The Staff Disability Network, together with the Academic Business Development team, will be hosting an event on 21 June 2023, coinciding with the Global Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Awareness Day.

As you may be aware, our colleague and friend, Professor Brian Murphy, was recently diagnosed with MND and this event is to show support to Brian and his family and raise awareness and funds of and for this disease.

The event will be held in Room BD-01-014 on the Belfast campus, and will feature a presentation by a representative from the Motor Neurone Disease Association (NI), who will explain the nature of MND, its symptoms, and its impact. Dr Stephanie Duguez, a Senior Lecturer from the School of Medicine, will also share her research on this condition.

Attendees will be provided with a light lunch, and donations can be made on-site or through https://www.justgiving.com/page/acad-bus-dev?utm_term=Xyr52KzPe .

This year, for the first time, the NI Branch is funding a new bursary for student doctors at Ulster University Magee Campus - the Colm Davis OBE MNDA NI Medal and Bursary Award.

They have also supported a similar award at Queens for a number of years but it is called the Arthur Newell Medal & Bursary Award.

These awards are named after people who had MND and played an active role in the NI Branch.

These bursaries and medical awards are important to MNDA NI to encourage medical students at both Queens University and Ulster University Magee Campus Medical Schools to increase their awareness of Motor Neurone Disease and perhaps consider neurology as their chosen medical career.

MND affects the motor neurones, which are nerves located in the brain and spinal cord responsible for instructing muscles. This results in muscle weakness, stiffness, and wastage, leading to difficulties in walking, talking, eating, drinking, and breathing. Some individuals may also experience changes in thinking and behaviour, although the manifestation of symptoms and their progression varies among individuals.

There are different forms of motor neurone disease, with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) being the most common. In the UK, MND serves as an umbrella term encompassing all forms of the disease, whereas in the USA, ALS is used as the umbrella term.

Unfortunately, MND is a life-shortening disease for which there is currently no cure. However, symptom management is available to improve the quality of life for individuals affected by the condition.

Staff Disability Network & ABD- MND Awareness and Fundraising Event