On International Nurses Day 2025, MS Australia’s focus is the important role of MS nursing as outlined in our new Report: Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for MS Nurses.

What are MS Nurses and MS Nurse Practitioners and how do they work together with neurologists? How can we better support and improve community access to MS Nurses? What are the recent improvements to prescribing for MS Nurse Practitioners?

In this episode, Raw Nerve guest host Dr Fiona McKay, Senior Research Coordinator at MS Australia speaks with experts Belinda Bardsley and Tim O’Maley about MS Nurses who provide key support, education, advice, and care for people with MS and their family and carers. Access to MS nurse care brings a range of health benefits and is a highly cost-effective model of care. However, despite this, there is no consistent allocation of MS nurses across Australia including no agreed nurse/patient ratio, challenging employment conditions, no formalised education pathway and a declining number of MS nurses.

The panel explore options to reverse this trend and the recent changes made by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee that will allow MS nurse practitioners to prescribe certain MS treatments under the PBS in consultation with a physician. This change is set to dramatically improve access to care for people living with MS, especially in regional and remote areas.

Belinda Bardsley

MS Nurse, Manager Neuro-Immunology Clinical Research, Education and Support Service (N-CRESS) at Austin Health in Melbourne, Chair of the MS Australia MS Nurses Working Group and co-author of the MS Nurse Care in Australia report.

Tim O’Maley

MS Nurse Practitioner, Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland Health and member of the MS Australia MS Nurses Working Group

Hear from those caring for the MS community in a candid and insightful episode spotlighting MS nursing.

Useful links:

• International Council of Nurses | International Nurses Day 2025 Report
• MS Nurses Australasia

In this episode of The Raw Nerve, host Jeremy Henderson sits down with Evie Boven, an Occupational Therapist at Grafton Base Hospital in New South Wales, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in May 2024. Evie shares her compelling journey from experiencing initial symptoms to finally receiving a diagnosis, highlighting the challenges and misdiagnoses she faced along the way.

Evie discusses the profound impact her health background had on her ability to advocate for herself, the crucial support she received from her husband, friends, and colleagues, and the daily management of her symptoms. She also reflects on how her diagnosis has deepened her empathy and understanding in her professional role, enhancing her ability to support her patients.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into the importance of self-advocacy, the power of a strong support network, and the necessity of living life to the fullest despite a chronic illness. Evie also shares her future plans, including upcoming travel, and offers advice for those newly diagnosed with MS.

Do Australians care enough about healthcare at election time? What are the biggest public health challenges we face? What would it take to put the election spotlight on neurological health? And why is the Australian government continuing to underspend on health and medical research?

In this episode of The Raw Nerve, host Jeremy Henderson is joined by Dr Lesley Russell, Terry Slevin, and Rohan Greenland for a candid conversation about the urgent need to prioritise public health and disease prevention in national policy. The panel explores the lack of long-term healthcare commitments from major parties, the chronic underfunding of medical research, and what a minority government could mean for the future of health policy in Australia.

Terry Slevin
Terry Slevin has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) since May 2018. He is an Adjunct Professor at both the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University and the College of Health and Medicine at the Australian National University. He is a Fellow of PHAA and was the Association’s first Vice President (Development).

Dr Lesley Russell
Dr Lesley Russell is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data at the University of Sydney. She is a contributing editor at Croakey and has written the regular Health Wrap column since early 2018.

Rohan Greenland
Rohan Greenland is the CEO of MS Australia, Chair of the Neurological Alliance Australia, and an occasional host of The Raw Nerve podcast.

Links:

• Prioritising neurological disease research: do our leaders have the nerve? – Medical Journal Insight+, 3 March 2025
• MS Australia 2025 Federal Election Statement – 28 March 2025
• The Medical Research Future Fund: Why is so much of the money unused? – Croakey / The Conversation, 3 April 2025
• Public Health Association of Australia
• Croakey Health Media

The May 50K is fast approaching, ready to inspire people once again to move with purpose and support MS research.

