Managing MS well requires self-management skills, including decision-making skills. It also requires considerable guidance and teaching from healthcare professionals on health and wellness strategies. However, current gaps in the availability and quality of resources in this area can make decision-making for people living with MS challenging. The need for smoking cessation is an example of an area of MS care which has received a lot of attention in recent times, but there is little in the way of direct guidance for people living with MS to stop smoking successfully.Â
Associate Professor Claudia Marck’s research aimed to uncover these gaps and help develop resources to promote safer and more effective outcomes for people living with MS. There are several areas of focus in this research. Associate Professor Marck aimed to develop smoking cessation resources specifically for the MS community. Additionally, the team developed new statistical methods to assess the effectiveness of different MS treatments such as psychological interventions and physical activity, not just medications. Associate Professor Marck also focused on these treatments and their impact on common MS symptoms, such as walking impairment, depression and fatigue. In her research, Associate Professor Marck also hoped to more deeply understand how self-management skills and access to healthcare may be impacted by crises, such as the recent Australian bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.Â
Outcomes from this research will assist both healthcare professionals working in MS, and people living with MS, to access appropriate resources to promote self-management, decision making and wellness, improving both quality of life and health in general.Â
Associate Professor Claudia Marck’s fellowship explored several connected areas aimed at improving care and wellbeing for people living with MS. Â
A major focus was smoking cessation, where an umbrella review of 11 reviews covering 97 studies found strong evidence that active smoking increases MS risk and worsens disability progression. Building on this, the team developed and tested an MS-specific smoking cessation program with 48 people with MS in Germany, where smoking rates are high. The program was well received, with nearly all participants recommending it to others, and some remained smoke free at 12 weeks. Because smoking is strongly linked to worse MS outcomes, this work highlights the potential health benefits of tailored support to help people with MS quit.Â
The fellowship also examined other important areas of MS care. A review of treatments for depressive symptoms in MS found that the available evidence was low quality, meaning clear comparisons between treatment options could not be made. In response, the team made recommendations to improve future clinical trials so that treatments can be assessed more meaningfully. Â
In the area of physical activity and exercise, a review of 18 clinical trials found that exercise can lead to small but meaningful reductions in anxiety symptoms for people with MS. Another review showed that while physical activity guidelines for MS exist, they are not always practical or easy to apply in everyday healthcare, pointing to the need for clearer and more usable guidance.Â
Research into clinical guideline implementation showed that existing guidelines are valued by MS clinicians for supporting consistent care, but there are challenges in applying them to complex real-world situations. After interviewing 16 MS clinicians, the team developed evidence-based recommendations to support better uptake and inform future guideline development. Â
The fellowship also identified substantial unmet needs in crisis preparedness among Australians with MS. In response, a Crisis Toolkit was co-designed with the Australian Red Cross and people with MS. Testing showed that the toolkit was well accepted and helped improve confidence, resilience and preparedness, while reducing distress.Â
Together, this work provides evidence-based, person-centred approaches to help people with MS make informed decisions, strengthen self-management, maintain access to care, and support better health and quality of life. Â
During the fellowship, Associate Professor Marck also built several collaborations and produced numerous publications, with findings presented at the European RIMS conference and the MS Nurses Australasia conference.Â
Updated 31 March 2026
$165,000
2021
3 years
Past project
