Past Episodes

As Harvard Fellow Dr. Nara Michaelson treated women who had been recently diagnosed with MS, she recognized they shared characteristics that she had observed in victims of violent domestic abuse. Dr. Michaelson's observation led her to write The Unraveling, an essay that highlights the fear that can accompany the uncertainty of living with MS. Dr. Michaelson joins me to discuss the experiences that led to her award-winning essay and to share resources that can help maintain your emotional healt...

The inequities associated with gaining access to quality healthcare are often discussed, and my guest this week has taken steps to address them. Dr. Jaime Imitola and his team at UCONN Health have created a tool called VISIBL-MS, a bilingual framework designed to increase doctors' and patients' awareness of the early signs of MS. We'll also share the results of a study that clearly illustrate progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA). We'll tell you about a small study that showed a p...

Over the course of her 39-year career with the National MS Society, including the past 13 years as its President and CEO, Cyndi Zagieboylo has been a driving force behind major initiatives that have fundamentally changed the MS treatment and research landscape. Creating a world where cures for MS are now within reach, Cyndi has led the work to make living with MS better today than it's ever been. On July 1, Cyndi is retiring from her remarkable career at the National MS Society. I had an opport...

Research is the engine that drives the future. And participating in MS research is not only vital to improving scientists' understanding of multiple sclerosis, it's also empowering. And the really good news is that you can participate in MS research from the comfort of your own home. My guest this week is the Managing Director of the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis, Dr. Robert Fox. And we're taking a deep dive into the NARCOMS patient registry. We'll also tell you about...

Two weeks ago, thousands of clinicians, nurses, physician's assistants, rehabilitation experts, and others traveled to Nashville to attend the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 38th Annual Meeting. This is Part 2 of our coverage from that meeting. In this episode, we're sharing our conversations with some of the experts who were at the meeting to present their research. You'll hear the National MS Society's Executive Vice President for Advocacy and Healthcare Access, Bari Talente, share...

Last week, thousands of clinicians, nurses, physician's assistants, rehabilitation experts, and others traveled to Nashville to attend the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 38th Annual Meeting. Welcome to Part 1 of our coverage from that meeting. In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Kathy Zackowski, Associate Vice-President for Research at the National MS Society, and Dr. Zackowski is sharing some of the presentations that caught her attention. Next, you'll hear my conversation with Dr...

May 30th is World MS Day, and we're taking this opportunity to look at some of the challenges faced by people with MS around the world. Global economics and the peculiarities of different healthcare systems make fundamental issues like access to quality healthcare and affordable MS medications difficult for many and impossible for some. U.K. journalist and MS activist Rachel Horne joins me for a freewheeling conversation focused on the broad range of challenges that people with MS face every da...

We've reached a moment in time when it seems impossible to avoid at least some level of stress in our lives. We also know that stress has been shown to make MS symptoms worse and even trigger relapses. We can't eliminate all the stress in our lives, so learning how to manage and minimize stress is an important part of living well with MS. This week, Dr. Grace Tworek, a Clinical Health Psychologist at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic, joins me to talk about best p...

There are more than 20 disease-modifying therapies available to treat MS today. Some are considered high-efficacy, some are considered moderately effective, and each has its own risk profile and side effects to consider. So, how do you choose? How much homework should someone living with MS do? Where should you look for reliable information? And what if you and your neurologist don't necessarily agree? Joining me to talk about your role when it comes to choosing the right DMT through shared de...

As we age, our bodies undergo biological changes. Our immune system changes. Our brain changes with age. Our cognitive abilities change, as do our physical abilities. These changes impact everyone. But these biological processes may impact people with MS differently. And MS may impact these biological processes differently. Just a couple of weeks ago, the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS brought together 100 top experts for a 3-day workshop dedicated to exploring how th...