In this episode of the SRNA "Ask the Expert" podcast moderated by Dr. GG deFiebre, Dr. Kyle Blackburn and Dr. Benjamin Greenberg discussed the need for updated diagnostic criteria for myelitis. Dr. Blackburn explained the term myelitis and the importance of precise terminologies for accurate diagnoses and research [00:05:10]. Dr. Greenberg elaborated on the advancements in testing and understanding of associated disorders like NMOSD and MOGAD since 2002 [00:11:10]. Both experts stated that the shift from "transverse myelitis" to "myelitis" will aid future research, treatments, and patient care [00:17:27]. They reassured patients that these changes would essentially refine their care but not alter it dramatically [00:23:40]. They encouraged patients to stay informed and communicate with their healthcare providers about these updates [00:28:58].

Kyle Blackburn, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He specializes in neuroimmunology and has clinical interests in antibody-mediated neurologic disorders, including autoimmune encephalitis, epilepsy, and ataxias; neurologic complications of cancers, including paraneoplastic disorders and checkpoint inhibitor/CAR T-cell toxicity; and demyelinating disorders, including sarcoidosis, neuromyelitis optica, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-associated disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Blackburn earned his medical degree at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He performed his residency in adult neurology at UT Southwestern, serving his final year as Chief Resident, and stayed to complete a fellowship in neuroimmunology, during which he earned the James T. Lubin Clinician Scientist Award from the Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association (SRNA). He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2020.

Benjamin M. Greenberg, M.D., M.H.S. is a Professor and the Cain Denius Scholar in Mobility Disorders in the Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of Translational Research and Strategic Initiatives for the Department of Neurology. He is also the interim Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center and the Director of the Neurosciences Clinical Research Center. In addition, he serves as Director of the Transverse Myelitis and Neuromyelitis Optica Program and the Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Program at Children’s Medical Center.

Dr. Greenberg earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine before completing an internal medicine internship at Chicago’s Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. He performed his neurology residency at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He also holds an M.H.S. in molecular microbiology and immunology from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, as well as a bachelor’s degree in the history of medicine – both from Johns Hopkins. Prior to his recruitment to UT Southwestern in 2009, Dr. Greenberg was on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Division of Neuroimmunology, serving as the Director of the Encephalitis Center and Co-Director of the nation’s first dedicated Transverse Myelitis Center.

Dr. Greenberg splits his clinical time between adult and pediatric patients at William P. Clements Jr. and Zale Lipshy University Hospitals, Parkland, and Children’s Medical Center. His research focuses on better diagnosing, prognosticating, and treating demyelinating diseases and nervous system infections. He also coordinates clinical trials to evaluate new treatments to prevent neurologic damage and restore function to affected patients.

00:00 Introduction

00:58 Overview of Myelitis and Diagnostic Criteria

02:57 Historical Context and Importance of Updated Criteria

05:10 Challenges with Current Terminology

11:10 Changes in Understanding and Diagnostic Approaches

17:27 Implications for Patients and Clinical Practice

23:40 Impact on Research and Future Directions

28:58 Patient Advocacy

31:17 Conclusion

Krissy Dilger of the Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association (SRNA) was joined by experts Janet Dean, MS, RN, CRRN, CRNP and Florence Hanssen, RN to discuss skin health and the prevention of skin breakdown. The conversation covered the structure of the skin and how paralysis affects skin health [00:01:48]. Key topics included the role of daily skin checks, moisture management, and the importance of pressure relief [00:11:48]. They also reviewed how nutrition, rehabilitation, and technology can aid in the prevention and treatment of skin breakdown [00:17:51]. Lastly, the episode covered the signs of serious skin issues and when to seek medical attention [00:50:18].

Janet Dean, MS, RN, CRRN, CRNP attended nursing school at the University of Michigan, completing a master’s degree in parent-child nursing in 1979. She is a board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and is also a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse. She has over 30 years of experience in the specialty of pediatric rehabilitation. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, Ms. Dean enjoyed 10 years as a staff nurse on a pediatric rehabilitation unit caring for children with physical and developmental disability. As a nurse practitioner for the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, she specialized in the prevention and treatment of the common health consequences of pediatric spinal cord injury. The focus of her practice is on health promotion and health maintenance.

Florence Hanssen, RN is a nurse coordinator at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s International Center for Spinal Cord Injury. She obtained her licensure in 1993, and her bachelor’s in nursing science from Ohio University in 2014. Her primary interests are in wound care and the continuous outpatient healthcare for those living with spinal cord injury/ disease. She earned her wound care nurse certification in 2023.