Since launching in 2019, this fun and flexible fitness challenge has raised more than 23.4 million dollars to support world-class research into the prevention, treatment and cure of multiple sclerosis.

Each May, thousands of people in Australia and around the world walk, run or roll 50 kilometres, or set their own goal, to help leave MS where it belongs, behind us.

In this episode, Raw Nerve host Jeremy Henderson speaks with a passionate group of guests who share their personal connection to the cause, how The May 50K works, and the incredible impact of the funds raised.

Sophie and Anne-Maree share their experiences of living with MS and how The May 50K supports their health and wellbeing. The group also explores some of the exciting research projects funded through the challenge, including new grants, the PLATYPUS clinical trial and the EBV in MS platform.

Guests:

• Rohan Greenland, CEO of MS Australia
• Dr Tennille Luker, Deputy Head of Research at MS Australia
• Sophie Drummond, Campaign Manager for The May 50K
• Anne-Maree O’Neil, an executive assistant in the transport industry, who lives with MS and was a top fundraiser in 2024

Whether you are already signed up or simply curious about how movement can drive real change, this episode is a great source of inspiration to get involved.

Victorians Cate Green and Clare Reilly both live with MS and are setting out on epic – but very different – journeys on wheels to raise awareness and funds for MS.

Cate is preparing to ride 20,000 kilometres around Australia on a traditional road bike, accompanied by her dog Kobe, to shine a spotlight on MS and on business owners with disability. Her journey begins Saturday 5 April 2025. Cate previously featured on the Raw Nerve podcast in September 2023, ahead of her Camino Trail trek in Spain.

Meanwhile, Clare is aiming to raise $100,000 for MS research in 2026 by becoming the first person – and wheelchair user – to complete the Munda Biddi Trail, the world’s longest off-road cycling route (1,070 kilometres) in Western Australia. She’ll take on the trail over a month using her off-road, battery-powered adaptive bike known as ‘The Rig’.

In this in-depth and moving episode, Cate and Clare discuss their motivations, training, logistics, and the realities of living with and managing MS on the road. They explore the challenges and supports involved – and how they stay focused through it all.

Although they didn’t know each other before recording, we were thrilled to learn that Clare is now helping Cate with the admin side of her journey. With both set to ride through WA, we’re excited to release this episode ahead of MSWA’s Ocean Ride in Perth on Sunday 6 April 2025.

We’ll be cheering for Cate as she sets off on Saturday 5 April – and for Clare when she tackles the Munda Biddi Trail next year.
To follow their journeys on Instagram go to kobecate and help_me_mind_my_own_business_ | Clare.Reilly and wheelchairmeeetswilderness

MS Australia has funded a record number of projects targeting MS research priorities - including causes and prevention, better treatments and cures via repair and regeneration of cells. 

Join us on the Raw Nerve, on this, our 50th episode, as we delve into four exciting new research projects and talk with the researchers from around the country who are leading this work.

Dr Seyhan Yazar from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research & the University of New South Wales is investigating the early symptoms of MS by analysing large datasets and identifying blood biomarkers, with the goal of enabling faster, more accurate diagnosis.

Associate Professor Yvonne Learmonth from Murdoch University leads a new Western Australian-based research initiative developing a co-designed toolkit to provide doctors and nurses with practical resources to encourage and support exercise for people with MS.

Dr Iain Comerford from the University of Adelaide is exploring how immune cells, such as neutrophils and T cells, drive inflammation in MS. The research aims to understand how these cells interact in order to identify new treatment targets that could protect nerve cells from damage.  

Dr Jessica Fletcher from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania leads a research project designed to help the brain repair itself by activating its own healing processes. This pioneering work will examine how to activate the brain’s natural repair system by boosting the activity of myelin-producing cells, called oligodendrocytes, to encourage new myelin growth.  

