The RIMS Board has selected 1 application for the Fellowship Exchange Programme. Congratulations to:
- Morten Riemenschneider, Department of Public Health - Sport Science in Aarhus (DK)! Morten visited the Centre d’Esclerosi Multiple de Catalunya (CEMCAT), Barcelona, Spain.
- Gary McEwan, Division of Dietetics, Nutrition and Biological Sciences, Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Radiography who visited the Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark & The Danish MS Hospitals, Ry, Denmark
- Sinéad Hynes, University of Galway, who visited the MS Senteret Hakadal, Hakadal, Norway
participated in the RIMS Fellowship exchange programme. Visited the Centre d’Esclerosi Multiple de Catalunya (CEMCAT), Barcelona, Spain from October 2nd to October 6th in 2022.
Below you can find some feedback:
Academic Assessment?
Excellent
Personal Assessment?
Excellent
Positive aspects during the stay at the centre?
My visit at CEMCAT was a very inspirational and rewarding experience. The stay was well organized by the CEMCAT coordinators, and I got a good overview of the organisation and activities of the centre. The primary objective of my visit was to learn from the experiences at CEMCAT with rehabilitation as a supplemental treatment of acute MS relapses, and the primary investigators of this happily shared their knowledge and experiences. This is of great value to a planned future study at the Danish MS Hospitals, also investigating the potential of multidisciplinary rehabilitation in the treatment of acute MS relapses. Moreover, future collaborations were discussed and in that sense the RIMS fellowship truly connect centres and drive the rehabilitation in MS field forward.
Negative aspects during the stay at the centre?
None.
Any other comments on the visit?
I want to thank everyone at CEMCAT in Barcelona for hosting me – and especially the coordinators Marga Capell and Caterina Fernandez, and rehabilitation specialists Carme Santoyo, Samuel Sanchez, and Roger Meza Murillo. I also want to thank RIMS for this wonderful initiative and opportunity.
Did you achieve the goal expected?
Yes
Could you recommend the centre?
Yes
General evaluation of the stay:
Excellent
participated in the RIMS Fellowship exchange programme. Visited the Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark & The Danish MS Hospitals, Ry, Denmark, from April 21st to April 28th in 2023. Below you can find some feedback:
Academic Assessment?
Excellent
Personal Assessment?
Excellent
Positive aspects during the stay at the centre?
There were many positive aspects about my visit to Aarhus University. First and foremost, I was made to feel very welcome by the research group who gave a lot of their time to share their work and experiences with me. I was particularly grateful to have the opportunity to witness some of their research up close and learn more about the assessments and outcome measurements they choose to include within their studies. I also had the opportunity to present some of my current work and receive feedback and comments from world-renowned experts within the field of sport and exercise for people with MS. Finally, I was able to discuss a potential collaboration with the research group at Aarhus University, and we are now working together to produce a narrative review and a proposal for a future study.
Negative aspects during the stay at the centre?
The only negative aspect is that I wish the visit could have been longer.
Any other comments on the visit?
My final comments would just be to say that I think the RIMS Fellowship Exchange Programme is a great initiative and a fantastic opportunity for early career researchers to develop new skills and widen their networks.
Did you achieve the goal expected?
Yes
Could you recommend the centre?
Yes
General evaluation of the stay:
Excellent
participated in the RIMS Fellowship exchange programme. Visited the MS-Senteret Hakadal, Norway, on the first week of August 2023. Below you can find some feedback:
Academic Assessment?
Excellent
Personal Assessment?
Excellent
Positive aspects during the stay at the centre?
My host, Inger Grethe Løyning, had a detailed timetable for me on my arrival. It was very well-thought out and an interesting mixture of learning about the service, meeting with the members of the team, and observing some of the group sessions. I am very appreciative of the work Inger Grethe put into hosting me and how welcoming her colleagues were when I visited. I learned so much about this service during my week- how they approach MS rehabilitation (especially with those who are newly diagnosed) and how the patients find the service. It was especially interesting for me as we have no service like this in Ireland. Indeed, our MS rehabilitation services are chronically under-resourced and have a significant lack of capacity so seeing how this centre functions with a full multidisciplinary team is really inspiring. I have learned a lot from this visit and thank you to RIMS for the opportunity to engage in the Fellowship, and to Inger Grethe Løyning for hosting me at the MS-Senteret Hakadal.
Negative aspects during the stay at the centre?
Nothing…not even Storm Hans who also came on the Fellowship visit with me!
Any other comments on the visit?
I also had the opportunity to present my research to the staff at the centre and talk about the MS rehabilitation services in Ireland.
Did you achieve the goal expected?
Yes
Could you recommend the centre?
Yes
General evaluation of the stay:
Excellent
