Improving Care and Education on Rare Neuroimmune Disorders in Spanish-Speaking Communities: Paula Barreras, MD, PhD

WATCH TIME: 3 minutes

"Most of the academic conferences and educational materials that exist about these rare disorders have been focused on the English-speaking community. I definitely think we can do more with engaging our Spanish-speaking communities and bringing these resources to them."

Over the years, the Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association (SRNA) has been a bridge for patients with rare neuroimmunological disorders and the clinicians and researchers with interest in these disorders. After hosting its annual RNDS event in early October, the organization is offering up another opportunity to attend for patients with these disorders who speak Spanish. The 1-day virtual conference taking place on December 2nd is geared toward those with neuroimmune disorders like acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, acute flaccid myelitis, MOG antibody disease, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, optic neuritis, and transverse myelitis.

For a minimal fee, attendees can learn more about the nervous and immune systems and how they interplay with each other in the diagnosis of these disorders. Additionally, patients and their families can gain greater insight about treatment strategies and the latest in research and clinical trials.

Prior to the meeting, Paula Barreras, MD, a physician neurologist and neuroimmunologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, sat down with NeurologyLive^® to give an overview of what the clinical audience can expect, as well as why it’s important to continue to reach Spanish-speaking populations. Barreras, who was among those who organized the event, spoke about the patient-clinician relationship for Spanish-speaking individuals with neuroimmune disorders and the ways the clinical community can improve care for this population. Furthermore, she spoke on the conversations between these individuals and the need to be transparent about disease progression.

For those interested in the event, registration can be found here.