Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Supports Tomorrow’s Physicians with New Mentorship Program

Medical Residents Eyed for MS Fellowships

(Hackensack, NJ, March 2015) — The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Cen-ters (FCMSC) established a new MS Mentorship Program to encourage and support medical residents as they pursue a fellowship in neurology. The goal is to inform residents about career opportunities in the MS specialty, and to recruit a new generation of MS healthcare experts to meet increased demands of a growing patient population.

The program’s first MS Mentorship Forum, hosted in Newark, NJ, on January 23-24, 2015 featured nationally recognized thought leaders in multiple sclerosis care and research along with “rising stars” in MS who are five to seven years into their specialty careers. These expert and “peer” mentor teams shared knowledge and experiences with a carefully selected group of resident scholars.

During the MS Mentorship Forum, medical residents learned up-to-date information about immunology and pathology of multiple sclerosis; emerging strategies for monitoring out-comes; and issues of long-term prognosis and care. The forum also successfully highlighted overall neurological healthcare trends, challenges and exciting career opportunities within the MS specialty and subspecialties, various professional resources, and emerging technologies for diagnosing and treating the chronic illness, which affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.

The MS Mentorship Forum also discussed components for a formalized on-going MS Mentorship program and drafted recommendations for MS professional training programs, in-cluding some in post-residency appointments that could be a resource for medical students worldwide.

The forum and its proposed programs piqued the interest of many specialists, peer men-tors and resident attendees who offered their support for the initiative.

“The MS Mentorship Forum was an eye opening experience for me. The program gave me an opportunity to get away from my busy third year resident schedule, and focus specifically on neuroimmunology,” said Veronica Penyak, MD, Northwestern McGraw Medical Center, Chicago, IL. “I was able to network with junior and senior faculty to see how these accomplished physicians built their careers. Not only did we learn from didactic lectures, we were able to get junior faculty one-on-one to sit down and help us work through a case, which brought up many interesting conversation points. I am now so enthusiastic to apply for my neuroimmunology fellowship.”

Faculty member, Irene Cortese, MD, of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD added, “This is such an important initiative that I fully expect will lead to meaningful change.”

The FCMSC and Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) are dedicated to providing comprehensive information, continuing education, skill development and support for MS healthcare professionals. The mentorship program is funded by Biogen Idec through a med-ical education grant. The MS Mentorship Program is a one-year, interactive experience for se-lected resident scholars. The next Mentorship Forum will take place during the CMSC Annual Meeting May 27-30, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. For more information about the FCMSC, visit www.cmscfoundation.org.

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About the Foundation of Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC)

The FCMSC was founded in 1999 with the mission to stimulate the growth, development and provision of patient care services, education and research in the field of MS and to enhance the quality of life of those affected by MS through supporting the activities and initiatives of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers’ (CMSC). For more information go to www.cmscfoundation.org.

About the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) is the leading educational, training, and networking organization for MS health-care professionals and researchers. The mission of the CMSC is to promote quality multiple sclerosis care through educational programming and accreditation including live and online events, research grants, technical journals and papers, and targeted advocacy efforts. The CMSC member network includes more than 7,000 international health-care clinicians and scientists committed to multiple sclerosis care as well as more than 60 Veterans Administration MS Programs and 225 MS Centers in the US, Canada, and Europe. The next CMSC Annual Meeting, the most compre-hensive multidisciplinary MS educational event in North America, will take place May 27-30, 2015 in Indianapolis, IN. For information and press registration, please go to www.annualmeeting.mscare.org.