Houston Neurologist, Dr. Victor Rivera Receives CMSC Lifetime Achievement Award for his Contributions to the Field of Multiple Sclerosis Research and Treatment

Houston, TX and Atlanta, GA ― The Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC) proudly presented its “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Dr. Victor Rivera, Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of the Maxine Mesinger MS Comprehensive Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, at the recent CMSC Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, May 27-30, 2009.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2009 CONTACT: Linda Peckel
203-521-9677
lindapeckel@gmail.com

Houston Neurologist, Dr. Victor Rivera Receives CMSC Lifetime Achievement Award for his Contributions to the Field of Multiple Sclerosis Research and Treatment

Houston, TX and Atlanta, GA ― The Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC) proudly presented its “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Dr. Victor Rivera, Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of the Maxine Mesinger MS Comprehensive Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, at the recent CMSC Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, May 27-30, 2009.

Dr. Rivera, representing LACTRIMS (the Latin American Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis) gave the opening lecture on Thursday morning, May 28th, on lessons emerging from the unique patterns and behavior of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Latin American countries. Dr. Rivera has been an active member of the CMSC since its founding in 1986, and was a founder and former President of LACTRIMS. The lecture focused on LACTRIMS epidemiologic activities, including “an historical review of the important contributions of the region, and emphasizing our great association with the CMSC,” Dr. Rivera said.

At the conclusion of his lecture, Dr, Rivera was surprised with the announcement of his receipt of the CMSC Lifetime Achievement Award by CMSC President, Colleen Harris. Ms. Harris was joined by CMSC Foundation President James P. Simsarian, who stated, “This is a gentleman who has done magnificent things to contribute to the advancement of the field of MS throughout his life and career.” The CMSC awards this distinguished honor to an individual from within the global MS professional community who has made outstanding contributions in the field of MS.

Dr. Rivera was joined at the podium by his wife, Cristina Rivera, and by June Halper, Executive Director of the CMSC, and Dr. Carlos Oehninger, President of LACTRIMS. “It is a great honor for me to distinguish our great friend and colleague, Dr. Victor Rivera, for his pioneering work in the development of LACTRIMS and his initiation of the joint meetings of LACTRIMS and the CMSC,” Dr. Oehninger told the audience. He added that, as LACTRIMS President, Dr. Rivera actively promoted the work of LACTRIMS through scientific and academic sessions at the CMSC Annual Meeting each year.

Dr. Oehninger announced that in honor of his extraordinary contributions to the understanding of MS as well as his outstanding work in favor of LACTRIMS and towards the Latin American community, the next LACTRIMS congress to be held in Santiago, Chile in August of 2010, will pay homage to Dr. Rivera by naming the opening lecture after him.

BACKGROUND ON LACTRIMS
LACTRIMS was officially founded in 1999 in Cartegena de Indias, Colombia, by neurologists from 21 countries, with the late Dr. Leonor Gold as its first President and Dr. Rivera as Vice President. The objective for the organization was to study the growing prevalence of MS in Latin America and to promote research in the region.

“LACTRIMS membership is about 400 neurologists across Latin America,” Dr. Rivera said. “We don’t have a directory, per se, but we will soon have a web page developed with the support of the CMSC, and there are diverse materials and publications available to our membership,” he added.

DR. RIVERA’S WORK IN HOUSTON
In his work at the Maxine Mesinger MS Comprehensive Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Dr. Rivera is one of the premier epidemiologists studying the prevalence of MS, both in the world population, and specifically in the Latin American population of North, South and Central America. Dr. Rivera points out that Latin Americans have a lower prevalence rate than that seen in the Caucasian population, a fact that may be attributable to a unique north-south gradient that is seen globally with MS but not other diseases. The implications of this finding offer great opportunities to uncover the causes of MS, which are currently unknown.

Additionally, Dr. Rivera expressed concern that while Latin Americans are at lower risk for MS, they are still susceptible to the disease and, as a population, they are significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. “Current clinical studies feature nearly 95% Caucasian patients, and there is no data to show whether Latin American patients will respond the same way to the same drugs,” he said. Dr. Rivera felt these are very important areas of exploration, not only for Latin American patients, but also to help advance the understanding of MS in general. As he said, “I have one foot in Guadalajara and the other in Houston, which gives me a unique perspective on MS in the Latino population.”

For more information on multiple sclerosis, or to offer support for research, go to www.mscare.org . The Consortium of MS Centers is committed to being the preeminent professional organization for Multiple Sclerosis healthcare providers and researchers in North America, and a valued partner in the global MS community. Its core purpose is to maximize the ability of MS healthcare providers to impact care of people who are affected by MS, thus improving their quality of life.