By Ann Brazeau, CEO, MPN Advocacy and Education International

MPN Advocacy and Education International hosts several patient/caregiver educational programs per year. Although most take place in the United States, their goal to expand to other countries where MPN groups are interested in partnering to benefit their MPN Communities has been a priority.

Through collaboration with the MPN Alliance Australia, the first patient/caregiver program was held in Melbourne on the 28th April, 2017. MPN specialists from Australia joined U.S. specialists to share up-to-date, relevant information to over 150 patients and caregivers.

Empowering patients with the knowledge they need to better understand the complexities of MPNs, is what MPN Advocacy and Educational International hopes to achieve at these events. Partnerships are essential to the success of these very important programs. Imparting valuable, reliable information to the MPN Communities around the world helps bridge the gap to understanding what is being done, and identifying unmet needs.

In the early days of my work in MPN little was being shared among researchers and academic institutions. Today, it is a common practice. Recognizing the importance and value in collaborating, researchers and clinicians are much more amenable and grateful for opportunities to share their experiences and findings. Thus, a physician/researcher meeting was held the afternoon before the patient event.

A half-day strategy meeting with the MPN Alliance Australia proved to be meaningful and productive. Their dedication and commitment to the patients and caregivers in Australia is evident in the many hours they volunteer each week.

We are proud to have been a part of this experience and were happy to pull this event together with our partners, MPN Alliance Australia.