Astri Arnesen
President, EFNA & President and CEO, EHA
When Astri was born in Norway in 1962, her mother had not yet developed symptoms of Huntington’s Disease (HD), but she became sick a few years later. Her disease progressed throughout Astri’s childhood and adolescence until she passed away in 2004.
Astri has been engaged as a patient representative and advocate since the mid-1980s. From 2004-2014 she was the President of the Norwegian Huntington Association & from 2010 joined the board of the European Huntington Association (EHA), to which she was elected President in 2016.
Astri now works full time for EHA, but previously was head of department for a unit providing expertise in special educational needs to stakeholders in the educational sector.
Astri is educated as a teacher in learning disabilities & has additional university degrees in developmental psychology, management and innovative processes.