asks about your knowledge of interventions for managing MS symptoms, your beliefs about MS, and how you educate yourself about MS. This research will be used to improve health education for the multiple sclerosis community as well as to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis health issues. Read more about the purpose of the research and complete the questionnaire below:
Applications now open A travel bursary to encourage the understanding of MS among young researchers, in memory of Geoffrey Dean, MD (1918 – 2009) Geoffrey Dean was an internationally regarded epidemiologist who in several seminal studies established the importance of environmental influences on the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. His work continues to have relevance to this day. Active in research up to his death, Dr Dean published a total of 120 papers during his illustrious career. His last was published in 2008 at the age of eighty-nine. The Dean Medal award, established in 2010, is intended to enable new MS researchers to travel to centres of excellence to enhance their understanding and knowledge of MS. MS Ireland wishes to encourage the dynamic and innovative work so keenly exemplified by Dr Geoffrey Dean. The third Dean Medal Travel Bursary is now open for applications. Details of the application process are below. Grant MS Ireland offers the Dean Medal to young MS researchers to enable them to undertake short visits to other MS research centres, to learn new techniques or to further joint research projects The aim is to encourage cross-fertilization of skills through collaborative research projects One award, every two years approximately, to the value of €2,000 The funds are intended to contribute towards travel and living costs or to top-up an existing grant to extend a visit Eligibility Individuals working in Ireland, preferably young researchers who are directly involved in a MS research project are eligible for nomination Before nomination, candidates need to have identified a suitable project and discussed their involvement with the project supervisor of the host institution Projects must be related to MS Nomination of Candidates Individuals can self-nominate but the nomination should include: A letter from the candidate detailing their reasons for nomination His or her curriculum vitae Testimonies (references) from at least two people with whom the candidate has worked A description of the field of research that the candidate wishes to be trained in or the research project that he or she wishes to carry out. This should be written by the applicant and should be a maximum of two A4 pages including the background to project, aims and methodology to be used. A list of references should be added as an appendix which may also include figures A signed letter of support from the project supervisor of the host institution, indicating that appropriate facilities will be made available. The letter should be on institution-headed notepaper Candidates are required to submit both electronic and hard copies of all the above documents. Electronic copies are to be emailed to Harriet Doig - harrietd@ms-society.ie. Hard copies should be posted to: Harriet Doig Information, Advocacy & Research Officer MS Ireland 80 Northumberland Road Dublin 4 Deadline The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, 20th October 2017. Selection The members of the MS Ireland’s Research Committee consider and select successful candidates. Please allow eight weeks. Evidence of Results After the Dean Medal has been awarded and the research taken place, a short report will be required for submission to the MS Ireland’s Research Committee and for publication in MS Ireland’s bi-annual research eZine. Electronic copies of reports, papers, abstracts and posters resulting from the visit should also be submitted. Papers produced as a result of or in connection with Dean Medal funded research should acknowledge MS Ireland’s Research Committee. If possible, such acknowledgements should also reference MS Ireland’s website www.ms-society.ie Get in touch Queries and nominations for the Dean Medal should be submitted by email to Harriet Doig harrietd@ms-society.ie Past winners In 2011 the first award was made to Mary O'Flaherty from NUI, Galway. Mary worked in the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science and was working on an MS project looking at how molecules associated with a particular kind of cellular stress known as ‘endoplasmic reticulum stress’ may affect how well brain slices recover from myelin loss. Mary used the bursary to travel to Imperial College London to study with Professor Richard Reynolds regarding a particular procedure used in her studies. In 2015 a second award was made to Dr Nonnie McNicholas from St Vincent’s Hospital who travelled to the Karolinska Instituet in Sweden to further her research into to the measurement of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers indicative of disease progression in people with MS. Read more about Dr McNicholas’ work in our research eZine
