Past Episodes

Joining me this week is Brett Drummond, a scientist in Australia who stepped away from his lab to develop an online resource designed to bridge the gap between the MS patient community and the MS research community. The result of his efforts is MSTranslate. We're talking about this excellent curated MS information resource, and Brett even shares some insights into the MS research that he finds particularly exciting. We're also talking about the research team that used human stem cells to create...

Today, remyelination holds real promise as a strategy for restoring lost function and slowing or even stopping MS progression. This week, we're taking a deep dive into the current state of remyelination research. Joining me are Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, the Hazel Prior Hostetler Professor of Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic and the director of the Cleveland Clinic's Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, and Dr. Ian Duncan, a neuroscientist, and Professor of Neurology at the Uni...

November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States, giving us an opportunity to honor the men and women who have served in America's armed forces. More than 70,000 U.S. veterans are living with MS, and joining me on the podcast is Karla Clay, an Air Force veteran, and a National Veterans Wheelchair Games multiple medal winner. We're talking about the life-changing turn that Karla's MS journey ended up taking. As of today, the fate of the Affordable Care Act and the legal protections for people wi...

Fatigue is considered to be the most common MS symptom and also one of the most disabling because fatigue can interfere with every aspect of someone's life -- at home, at work, in their relationships -- in every way, fatigue can have a profound impact on your quality of life. We're talking about how to best manage MS-related fatigue with two experts on the subject, Dr. Bardia Nourbakhsh, and Dr. Kathy Zackowski. Remembering Karen Jackson We're also remembering Karen Jackson, an MS activist, ti...

Almost everything that we've learned about multiple sclerosis is the result of people with MS choosing to participate in clinical research. When it comes to MS and most every other chronic illness, clinical research is the common denominator of all medical progress. This week, we're breaking down the details of MS clinical research with my guests, Dr. Sandi Cassard, a research associate in the Neurology department at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Diane Kramer, who has participated in mo...

MS doesn't only affect individuals. It affects families. And that's probably most clear when we're talking about pediatric MS. The National MS Society estimates that there are about 5,000 diagnosed cases of pediatric MS in the United States and less than 10,000 cases worldwide, but those numbers become far less important when your child is one of those diagnosed cases. We're taking a deep dive into pediatric MS with Hannah Schnitzler, who lives with pediatric MS, Hannah's mom, Melissa Fisher, an...

The ECTRIMS (European Committee for Treatment & Research in MS) meeting is the largest MS research conference in the world. This year, of course, the ECTRIMS conference was virtual, and so was my conversation with Dr. Bruce Bebo, the Executive Vice President of Research at the National MS Society. Join us in this special episode of RealTalk MS as we take a deep dive into the research breakthroughs that will lead to treatments designed to stop MS progression, restore lost function, and end MS for...

We're in the midst of the fall MS conference season, and while all the conferences are virtual, there's still lots of news to share. This week, we're talking with EJ Levy, the Founder and President of MS Hope for a Cure, about Big October 2020. We're also talking about MS rehabilitation science with Dr. Kathy Zackowski, the Senior Director of Patient Management, Care, & Rehabilitation Research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Our wide-ranging conversation includes updates from the 10...

A lot of us may have to think back to a time before the pandemic to remember what it felt like to get a good night's sleep. But if you're someone living with MS, you might have to think back even further. Research tells us that more than half the people living with MS report significant disruptions in their sleep and difficulty maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. And that can lead to additional health issues along with an overall decline in quality of life and wellbeing. My guest is Dr. Ka...

Of all the people living with MS, you might assume that people living with progressive MS have experienced the highest levels of anxiety and depression related to the threat of COVID-19. A research team found themselves at the right place at the right time -- conducting a different progressive MS study. They quickly pivoted to investigate the emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with progressive MS. My guest is Dr. Anthony Feinstein, a professor of psychiatry at the Univer...