Past Episodes

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...

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...

You can't control the weather, but you can learn to dance in the rain. And developing resilience teaches you how to dance in the rain. My guest is Dr. Dawn Ehde, a clinical psychologist and professor of rehabilitation medicine at University of Washington Medicine. Dr. Ehde is an expert in understanding resilience, and she's joining us to explain why having resilience is central to improving the well-being of people affected by MS, and how to go about building your resilience -- even in the midst...