In our 6th episode: How to get the most out of your Neuro visit, Lelainia talks with Neurologist and Researcher, Dr. Galina Vorobeychik, who is the Founder and Director of the Fraser Health Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at Burnaby Hospital, and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology for the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Vorobeychik was also the recipient of the MS Society’s National Award of Merit in 2016. In this episode, Dr. Vorobeychik shares the importance of a team-based approach to treating NMO patients, and explains the ways in which members of that team can contribute to optimal care, and how we as patients can partner with our neurologists to ensure we get the best care possible. Dr. Vorobeychik describes how we can elevate and give voice to our concerns and make room for priority topics during visits and she explains the benefits of having a companion or caregiver present. She also explains what kind of testing NMO patients routinely have in Canada, how often and why. She also provides insights on how to approach and discuss depression and NMO with your healthcare practitioner. As part of a team-based approach she explains the role of a neuro-psychologist and differences between practitioners including: occupational therapists, neurology nurses and nurses in general. Dr. Vorobeychik also shares practical examples of a high performing team-basedmodel in her clinic and how that set up is helpful to her patients, and she spells out essential tips and considerations in preparing for telephone visits developed in collaboration with nurses. Our Guests:Dr. Galina Vorobeychik, MD, FRCPC, FAAN. Director, Fraser Health Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, Burnaby Hospital. Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology; Dept. of Medicine, UBC Dr. Galina Vorobeychik completed a B. Nursing, Medical school in Moscow, and neurology residency training with a fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at UBC. The late Dr. Donald Paty (Pay-Tee), who was her inspiring mentor as the Head of Neurology at UBC, advanced her passion and commitment to understanding and helping patients. In addition to her busy general neurology practice, in 2004 she founded the Fraser Health Multiple Sclerosis Clinic and has been the director of it since that time. There are more than 4000 patients with multiple sclerosis in this unique community-based clinic. The multidisciplinary team emphasizes the five C’s of clinical care: Comprehensive, Coordinated, Community based Close to home Care of MS patients. She has been active in Multiple Sclerosis Research since 1994 and has been Principal Investigator for more than 65 research projects, including collaborative projects in mobility, immunology and genetics with SFU and UBC. She published 27 paper and trained multiple clinical fellows, residents (from UBC and out-of-province), IMGs, medical and undergraduate students, and MS nurses. Five of her medical students are recipients of Medical Student Research Scholarships from Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers of North America, Canadian EndMS program, and MS Society of Canada. She takes pride in that more than 15 of her research assistants were accepted to the different medical schools. She received a MS Society's National Award of Merit in 2016. As the lead neurologist at Burnaby Hospital, her proactive and enthusiastic approach to recruitment led to Burnaby Hospital growing from two neurologists in 2004 to ten today. She is a Fellow of American Academy of Neurology and serves on Care Delivery Subcommittee, a long-standing Treasurer of Neurology division, BC Medical Association, and member of MSDBAAC (BC Parmacare). For more information about NMO: MS Society of Canada: www.mssociety.ca Preparing for your Virtual Visit with your HCP: hwww.msology.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Preparing-for-your-telephone-visit.pdf