And joining with us to help unpack this work and its impact,  and to discuss the MS Australia research program, is MS Australia’s Head of Research Dr Julia Morahan.

Acknowledgements:

The March Grant Round was made possible by the brilliance of our researchers, the dedication and support of our Member Organisations – MSWA, MS Plus, MS Queensland and MS SA & NT – and the incredible support from donors, fundraisers and the entire MS community. 

MS Australia wishes to thank and acknowledge MSWA for its additional support. MS Australia’s largest ever funding round in terms of the number of projects has been made possible thanks to the investment and support of MSWA. 

In addition to its normal contribution to MS Australia research, MSWA contributed a further $2.4 million dollars into this grant round which allowed for the funding of an additional 10 of the 35 funded projects, guaranteeing important MS research would commence, not just in Western Australia, but throughout the country. 

Useful links:

• MS Research Grants Announcement
• Media Release 
• Research Snapshot
• Research Projects

On the latest episode of the Raw Nerve we're joined by Lynda MacCallum, a professional cutting horse trainer, accredited health and wellness, coach wife and mother of two.

A former high school teacher. Lynda has a passion for teaching and an interest in nutrition, fitness and health.  Lynda believes that if we focus on our health, our well-being and developing a strong mindset, anything is possible.

We'll talk to Lynda about her 2018 MS diagnosis, how she copes with the physical challenges of a big horse cutting event, and about her passion for horses. “Cutting gave me a goal and a purpose, something to focus on every day, even when things got tough.”

In this episode of the Raw Nerve, host Jeremy Henderson sits down with journalist, producer and Mum of two, Brooke Campbell Bayes.

Brooke was recently diagnosed with MS. On the podcast Brooke delves into her recent Sydney Morning Herald series that highlights chronic disease and disability, and discusses her insightful interview with legendary Australian comedian Tim Ferguson.

Brooke discusses the importance of showcasing the realities of living with chronic illnesses and disabilities, emphasizing the often-invisible struggles faced by individuals. She shares the overwhelmingly positive public reaction to the series and the profound impact it has had on raising awareness and understanding.

Throughout the episode, Brooke reflects on the optimism and resilience of the people she interviewed, who find silver linings in their challenging situations. “I’ve just been blown away by the rawness and the honesty of all the beautiful people that I’ve spoken to,” she says. Their stories are both uplifting and inspiring, offering a raw and honest glimpse into their lives.

Join us for an enlightening conversation that sheds light on the experiences of those living with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and the power of storytelling in fostering empathy and awareness.

Useful links:

• Fully Sick podcast episode
• The Sydney Morning Herald: Tahlia had a stroke at age 10. Today, doing her own hair is an accomplishment

In this episode, we chat with Chris Henderson, a former Richmond wheelchair football champion who recently took on the role of Player Coach at Essendon. Chris shares his inspiring MS diagnosis story and of finding renewed purpose through wheelchair football.

We delve into the exciting world of this dynamic sport, learning about its unique rules and the incredible athleticism of its players. Chris also discusses his passion for inclusivity and how he's using his platform to educate young people about disability through his work with the Freedom Sports Foundation.

This insightful conversation offers a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of living with MS and the power of sport to connect, inspire, and change lives.

In this episode of The Raw Nerve, we dive into a compelling panel discussion from the Frontiers in MS Research Symposium on how emerging research and clinical trials are transforming the landscape of MS prevention, care and treatment.

Our expert panel, featuring researchers, clinicians, and individuals living with MS, addresses key questions shaping the future of MS care. We explore the most promising advancements in early detection and prevention, identify critical gaps in current care that research needs to address, and discuss how to balance immediate quality-of-life improvements with the long-term goal of finding a cure.

The conversation also highlights the challenges of translating groundbreaking research into everyday clinical practice and examines how clinical trials influence treatment decisions for those affected by MS.

Join us for an engaging exploration of the progress, challenges, and future directions in MS prevention and care.