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:17 Meet the Experts

00:01:48 Understanding Skin Structure and Function

00:03:59 What is Skin Breakdown?

00:05:49 Impact of Paralysis on Skin Health

00:08:15 Causes of Skin Breakdown

00:11:48 Preventing Skin Breakdown

00:14:00 Mechanical Injuries and Skin Health

00:16:21 Hygiene Practices for Skin Health

00:17:51 Nutrition and Skin Health

00:20:17 Rehabilitation and Skin Health

00:23:15 Preventing Pressure Ulcers

00:28:58 Managing Muscle Spasms

00:31:28 Identifying and Treating Minor Skin Breakdown

00:34:14 Understanding and Treating Minor Skin Irritations

00:36:24 Identifying Pressure Points and Vulnerable Areas

00:40:17 Managing Scrapes and Tears During Transfers

00:43:21 Preventing Skin Breakdown Under Braces

00:47:20 Addressing Skin Breakdown in Perineal Areas

00:50:18 Recognizing and Treating Serious Skin Breakdown

01:03:46 The Role of Technology and Resources in Skin Care

01:06:32 Final Thoughts and Advice

At the end of this mini-series, we will host a Q&A episode where Barbara will answer questions from the community. To submit your question, please visit https://srna.ngo/submit

In part five of the “Ask the Expert, Research Edition” mini-series, “Parenting is Hard,” Krissy Dilger of SRNA was joined by Barbara Babcock to further explore her research concerning the changing beliefs around parenting when a child has been diagnosed with a rare neuroimmune disorder. They explored the theme of finding a balance in attending to the needs of all children in the family and discussed the importance of fairness and communication between parents [00:02:18]. The conversation also touched on the cultural differences and how these influence family dynamics and parenting strategies when one child requires more attention [00:13:33]. Barbara shared various strategies families use to ensure each child feels valued, such as integrating quality time into existing routines and understanding the different needs of children at various developmental stages [00:18:30].

Barbara Babcock works as a Family Therapist in a child and adolescent mental health outpatient unit in the United Kingdom's National Health Service. In her private practice, she works with individuals and couples who are navigating challenging health issues and wish to get their lives back. She obtained her Master of Science in Family Therapy from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London. Barbara also has a Master of Arts in Coaching Psychology/Psychological Coaching and her dissertation research focused on the impact that a systemic approach to coaching has on the wellbeing of adults who have a rare neuroimmune disorder and their primary caregivers. Previously, she was Chair of the Transverse Myelitis Society, from 2013 to 2016, and led their Family Weekend from 2015 to 2019, an event to support families who have a child/adolescent with a rare neuroimmune disorder to discover their potential through challenging outdoor activities. She had transverse myelitis in 2008 and is originally from Pennsylvania, USA. You can contact her at barbara@returntowellness.co.uk and her website is www.returntowellness.co.uk

00:00 Introduction

00:28 Meet the Expert: Barbara Babcock

02:18 Theme Three: Balancing Sibling Needs

03:59 Parental Communication and Mutual Support

13:33 Cultural and Family Contexts

18:30 Building Quality Time with Siblings

26:13 Parental Guilt and Compensation

35:09 Conclusion

At the end of this mini-series, we will host a Q&A episode where Barbara will answer questions from the community. To submit your question, please visit https://srna.ngo/submit

In the fourth part of the “Ask the Expert, Research Edition” mini-series, “Parenting is Hard,” Krissy Dilger of SRNA continued her conversation with Barbara Babcock. In this episode, Barbara, a family therapist, discussed her research of parental fatigue and limited time distribution among families of children who have been diagnosed with a rare neuroimmune disorder. She elaborated on the non-stop nature of caregiving roles and the impact of work and daily parenting responsibilities on parental exhaustion [00:05:10]. Barbara emphasized the importance of parents finding ways to cope, from getting social support to attending to their own basic needs [00:17:35]. She highlighted the significance of confidence in navigating the complexities of family life and caregiving for a child with special needs [00:21:27].

