Carol Ireland and Lisa Todd
Epilepsy Action, Australia
Biography
Carol Ireland, CEO and Managing Director of Epilepsy Action Australia (EAA), Carol has an extensive background spanning 35 years in the not-for-profit human services sector, holding a variety of executive positions. She has been at the forefront of the medical cannabis movement in Australia. In her role at Epilepsy Action Australia she has had significant contact with many individuals and families faced with managing very challenging forms of medication resistant epilepsy, with few or no options left in the conventional treatment bucket. Carol has heard and seen the changes in people’s lives, including reduction in the severity and frequency of seizures, resulting from use of medicinal cannabis. Carol serves on the Australian Advisory Council for the Use of Medicinal Cannabis, Advisory Board of The Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Steering Committee for the NSW government’s Pediatric Epilepsy Trials (MC Research), and is a founding Director of the Medicinal Cannabis Council. She is a strong and active advocate for people living with epilepsy.
Lisa Todd is a Clinical Nurse Consultant in Epilepsy and Clinical Governance Manager for Epilepsy Action Australia. She is a Registered Nurse with a Post Graduate Certificate in Neuroscience Nursing and Masters of Education. Lisa is a trained cannabis nurse, having attended numerous educational seminars, conferences and master classes for health care professionals in the United States and Australia. She was the lead investigator and co-author on ‘An Australian nationwide survey on medicinal cannabis use for epilepsy: History of antiepileptic drug treatment predicts medicinal cannabis use’ published in Epilepsy & Behaviour (2017) and Co-investigator in the PELICAN study (Pediatric Epilepsy Lambert Initiative Cannabinoid Analysis) with the University of Sydney. Prior to her work in the field of Medicinal Cannabis Lisa was seconded to the George Research Institute for Global Health for several years as Research Fellow for the SEMISIC study (Sydney Epilepsy Incidence Study to Measure Illness Consequences).
Abstract
Abstract : Attitudes and experience of cannabinoid-based therapies for epilepsy in the Australian community