Other Passions & Projects

Riisfeldt Neurology Education

Dr Thomas “Tom” D. Riisfeldt is also a medical educator and values neurology education greatly. He has founded a not-for-profit, free open access neurology education project with a philosophical touch, targeted at medical students through to neurologists and all health professionals caring for patients with neurological conditions. The episodes are available at https://rneurologyeducation.org; the video episodes are also available at https://youtube.com/@rneurologyeducation, and audio versions of each episode are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all other audio podcast platforms. Each new episode is announced on all of the main social media platforms @rneurologyeduation. Please share this around with any family, friends or colleagues that you have who are health professionals working with patients with neurological conditions.

TM

Some recent photographs from Tom's neurology education project!

Suicide prevention

Many patients with neurological conditions have comorbid depression or other mental health conditions which are associated with an increased risk of suicide. Suicide prevention is a cause area that Tom highly values. Please seek medical attention if you do have suicidal thoughts, and encourage family members and friends to do the same, and if you or another is in immediate danger then please call 000. The following initiatives and organisations are aligned with this cause area and have published resources which you or family members/friends may find helpful:

- Lifeline (https://www.lifeline.org.au/)

- Beyond Blue (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/)

- Suicide Call Back Service (https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/)

- Black Dog Institute (https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/resources-support/suicide/)

- R U OK? (https://www.ruok.org.au/findhelp)

- Suicide Prevention Australia (https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/find-help)

- International Association for Suicide Prevention (https://www.iasp.info/)

Effective Altruism

Stemming from his formal philosophical studies and associated influences by some utilitarian and contractualist philosophers such as Singer and Rawls, respectively, Tom has developed a deep interest in philanthropy, a cause area that is well embodied by the Effective Altruism movement. Through efforts to reduce global poverty and address the global burden of disease in a sensible, cost-effective manner, this has a major positive influence on patients suffering from neurological conditions along with billions of other people on an international scale. You are encouraged to explore the below resources if this is also an area of interest to you:

- Effective Altruism (https://www.effectivealtruism.org/)

- Effective Altruism Australia (https://effectivealtruism.org.au)

- Give Well (https://www.givewell.org/)

- The Life You Can Save Australia (https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org.au/)

- Giving What We Can (https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/)

- 80,000 Hours (https://80000hours.org/)

- Centre for Effective Altruism (https://www.centreforeffectivealtruism.org/)