00:00 Introduction

01:29 Theme Two: "I Can Only Split Myself So Many Ways"

05:10 Parental Exhaustion and Coping Mechanisms

17:35 Balancing Social and Extracurricular Activities

21:27 Building Confidence as a Family

23:28 Conclusion

Barbara Babcock works as a Family Therapist in a child and adolescent mental health outpatient unit in the United Kingdom's National Health Service. In her private practice, she works with individuals and couples who are navigating challenging health issues and wish to get their lives back. She obtained her Master of Science in Family Therapy from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London. Barbara also has a Master of Arts in Coaching Psychology/Psychological Coaching and her dissertation research focused on the impact that a systemic approach to coaching has on the wellbeing of adults who have a rare neuroimmune disorder and their primary caregivers. Previously, she was Chair of the Transverse Myelitis Society, from 2013 to 2016, and led their Family Weekend from 2015 to 2019, an event to support families who have a child/adolescent with a rare neuroimmune disorder to discover their potential through challenging outdoor activities. She had transverse myelitis in 2008 and is originally from Pennsylvania, USA. You can contact her at barbara@returntowellness.co.uk and her website is www.returntowellness.co.uk

At the end of this mini-series, we will host a Q&A episode where Barbara will answer questions from the community. To submit your question, please visit https://srna.ngo/submit

In the third part of the “Ask the Expert, Research Edition” mini-series, “Parenting is Hard,” Krissy Dilger of SRNA was joined by Barbara Babcock to further explore her research concerning the changing beliefs around parenting when a child has been diagnosed with a rare neuroimmune disorder. Barbara discussed how beliefs around being fair as a parent could change and the various sub-themes supporting this idea, including redefinition of fairness and the challenge of balancing attention among children [00:03:30]. She highlighted the impact of societal and historical contexts on parenting norms and the struggles parents face in managing new caregiving responsibilities and learning new skills [00:12:45]. The importance of redefining what it means to be a good parent in the context of a child with additional needs was emphasized throughout the episode [00:24:00].

Barbara Babcock works as a Family Therapist in a child and adolescent mental health outpatient unit in the United Kingdom's National Health Service. In her private practice, she works with individuals and couples who are navigating challenging health issues and wish to get their lives back. She obtained her Master of Science in Family Therapy from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London. Barbara also has a Master of Arts in Coaching Psychology/Psychological Coaching and her dissertation research focused on the impact that a systemic approach to coaching has on the wellbeing of adults who have a rare neuroimmune disorder and their primary caregivers. Previously, she was Chair of the Transverse Myelitis Society, from 2013 to 2016, and led their Family Weekend from 2015 to 2019, an event to support families who have a child/adolescent with a rare neuroimmune disorder to discover their potential through challenging outdoor activities. She had transverse myelitis in 2008 and is originally from Pennsylvania, USA. You can contact her at barbara@returntowellness.co.uk and her website is www.returntowellness.co.uk

00:00 Introduction

00:27 Meet the Expert: Barbara Babcock

01:38 Exploring Parental Beliefs and Fairness

03:37 Balancing Attention Among Children

07:49 Cultural and Societal Influences on Parenting

11:08 Challenges in Managing Illness and Fairness

19:37 Learning New Skills and Roles

25:52 Redefining Good Parenting

27:43 Conclusion

In this "Community Spotlight Edition" of "Ask the Expert," Landy Thomas of SRNA talked with Marie Abrego and Dr. Roopa Ramamoorthi about visual impairment and their collaborative book of poetry, Rare Visions, published through the Ipsen Foundation. Dr. Ramamoorthi shared her inspiration for the collection of work from individuals who have been diagnosed with rare diseases [00:02:35]. Landy read select poems from Rare Visions, and the guests offered personal insights into their adapted lives and the significance of accessible technology [00:08:57]. Finally, they discussed the importance of raising awareness about rare diseases and accessibility issues through poetry [00:31:05].

Roopa Ramamoorthi, PhD is a scientist in the field of global health and published poet as well as director for the Catalyst program and InVent Fund at UC San Francisco. Her poetry essays and short stories have appeared in over 80 publication including various anthologies and "Perspectives" on NPR. Most recently, she conducted poetry workshops with people living with rare diseases. She feels honored to have now worked with those with rare eye diseases and to help send their voices out into the world. The poetry collections Rare Sounds and Rare Visions were published by the Ipsen Foundation:

https://www.fondation-ipsen.org/?s=Roopa+Ramamoorthi

Marie Abrego is proud to be the Welcome Manager for The Sumaira Foundation. Diagnosed with NMO in 2007 when she was only 14 years old, she shared the story of her diagnosis a few years ago, but as she learned, life doesn’t stop with NMO. In 2019, she joined The Sumaira Foundation as one of the first patient TSF Ambassadors representing the state of New Mexico.

