Ella Huber was a recipient of a CanFASD Travel Award for the 7th European FASD Alliance Conference in Madrid. She offers her experiences of attending and presenting a poster at the conference. Ella is the Knowledge Exchange Lead and a Researcher with the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health (CEWH). She works closely with CanFASD Prevention Research Lead and CEWH Director, Dr. Nancy Poole, and the Prevention Network Action Team. She was also part of the first cohort to complete the Trainee Program at CanFASD.
Poster Presentation on Preconception Approaches
In collaboration with my colleagues Dr. Poole and Lindsay Wolfson, I submitted a poster presentation focused on the need for information and support in the preconception period. The poster highlighted the need for health promotion, education, and counselling that goes beyond screening to offer relational and non-judgemental support to reduce alcohol use and other health risks during the preconception period. The poster also highlighted the development of the Thinking About Pregnancy booklet, which was created for those planning a pregnancy to reflect on their alcohol use. The booklet can be used in multiple settings to ground conversations about substance us in the preconception period, and can be offered to women and families to support their pregnancy planning.
At the Conference
Presentations started on Monday, September 23rd and ended on Wednesday, September 25th. There was also a patients and carers’ day that was offered preconference on Sunday, September 22nd. Researchers and professionals from many different countries were there, including representatives from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Norway, England, Scotland, and Ireland, South Africa and a number of European countries. It was great to see many Canadians there as well!
The first two days were jam packed with talks, with most on the first day focused on prevention and the next two more focused on interventions and support for individuals and families living with FASD. On Tuesday, we were all invited to a gala dinner in the evening. The incredible FASD Warriors, a group of youth with FASD who participated in the Visual FASD Foundation rap workshop, performed at the event which energized us all after a long day and had a really great message about the strengths of individuals with FASD.
The conference was held during FASD Awareness Month. I was struck by the continuity across countries with our Canadian theme “Everyone Plays a Part”. Multiple presentations highlighted the importance of a whole of society and holistic approaches to prevention and to supports for people with FASD and their families. This was also highlighted through the variety of presenters, as we heard from psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, researchers, physicians, non-profits, and government officials.
Updates from Around the World
One of my favourite parts of the conference was the opportunity to hear updates from some countries in the series of talks “What’s Happening in my Country?”. We heard from Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. Nancy also provided an enthusiastic update from Canada on the great work we’re doing here. We have a lot to be proud of!
In the updates, I noticed some shared challenges that were expressed across countries, including the continued stigma towards alcohol use in pregnancy and FASD, the difficulty in mobilizing government support for prevention and support activities, including awareness raising initiatives and policy efforts, the normalization of alcohol use in our communities and increases in drinking among young women.
On a more positive note, some countries reported that they were starting to see more government attention on the issue, including in Spain! The conference was held at the Ministry of Health in Madrid and their ministers participated in the conference. FASD has been included in disability and mental health initiatives, and they are currently working on developing clinical guidelines for FASD as well as developing some new alcohol policies. In the United Kingdom, an increase in clinicians doing diagnosis was reported, as well as growing research interest and training opportunities.
Another exciting update came from South Africa, with Dr. Leana Olivier reporting on the establishment of the Africa FASD Network and the tremendous effort which has gone into coordinating across African countries and meeting quarterly with representatives from across Africa, including Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Mali, and more. Dr. Olivier also announced that there will be an FASD conference in Cape Town in the first two weeks of October, 2025! Right before the next National FASD Conference here in Canada. 2025 will be a great year for learning and networking!
In many updates, efforts to provide training to health and social care providers were discussed, as well as campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy. Many countries had set up opportunities for mothers, families, caregivers and people with FASD to network with each other.
Ella (middle) with her colleagues Dr. Nancy Poole (right) and Lindsay Wolfson (left).
Looking to the Future
It is so inspiring and energizing to be able to connect with people from across the globe who are working on improving women’s health and the lives of individuals with FASD. While there are many challenges we face in this field, I feel that having the opportunity to exchange ideas and perspectives can lift us up as we continue to advocate for support for our work. I am grateful to have received a travel award from CanFASD, allowing me to experience this incredible opportunity and to learn from international experts. Thank you!!
Related Content
Found this blogpost interesting? We’d recommend checking out the following webpages:
- Become a member of CanFASD – be the first to know about the latest FASD research.
- Prevention – learn more about prevention.
- The Prevention Conversation – online training program for front-line health and social services professionals.