MND Australia, in collaboration with the Pan-Asian Consortium for Treatment and Research in ALS (PACTALS), is excited to bring the PACTALS Congress and the 12th MND Australia Care Forum to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 7-9 September 2025.
The PACTALS Congress brings together scientific experts in MND/ALS research from the Asia-Pacific region, along with global leaders in the field. The PACTALS Congress will be the premier MND research conference in Australia for 2025 (MND Australia will not be running a separate research symposium in 2025).
In conjunction with the three-day PACTALS Congress, we are also pleased to host our 12th MND Australia Care Forum on Tuesday 9 September 2025.
The Care Forum will showcase the latest developments and best-practice in MND care, and is ideal for health professionals, service providers and others who support people living with MND, including people living with MND and their carers.*
Conference attendees will have the choice of attending one, two, or all three days. On Tuesday 9 September, both the MND Australia Care Forum and a full day of PACTALS Congress sessions will run concurrently.
*Registration is free of charge for people living with MND and their carers.
The draft program for the 12th MND Australia Care Forum is available below. Registrations for the Care Forum can be completed at pactalscongress.com
PROGRAM
12th MND Australia Care Forum
| 0900–1030 | SESSION 1: OPENING KEYNOTE | |
| Welcome and opening remarks | MND Australia | |
| How to be your best friend: The power of resilience and self-compassion | Dr Oliva Ong | |
| Update on the latest in MND management | Professor Steve Vucic | |
| Dare to demand better | Todd Johnson | |
| 1030–1100 | Morning tea break | |
| 1100–1230 | SESSION 2: WELLBEING AND COMMUNICATION | |
| Building from the ground up: Reimaging the ideal MND care landscape | Panel discussion | |
| Tips and tricks on wellbeing and communication, not to just survive by thrive with MND | Leanne Sklavenitis | |
| Exploring preferences for management of cognitive and behavioural changes in MND | Rebecca Francis | |
| 'Invest' in your voice: How a novel co-designed voice banking service supports people with MND | Lilian Krikheli | |
| The all encompassing nature of care in MND | Sally Neville | |
| Sleep for people with MND and their families in New Zealand: A questionnaire study | Natalie Gauld | |
| 1230–1330 | Lunch break | |
| 1330–1430 | SESSION 3: THE LATEST IN EVIDENCE-BASED CARE | |
| Developing the Australian MND Guideline: A collaborative, evidence based approach using grade methodology | Zachary Munn | |
| Exploring the narrative behind the numbers: Using data to improve care and support for those living with MND | Victoria Tull | |
| Exploring the uptake of non invasive ventilation by people with MND in Australia: A qualitative study | Marnie Graco | |
| Trial and triumphs in community based respiratory care for adults with MND: West Australian experience | Juliet Travlos | |
| Bridging health equity gaps for Australians with MND: Co-designing solutions with the MND community | Karen Hutchinson | |
| Dysphagia in neurodegenerative diseases: Implications for swallowing, dry mouth and oral health | Victoria Perchyonok | |
| Enhancing MND care: Evaluating the effectiveness of in person MND upskill workshops | Sadaf Warraich | |
| 1430–1505 | SESSION 4: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES IN CARE AND SUPPORT | |
| International Network for ALS Research and Care (INARC) | Juliette Foucher | |
| International Alliance of ALS/MND | Cathy Cummings | |
| Lived experience perspective | Paula Trefiak | |
| 1505–1530 | Afternoon tea | |
| 1530–1615 | SESSION 5: INNOVATIONS AND NEW HORIZONS | |
| Amplifying the lived experience of MND voice in Australia | Julie Labra & Phil Camden | |
| Developing a MND Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to increase global knowledge, understanding and awareness of MND | Sharn Perry | |
| Continuing the game in spite of the beast: Supporting gaming accessibility for people with MND | Alicia Edwards | |
| Occupational therapy meets Mcgyver – Solving functional challenges with creativity and innovation | Sarah Soloman | |
| Meeting the assistive technology needs of people with MND – NSW and VIC collaborative model | Alicia Gibb | |
| 1615–1700 | SESSION 6: CLOSING KEYNOTE | |
| Lived experience perspective | ||
| MND – Past, present and future | Professor Paul Talman | |
| Closing remarks | MND Australia |
Poster presentations
Innovations in MND care: An affordable strategy monitoring weight at home – Timothy Sheehy
Innovations in MND care: Achieving quality of life goals for ventilated individuals through access to hydrotherapy. A case study – Timothy Sheehy
The role of the MND palliative care clinician in MND education in Victoria – Jane Turton
Lunchtime sessions: Free online MND education for all – Jane Turton
Descriptive analysis of patients with MND who underwent voluntary assisted dying – Dev Nathani
Emotional adjustment and MND: The benefits of an in house counselling program for people with MND and their families – Bethany Lisa Bradhurst
Directing care towards the carer: Empowering carers to support loved ones with MND – Meg Sinead O'Connor
The experience of suffering in ALS: A case repor – Ang Chui Munn
An evaluation of the Alssqol Sf in the Malaysian context through cognitive interviewing – David Paul Capelle
Mapping suicide helpline services in the PACTALS region: Addressing needs for people with disabilities – Nguyen Tran Minh Duc
The impact of blood lipid classes on risk of developing ALS: A systematic review and grade analysis – Amber Rae Sewell Green
Survey of constipation in Australians with MND using the Lived Experience Network – Barry Werth
Prioritising the factors influencing non invasive ventilation uptake by people with MND: A modified Delphi study – Kylie Anne Russo
Structure based and flexible ligand docking alongside co-immunoprecipitation with mass spectrometry based Mazor X robotic spinal neurosurgery: A translational research to alleviate central canal stenosis in elderly – Priscilla Clarita Neda Br Sirait
Evaluating the impact of weight loss and accuracy of predictive energy equations in Australians with ALS – Amber Rae Sewell Green
From team to model: Embedding true multidisciplinary care for people living with MND in the community – Daniel Patrick Charny
Meeting the assistive technology mneeds of people with MND: NSW And VIC collaborative model – Alicia Gibb
Development of a specialty driven home palliative care service in MND – Punitha Krishnan