What are the research priorities of the MS community in Ireland? MS Ireland is conducting a survey of the MS community in Ireland, to find out what areas of research are considered the most important by the community. MS Ireland’s funds for research are currently very limited, but it is hoped that as and when funding is available for research in the future, the results of this survey will help guide us as to how best to utilize them so that we are funding research that is most in line with the views and needs of the MS community here in Ireland. The survey will also help us to identify and prioritise potential new research partnerships and collaborations, both nationally and internationally, and guide us as to what type of content people would most like to see disseminated in future research eZines. Currently, MS Ireland’s Research Strategy for 2015-2019 references the top 10 research priorities of the MS Society in the UK, as established through an extensive survey carried out by the MS Society and the James Lind Alliance. Their process was as follows: Question gathering: In November 2012 people were asked to submit their key research questions. This survey was planned and reviewed by a group of people with MS, carers and health care professionals. 507 people completed the questionnaire, sending in over 1,000 research questions. Sorting: The questions were grouped into topic areas by the team at the James Lind Alliance. Questions that had already been answered were removed. This left 67 key questions. Prioritising: In April 2013, 669 people voted for the questions most important to them. Narrowing down to 10: In July 2013 a group of people with MS, family members and health care professionals were invited to narrow the 30 most voted for questions to a top 10. MS Ireland wishes to establish if these top 10 priorities are reflective of the priorities of the MS community here in Ireland. Please take 5-10 minutes to complete the survey so you can have your say in this crucial piece of work. The survey is open to anyone from the MS community, including people with MS, their families and carers, healthcare professionals and researchers. Further reading Read more about the work of the James Lind Alliance Read more about the survey carried out by the MS Society UK Get in touch Please contact Harriet Doig, Information, Advocacy & Research Officer, if you have any comments or questions: harrietd@ms-society.ie
Issue 3 is out now! MS Research is a bi-annual research eZine. In each edition we will be sharing the latest updates from scientific and social MS research, from here in Ireland and internationally. In this issue Cannabinoids and MS A National Biobank for Neurological Disorders? The Effects of Pilates on Mood Among People with Multiple Sclerosis Genomics Medicine Ireland to Commence Research in First Ever Population-Based Genomic Research in Multiple Sclerosis From bench to bedside – why does clinical research take so long? Incidence of multiple sclerosis in the Republic of Ireland: A prospective population-based study Have your say! What are the most important areas for MS researchers to focus on? Can Clinical Balance Measures Predict Risk of Falls in MS? And so much more…. Get in touch Contact Harriet Doig, Information, Advocacy and Research Officer: email harrietd@ms-society.ie or call (01) 6781600
Research participants needed You are invited to participate in a study that will evaluate the validity of a speech pathology specific questionnaire for persons with Multiple Sclerosis (pMS). In this study, you are invited to complete an online survey. The questions in the survey will include a range of relevant topics such type of MS, voice quality, swallowing, language, and the state of your social and psychological wellbeing. After two weeks, you will be asked to complete some of the questions again. Who is eligible? Aged 18 years or over; Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis; English speaking; Ability to complete the questionnaire. What does this study involve for participants? This survey will obtain information about your overall health status and daily routines. This survey will explore the impacts of Multiple Sclerosis disease on areas like swallowing, speech voice and communication. Participating in this survey is voluntary and we appreciate your time when participating. You have the opportunity to win one of two $50 gift vouchers if you complete the two questionnaires. A donation of $2 will also be made to MS Australia for each completed questionnaire, with a maximum of $500. The questionnaire can be found on: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SpeechPathologyMS Further reading Participant Informed Consent Form Ethic Approval Get in touch If you want more information on this project, please feel free to contact Dr. Hans Bogaardt at 02 -‐ 9351 9334 or email: hans.bogaardt@sydney.edu.au. A multi‐page Patient Information Statement, describing the study in detail, is available and will be sent to anyone who expresses their interest in this study. The ethical aspects of this study have been approved by The University of Sydney HREC (Protocol no. 2017/197) Discipline of Speech Pathology Faculty of Health Sciences S Block Cumberland Campus C42, 75 East Street, LidcombeNSW 2141 Australia T +61 2 9351 9539 F +61 2 9351 9163 E speech.clinic@sydney.edu.au
What are the research priorities of the MS Community in Ireland? Have your say!
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