The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) Announces Awards Designed to Encourage Young Professionals to Choose a Career in MS
At the 23rd annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) held in Atlanta, May 27 – 30, 2009, the Foundation of the CMSC (FCMSC) was proud to support a growing number of awards and scholarships, deepening its commitment to the professional development of the students, healthcare professionals, and scientists who will build the MS professional workforce of the future.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2009
CONTACT: Linda Peckel
203-521-9677
lindapeckel@gmail.com
The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) Announces Awards Designed to Encourage Young Professionals to Choose a Career in MS
Atlanta, GA – At the 23rd annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) held in Atlanta, May 27 – 30, 2009, the Foundation of the CMSC (FCMSC) was proud to support a growing number of awards and scholarships, deepening its commitment to the professional development of the students, healthcare professionals, and scientists who will build the MS professional workforce of the future.
“We are pleased to be able to offer these awards which encourage young professionals to seek a career in multiple sclerosis,” said James P. Simsarian, MD, President of the FCMSC, and Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program at the Neurology Center of Fairfax, in Fairfax,Virginia.
The FCMSC Summer Research Scholarship program offers opportunities for medical students to conduct MS research projects under the mentorship of CMSC expert researchers and clinicians who themselves have contributed to the growing body of knowledge in MS diagnosis and treatment. A number of Summer Research Scholarship awards were announced at the 2009 CMSC annual meeting to encourage students to consider a future career in multiple sclerosis. This group of scholarships are awarded through the FCMSC and supported by the CMSC/FCMSC Board of Governors, Band Against MS (BAMS) Foundation, and corporate supporters including Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec, EMD Serono, Genentech, and Teva Neuroscience.
The CMSC/FCMSC Board of Governors fully sponsors a scholarship, which in 2009 was awarded to medical student Andrew Sharabi for his research project, “Efficacy of Gamma Knife Radiofrequency for Trigeminal Neuralgia in patients with MS.” Andrew will be working under the guidance of Dr. Victor Rivera and Dr. Steven Carpenter at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
The first of three annual Steven R. Schwid Summer Research Scholarships, established in memory of the late Steven R. Schwid, MD, and supported by Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., was presented to David Jeffrey Sackel, a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. This summer, David will conduct his research project, “Contribution of Visual Symptoms to Overall Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and Economic Status in Multiple Sclerosis” under the mentorship of Laura Balcer, MD, MSCE. David and other FCMSC Summer Research Scholars will present scientific posters of their completed projects at the 2010 CMSC Annual Meeting.
The second annual June Halper MS Summer Research Scholarship, established in honor of the Executive Director of the CMSC, June Halper, MSCN, ANP, FAAN, was granted to Mehvish Mehrani, from Wayne State University School of Medicine, for a summer research project, “Pericytes, a Novel New Adult Stem Cell, Ameliorates Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE).” The 2009 award is supported through an FCMSC grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. Mehvish will be mentored by Paula Dore-Duffy, PhD.
For the second year in a row, multi-platinum recording artist Clay Walker’s Foundation, Band Against MS (BAMS) is also funding a scholarship. This year’s award was presented to Kaitlin Eng for her research project, “Prediction of MS Course from Early Clinical and Brain MRI Features.” Kaitlin will be working this summer under the guidance of Aaron Miller, MD, Co-Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY.
Continuing in its aim to encourage professionals-in-training to gain additional expertise in MS research or clinical care, the FCMSC has established an annual meeting scholarship fund supported by Teva Neuroscience. Multiple scholarships were awarded in 2009.
“With the generous support of corporate and individual contributors, and through our year-round fundraising efforts, the FCMSC promotes the development and training of professionals who will be the MS caregivers in the future,” explains Dr. Simsarian. “Ultimately, these are the people who will continue to provide the care to our patients in the years ahead, and who will continue the ongoing search for a cure for this devastating disease.”
For information on these and other events at the CMSC Annual Meeting, please contact CMSC/Foundation Media Representative Linda Peckel at lindapeckel@gmail.com. For more information about how to contribute to “Building the Future of MS Care,” through support of the Foundation of the CMSC, visit their website at: www.CMSCFoundation.org.
The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) is a recognized 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.