In this episode of The Raw Nerve, Host Jeremy Henderson, Head of Advocacy for MS Australia, and Co-Host Sharlene Brown, Chair of the MS Australia Awards Committee, spotlight the 2026 MS Australia Awards and remarkable people driving change, compassion and progress across the Australian multiple sclerosis (MS) community.
As nominations open for the 2026 MS Research Award and MS Advocacy Award, Jeremy and Sharlene, who has lived with MS for 24 years, speak with 2025 MS Australia Awards recipients about recognition, why nominations matter, and how the awards highlight quiet achievers whose work uplifts, empowers and inspires people affected by MS.
Guests include Belinda Bardsley from Austin Health, 2025 MS Advocacy Award recipient, who reflects on her passion for MS nursing, early education and support after diagnosis, the Back on Track resource, Foundations of MS Nursing Course and equitable access to MS nurses. Professor Bruce Taylor, 2025 MS Research Award co-recipient, discusses decades of research into MS, consumers’ growing role in research and the possibility of making MS preventable. Professor Helmut Butzkueven, also a 2025 MS Research Award co-recipient, shares how data, clinical care and the MSBase Registry are improving treatment decisions and outcomes for people with MS. Jan Miles, representing the Miles family and Team Walk for Jess, reflects on receiving the 2025 John Studdy Award and the family’s grassroots fundraising and awareness in Queensland.
Together, the conversation highlights the power of recognition, the strength of the MS community, and the many ways people contribute through research, advocacy, nursing, fundraising, volunteering and lived experience.
Our guests talk about giving back, the significance of their awards, and how you can nominate, recognise and applaud someone you know for their contributions.
The MS Australia Awards spotlight people driving change, compassion and progress across the MS community. From researchers, advocates, volunteers and carers to longtime champions whose impact spans a decade or more, the awards recognise individuals, many living with MS, whose efforts uplift, empower and inspire. To nominate someone making a meaningful difference for the 2026 MS Australia Awards, complete the online form on our website by Sunday 6 September 2026.
