Looking at Lyme

Hello, and welcome to season six of Looking at Lyme! We’re thrilled to be kicking off this season talking with contributors of an important new research report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which studied current gaps in research and treatments for Lyme Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses.

Dr. Kent Kester is board certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases, is the chair of the publication committee, and is the vice chair of the National Academy of Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats. During his 24-year career in the U.S. Army, Kent led multiple research platforms at the biggest and most diverse lab with the Department of Defense, with a significant emphasis on emerging infectious diseases, and later led that institution as its commander.

Nicole Malachowski is a retired air force fighter pilot, National Women's Hall of Famer, Keynote speaker, and Tick Borne Illness Patient Advocate. She lives and works in Colorado and she represents the patient perspective on the NASEM committee that produced this important new research.

Their new publication is called “Charting a Path Toward New Treatments for Lyme Infection-Associated Chronic Illness”. (https://doi.org/10.17226/28578) We spoke with these two about their experiences putting together this report, and what impact they hope it will have moving forward.

We’re excited to announce season six of the Looking at Lyme podcast! New conversations with scientists, advocates, experts, and others will bring you interesting and fresh perspectives from across Canada and around the world.

The more we learn, the better equipped we’ll be to create positive change. Building Lyme literacy that places the patient first is what our podcast is about in so many ways. To better understand where we’re at in diagnosing, and treating Lyme, and other tick-borne diseases and exploring possible solutions.

Wherever we go, we hope you’ll join us. We appreciate all of our listeners and everyone in the community working to find solutions with curiosity and open minds. Make sure to subscribe to Looking at Lyme wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode! And keep an eye out for our show notes for further reading and information. 

We’ll see you soon in season six!

We hope you enjoyed season 5 of Looking at Lyme. We're very grateful to Catherine Kinsella for leading the many interesting conversations with scientists, advocates, experts, and more. Thank you, Catherine. We're excited to announce that season 6 of Looking at Lyme will be coming in the new year. We would also like to welcome Kim Cairns, who will be hosting the new season. We're really looking forward to getting season 6 started. 

Clinician-researcher Dr. Jack Lambert shares his experience working on emerging infectious diseases and his approach to treating Lyme disease. In this episode we speak with Dr. Jack Lambert, an infectious disease consultant at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, and professor at the University College Dublin School of Medicine. Originally from Scotland, Dr. Lambert completed his medical training in the US and has specialty certifications in adult and pediatric infectious diseases, general medicine, and sexual health. He’s founder of the Lyme Resource Centre and serves as an advisory board member to Invisible International. We spoke with Dr. Lambert about his experience working on emerging infections, his approach to treating Lyme disease patients with antibiotics, and what is needed to improve Lyme disease research.

• www.lymeresourcecentre.com
• www.lookingatlyme.ca
• www.canlyme.com
• www.invisible.international

In this episode, we speak with Nova Scotia Lyme disease advocate Donna Lugar. She currently runs the Nova Scotia Lyme Support Group, the Nova Scotia Lyme Advocacy Group, and is working to develop the Nova Scotia Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Association. She also writes a Lyme disease blog, Shining the Lyme Light. We spoke with Donna about her experience as an advocate, including her work educating the public and working to improve Lyme disease policy in Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada.

Read more:

• Shining the Lyme Light Blog
• Petition
• YouTube videos from VOCAL conference

In this podcast, we speak with Dr. Nevena Zubcevik, a Harvard trained and board certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, and Chief Medical Officer of Invisible International. Dr. Zubcevik talks about some of the challenges that doctors and Lyme patients face within the medical system, including time constraints and the “syndromizing” of symptoms rather than addressing their cause. 

• www.lookingatlyme.ca show notes
• Invisible International
• Medical courses
• Learning resources
• Article library

In this episode, we speak with Canadian naturopathic doctor, Dr. Marie Mathieson. Dr. Matheson is one of a growing number of Canadian clinicians who are helping Lyme patients find solutions and gaining valuable expertise in the process. She's co-founder of BioHeal Ottawa and creator and facilitator of the Lyme Bright Collective and Tick Bite Ready. She completed the ILADS Physicians Training Program with the late Dr. Charles Ray Jones. She also serves on the advisory board for the Forum of Integrative Medicine. Welcome to the podcast, Dr. Matheson.

• www.lookingatlyme.ca
• Read the full show notes
• Health education grants

In this podcast we speak with Sarah Quillen, executive director of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, and ILADS sister organization, The International Lyme and Associated Disease Education Foundation. Sarah received her Masters in Public Affairs from University of North Carolina and is a Certified Fundraising Executive. With over 25 years of experience in the healthcare arena, including fundraising, public relations and program development, Sarah is building on the important work that ILADS has done over the years to support researchers, clinicians and their patients.

Sarah was raised in upstate New York, and grew up with ticks in her surroundings from a young age. She learned more about Lyme disease when her father was bitten by ticks on several occasions and developed Lyme disease. This experience brought to the forefront the difficulties that people can have in getting the proper diagnosis and treatment for Lyme disease. Through her professional network she learned about an opening at ILADS and took on the position of executive director last year. In this role she has taken on a variety of responsibilities in order to ensure that organization runs smoothly. 

• Read the full show notes
• ILADS
• ILADEF

In this podcast we speak with Mario Levesque, Associate Professor of Canadian Politics and Public Policy in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Mount Allison University. His teaching and research focus on Canadian politics and public policy, with interests in Atlantic Canadian politics and Lyme disease policy in Canada. He recently co-authored a paper with colleague Marilyn Cox called Small Wins for Those with Lyme Disease in Canada, Patients in an Embodied Health Movement. www.lookingatlyme.ca

Mario talks about his entry into policy work, navigating policy between the private sector and government. This early work sparked his interest and motivated him to learn more about public policy. After receiving his PhD in public policy, he started working in the area of disability policy,  work that overlaps with the work he’s now doing regarding Lyme disease policy. After his conversations with Vett Lloyd of Mount Allison University, Mario developed an interest in studying Lyme disease policy in Canada.

• Read the full show notes
• Mario Levesque, PhD, at Mount Allison University

In this episode of the Looking at Lyme podcast we welcome Dorothy and Rachel Leland, a dynamic mother and daughter duo who are changing the way we understand Lyme disease through their writing and their drive to convey important information to help Lyme patients and those around them. Rachel and Dorothy are co-authors of the book Finding Resilience: A Teen's Journey Through Lyme Disease. In the book, Rachel recounts her difficult journey through Lyme disease and co-infections. She is now a speech language pathology assistant. Dorothy is president of Lymedisease.org, an internationally renowned organization and platform for Lyme disease education, advocacy and research. She is also author of the online blog, Touched by Lyme.

• Full show notes at www.lookingatlyme.ca
• Lymedisease.org
• Finding Resilience: A Teen's Journey Through Lyme Disease