Join Melanie Reid MBE FRSE, an award-winning journalist at The Herald in Glasgow and The Times, in this webinar of the In Conversation Live series. Interviewed by Dr Afsana Elanko, she will delve into the profound patient experience following a spinal catastrophe, addressing both the physical and psychological aspects. She will explore the importance of communication and language in the healing journey, the pivotal role of positivity and the need for further research in the field of physiotherapy.
Reid has been a journalist since university and joined The Times in 2007. Since 2010, when she broke her neck at C 6/7 (incomplete) in a horse riding accident, she’s written Spinal Column, an award-winning account of her life. She is one of the very few overtly disabled voices in the mainstream media. Born in London, now working from her home in rural Scotland, she tries to raise awareness of the unvarnished realities of paralysis and wheelchair dependency. She speaks to students and businesses and at clinical conferences. For years she was a patron of Spinal Research and the Association for Continence Advice and still supports the Colostomy Association and Friends At The End -- all matters she never dreamt she would have to worry about. Her memoir The World I Fell Out Of won the Saltire Prize for non-fiction in 2019.
Last year, she took part in clinical trials using electrical spinal cord stimulation to improve tetraplegic arms and hands. The experiment marked a significant move from treating paraplegia to tetraplegia by neuroscientist Gregoire Courtine and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, currently leading the direction of global spinal research from their base in Lausanne. As a participant Reid, a believer in hope in medicine was excited by her results. She’s convinced that spinal cord injury will at some point become treatable, with bodies made functional again.
This webinar is available for on-demand viewing. The webinar recording will be available for registered event participants up to 60 days after the live webinar broadcast via Zoom. The link will be sent 24 hours after the webinar takes place.
*There may be slight changes to the discussion points or the advertised start and end times of this webinar, subject to Melanie Reid's work requirements.
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Disclaimer:
Registration for this event will close on 14 June 2023 at 6:00pm (BST)
All views expressed in this webinar are of the speakers themselves and not of the RSM.
The In Conversation Live webinar series will continue our much loved In Conversation events, giving you the opportunity to get first-hand insights into the lives and thoughts of high profile individuals, bringing an intimate, relaxed and entertaining perspective into your living room.
This webinar will be recorded and stored by the Royal Society of Medicine and may be distributed in future on various internet channels.
