Special Research Coverage Episodes

Research shows that members of minority communities often experience MS differently. And by differently, we mean worse. -- more severe symptoms, shorter time to disability, and greater levels of disability. That's why ensuring greater diversity in clinical research is of urgent importance. At the same time, the conversation about putting the patient at the center of MS research has grown louder and more pronounced. Major pharmaceutical companies have gotten both of these messages and joining m...

Every two years, the MS International Federation awards the Charcot Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in outstanding research into the understanding and treatment of MS. My special guest is this year's recipient of the Charcot Award, Professor Alan Thompson, who is being honored for what is truly a remarkable body of work. We'll also share some encouraging news from the FDA about a biomarker for progressive MS clinical trials. We'll tell you about the outcome of a study that shows high-e...

When Pierluigi Montovani saw what was available to help his father rehabilitate his MS-related foot drop, he was motivated to invent something better. Pierluigi recruited a couple of friends and their efforts led to a breakthrough solution for foot drop that was declared the winner of the Lyfebulb and Bristol Myers Squibb Addressing Unmet Needs in MS: Innovation Challenge. Pierluigi joins me as my guest this week to discuss EvoWalk, his award-winning example of innovation in MS rehabilitation. ...

It's MS Awareness Week and we're talking with two remarkable women, Sarah Quezada and Tracey Cooper-Harris, who are living their lives out loud, refusing to let MS define them. We're also inviting you to participate in the first-ever RealTalk MS Listener Survey (and be entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon Gift Card!). We'll share research announced at the recent ACTRIMS Forum that explores whether we may be headed toward Cognitive-Dominant MS. We're also talking about how the National MS ...

When it comes to accessing care and even the disease course itself, MS is not an equal-opportunity disease. We're talking with Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams about the disparities that affect members of minority populations who are living with MS. Dr. Williams is a Board-Certified Neurologist and Multiple Sclerosis Specialist who is passionate about educating and empowering people affected by MS to understand the disease process and the goals of treatment. And Dr. Williams is an expert in understanding...

In this episode of RealTalk MS, we're re-visiting my conversation with Dr. Bruce Bebo, the Executive Vice-President of Research at the National MS Society, about some of the most interesting research announcements made during the MSVirtual2020 conference. This is one of my favorite conversations of the entire year, and you've made it this year's most downloaded and listened to RealTalk MS episode. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! Happy New Year! :23 My interview w...

It's safe to say that this year, the biggest gift of the holiday season has been the arrival of not one, but two COVID-19 vaccines. Still, while the COVID-19 vaccines have created a tremendous amount of hope, they've also created an equal number of questions among people who are living with MS. So the National MS Society has convened a group of experts to provide guidance for people living with MS when it comes to making decisions about the safety, efficacy, and the timing of COVID-19 vaccines a...

This past weekend, 8,000 MS research scientists and clinicians gathered virtually for the joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. Known as ECTRIMS, this year's conference was appropriately re-branded as MSVirtual2020. We're talking about great presentations on the MS prodrome (and we'll explain what that is and why it's important), when it might be time to discontinue MS...

The International Progressive MS Alliance is about to publish a paper that recommends advancing research on a specific biomarker to predict MS progression, and we're getting a pre-publication preview of what that paper is all about. My guests are Dr. Robert Fox, a neurologist and Vice-Chair for Research at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute, and Caroline Sincock, who lives with progressive MS. Both Doctor Fox and Caroline are members of the International Progressive MS Alliance Scienti...

Don't miss our recap of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Annual Meeting with Internationally Certified MS Nurse, Cherie Binns. We're talking about aging with MS, managing mood and depression, the latest information on diet and exercise, and more. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!