00:00 Introduction

01:18 Meet Marie Abrego and Dr. Roopa Ramamoorthi

01:58 The Power of Poetry in Rare Disease Awareness

04:37 Challenges of Living with Vision Impairment

09:12 Adapting to Vision Loss: Tools and Techniques

14:14 Expressing Through Poetry: Marie Abrego's Work

21:21 Makeup and Femininity

22:33 The Emotional Impact of Blindness

25:20 Reading and Discussing Poems by Landy Thomas

33:29 Leah Campbell's Powerful Poems

38:21 Final Thoughts

In this episode of "Ask the Expert," Dr. Matthew Bellman joined Dr. GG deFiebre of SRNA to explain the basics of functional electrical stimulation (FES) and its applications. Dr. Bellman outlined how FES differs from other electrical stimulation techniques and its role in improving mobility for those with neuroimmune disorders [00:03:35]. He discussed the specific benefits of FES, including muscle strengthening and managing spasticity, and shared success stories demonstrating its impact [00:09:53]. Dr. Bellman also highlighted new developments in FES technology, particularly the integration of AI [00:33:28].

Matthew Bellman, PhD is a Founder and the Chief Technology Officer for MYOLYN, Inc. Dr. Bellman is a Triple-Gator with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida (UF). In 2013, Dr. Bellman co-founded MYOLYN to commercialize his doctoral research on mobility assistance for people with paralysis and muscle weakness using functional electrical stimulation (FES) and robotics. In his time at MYOLYN, Dr. Bellman has been responsible for building a certified medical device quality management system, managing a team of engineers in the design and development of two Class II medical devices, obtaining grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and growing a small business.

Dr. Bellman has been awarded the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award by UF’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award by the American Automation Control Council, and the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award by the UF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. In 2019, Dr. Bellman secured MYOLYN’s place as a finalist in the Toyota Mobility Unlimited Challenge. In addition to his role at MYOLYN, Dr. Bellman has also served as a member of the Board of Directors for NextStep Orlando’s Paralysis Recovery Center and as a member of the Advisory Council for the American Bionics Project. Dr. Bellman’s work has been published in high-impact scientific journals including Muscle & Nerve, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, and The Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, and he has been an invited guest speaker at universities around the world including UF, École Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Lyon, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. When not at work, Dr. Bellman can be found trail running or relaxing at home with his wife and family.

00:00 Introduction

00:31 Meet Dr. Matthew Bellman

00:52 Understanding Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)

01:30 Historical Context and Early Applications of FES

03:35 How FES Works in the Body

07:05 FES for Spinal Cord Damage and Neuromuscular Disorders

09:53 Benefits of FES for Various Symptoms

13:44 Evidence and Secondary Benefits of FES

17:47 Typical FES Session and Accessibility

24:06 Success Stories and Patient Feedback

29:25 Barriers to FES Adoption

33:28 Future Developments in FES Technology

36:46 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

At the end of this mini-series, we will host a Q&A episode where Barbara will answer questions from the community. To submit your question, please visit

https://srna.ngo/submit

In the second part of the “Ask the Expert, Research Edition” mini-series, “Parenting is Hard,” Barbara Babcock shared more about her research on how parents navigate the needs of their non-diagnosed children alongside those of a child with a rare neuroimmune disorder. She described the demographic details of the participating families and the process of recruiting participants for the study [00:02:25]. Barbara highlighted her unique perspective and the potential biases she brought to the research as a non-parent [00:05:33]. She emphasized the importance of honesty and vulnerability in sharing experiences, as well as focusing on the strengths of families facing these challenges [00:09:46].

Barbara Babcock works as a Family Therapist in a child and adolescent mental health outpatient unit in the United Kingdom's National Health Service. In her private practice, she works with individuals and couples who are navigating challenging health issues and wish to get their lives back. She obtained her Master of Science in Family Therapy from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London. Barbara also has a Master of Arts in Coaching Psychology/Psychological Coaching and her dissertation research focused on the impact that a systemic approach to coaching has on the wellbeing of adults who have a rare neuroimmune disorder and their primary caregivers. Previously, she was Chair of the Transverse Myelitis Society, from 2013 to 2016, and led their Family Weekend from 2015 to 2019, an event to support families who have a child/adolescent with a rare neuroimmune disorder to discover their potential through challenging outdoor activities. She had transverse myelitis in 2008 and is originally from Pennsylvania, USA. You can contact her at barbara@returntowellness.co.uk and her website is www.returntowellness.co.uk

00:00 Introduction

01:29 Overview of Barbara's Research

02:25 Participant Demographics and Methodology

05:33 Researcher’s Perspective and Bias

09:46 Themes and Insights from the Research

12:24 Conclusion