Understanding Multiple Sclerosis - MS

02/11/2025

The Australian Multiple Sclerosis Longitudinal Study (AMSLS) is a collaborative research initiative between Menzies Institute for Medical Research and MS Australia, collecting real-world data from Australians living with MS. The study has been running for over 20 years and its valuable data helps inform policy decisions and guides MS-related medical and support services—driving positive change and improving lives.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗦? 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝗠𝗦 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
👉 If you're living with MS in Australia and aged 18 or over, you can register at:
🔗 https://www.msaustralia.org.au/amsls

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲?
🔬 Researchers interested in collaborating or using the AMSLS platform can contact:
Professor Ingrid van der Mei
📞 03 6226 7710
📧 ingrid.vandermei@utas.edu.au

23/10/2025

🎓 Get your certificate today!
A reminder to all participants of Understanding Multiple Sclerosis – September 2025 that the course closes in two weeks on Monday 10th November at 5:00 pm AEDT. After that, you'll no longer have access to the course content.

Head to the Course Completion section to download your free certificate or upgrade to a premium version. Don’t miss out — finish the course before it closes to to secure your certificate of completion!

To enter the course please log in at https://ms.mooc.utas.edu.au/course/20349

21/10/2025

🎓 The Completion Section is now open!
This final section also gives you the chance to share feedback, connect with other participants, and learn about the next course offering.

If you've successfully completed modules 1-6 you can now download your free, personalised certificate of completion for Understanding MS.

⏳ If you're still working through the course, you have just over two weeks to finish and earn your certificate—you're nearly there!

Log in to access the Completion Section
👉 https://ms.mooc.utas.edu.au/course/20349

14/10/2025

Module 6 is now open!
The final module of our free online course, Understanding MS, explores how MS impacts everyday life—including work—and offers practical strategies for building resilience and communicating effectively about MS.

If you missed out on enrolling this time, good news: the course will run again in 2026!
Enrol now
👉 https://ms.mooc.utas.edu.au/i/msums

12/10/2025

💚 It’s National Carers Week 💙
The theme, “You are, know, or will be one,” reminds us that caring touches all of us at some point, and we'd like to take this opportunity to honour the vital role carers play in the MS community — often family and friends providing unpaid support tailored to the unique needs of those living with MS.

Whether it's in the form of assistance with admin and appointments, providing personal care, helping with transport or offering emotional support, your care makes a difference, every day.

💐Thank you to all the carers out there, we acknowledge and appreciate all that you do
Carers Australia

10/10/2025

🧠 Today is World Mental Health Day! 💚
If you or someone you know is navigating MS, our free online course Mental Health and Multiple Sclerosis is here to help. It explores how anxiety, depression and MS can interact, and offers practical strategies to support mental wellbeing. 🧘‍♀️💬

This course is a companion to our flagship Understanding MS course, and it's designed to empower you with knowledge and tools to feel more in control.
👉 Enrol now: https://ms.mooc.utas.edu.au/i/mhu

💙

Mental Health and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a free online course that aims to enhance understanding of mental health and its interaction with anxiety, depression and MS.

07/10/2025

🧠 Module 5: Disease Management is now open!
This module explores how MS is managed day-to-day and long-term.
You’ll learn about:
📈 Monitoring and symptom management
💊 Disease-modifying therapies
🤝 Support options for living well with MS
🌱 Emerging treatments like stem cell therapy

Whether you're living with MS, supporting someone who is, or simply curious — this module offers practical, evidence-based insights to help you feel informed and empowered.

💬 Loving this course?
We have a number of different free MS courses on offer — check them out and enrol at:
👉 ms.mooc.utas.edu.au
Know someone who’d benefit? Tag them or share this post to help spread the word!

05/10/2025

🗣️𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝗠𝗦 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
The Australian Multiple Sclerosis Longitudinal Study (AMSLS) has been running for over 20 years. It’s a collaborative research initiative between Menzies Institute for Medical Research and MS Australia , collecting real-world data from Australians living with MS. This valuable data helps inform policy decisions and guides MS-related medical and support services—driving positive change and improving lives.

To maximise its impact, the AMSLS needs as many participants as possible.
👉 If you're living with MS in Australia and aged 18 or over, you can register at:
🔗 https://www.msaustralia.org.au/amsls

01/10/2025

It's International Day of Older Persons 👵👴
Did you know the number of people aged 60 and over has more than doubled, from 541 million in 1995 to 1.2 billion in 2025, and is projected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050?

As we live longer, supporting healthy ageing becomes more important than ever—especially for people living with multiple sclerosis.

Our free online course, Ageing Well with MS—companion to Understanding MS—is helping people navigate ageing with confidence. It explores how ageing intersects with multiple sclerosis, offers practical strategies for staying well, and helps participants plan for the future.

👉 Enrol now: https://ms.mooc.utas.edu.au/i/ageingu

Ageing Well with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a free online course that explores ageing and how it intersects with multiple sclerosis. The course provides strategies for healthy ageing and helps you plan for the future.

01/10/2025

🌞 Module 4: Risk Factors is now open!
This module dives into what increases the risk of developing MS — and what you can do about it.
You’ll learn about:
🧬 Non-modifiable risk factors like genetics
☀️ Modifiable factors including vitamin D and sun exposure
🎯 How to set effective goals
❓ Common myths and controversies around MS

💬 Still catching up? No worries!
There’s plenty of time to complete all six modules before the course closes — so keep going at your own pace.
💻 Log in now to continue learning: ms.mooc.utas.edu.au

30/09/2025

🟣 Today marks the final day of Pain Awareness Month, a time to shine a light on the invisible burden many people living with MS carry every day.

A new study led by researchers from Menzies Institute for Medical Research — the organisation behind Understanding MS — has taken a deep dive into the experience of pain in MS. From pain data from more than 1600 participants, they found that 53% of participants had regular pain, with 20% having as many as five to ten types of pain.

Dysesthetic extremity pain (burning, tingling, numbness, prickling or vice or tight band-like sensations) and spasticity-associated pain (increased stiffness of the limbs, including cramping, aching or pulling sensations) were the most reported pain types, experienced by more than 40% of people with MS.

💬 Enhancing the awareness of pain in multiple sclerosis may support improved pain management and better quality of life.

Read the full study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211034825005206?via%3Dihub

24/09/2025

📢 Module 3 is now open!
'Demographics and Risk' is ready for you to start now in the Understanding Multiple Sclerosis course.
In this module, you’ll discover:
🔍 Who makes up the MS community
📊 How scientists measure risk
🧠 The difference between individual and population risk
🌐 How to find trustworthy health information online

Whether you're learning for yourself or supporting someone with MS, this module offers valuable insights to help you feel informed and empowered.
💻 Log in now to continue your journey: ms.mooc.utas.edu.au