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About Genentech

Horizon is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines that address critical needs for people impacted by rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases. Our pipeline is purposeful: We apply scientific expertise and courage to bring clinically meaningful therapies to patients. We believe science and compassion must work together to transform lives. For more information on how we go to incredible lengths to impact patients, visit www.horizontherapeutics.com, follow us @HorizonNews on Twitter, like us on Facebook or explore career opportunities on LinkedIn.

As the specialty care global business arm of Sanofi, Sanofi Genzyme is committed to meeting significant unmet medical needs. With a well-established heritage in multiple sclerosis, we continue to forge the way in neurology, seeking to provide hope where none existed before, developing innovative approaches to treatments based on patient insights, scientific expertise, and cutting-edge technology. By partnering with scientific, healthcare and patient communities, we continue to build on over 40 years of collaboration and inspiration, understanding and experience, empathy and knowledge to drive the development of potential new therapies and to help change what it means to live with a neurological disease. Learn more about these partnerships and possibilities at www.sanofigenzyme.com

About Sanofi Genzyme

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About TG Therapeutics

https://www.tgtherapeutics.com

At TG Therapeutics, our commitment to people impacted by multiple sclerosis knows no boundaries. We are fiercely focused on the needs of patients and caregivers, as well as physicians and allied professionals, working together as one team to bring innovative treatments to those in need. We view our role as more than the development of novel treatments, but more broadly as the development of solutions to ease the burdens associated with MS. To achieve this goal, we are actively pursuing partnerships that allow us to engage with the MS community in the most respectful and meaningful ways. We look forward to working with you.

Exhibitors

About MS Views & News

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MS Views and News (MSVN) is a Grassroots, MS Patient Advocacy organization which provides educational programs, advocacy and resources to empower and enhance the quality of life, for the MS community. Whether in metropolitan communities, Suburbia or Rural America, we want those needing information about Multiple Sclerosis, to get this information.

Promo video – Please click: https://youtu.be/mb3TfaMzPfk

MS Views and News is dedicated to the global collection and distribution of current information regarding Multiple Sclerosis. In collaboration with other organizations, MS Views and News uses state-of-the-art communication channels to provide information for those affected by MS.

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/msviewsandnews
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/msviewsandnews
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/msviewsandnews
• Watch our pre-recorded programs here: www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews 

Monthly virtual programs include:  MS NeuroTV;  MS Views NOW, MS Patient’s Voices; Mental Health and Wellness Chat; Compass To MS Care;  Chair Yoga; Pilates;  Physical Therapy; & more.

Use the search box on either our Blog or website to find information about Multiple Sclerosis.

Additionally, each month, you will be sent our monthly, MS Beacon e-Newsletter.

MS Views and News (MSVN) is making an IMPACT.

About Our Presenters

Dr. Martin Belkin, Medical Director, MIND MS Center
Medical Director, MIND MS Center
Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders (M • I • N • D)

Dr. Belkin is the Medical Director of the MS Center at the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders, which is one of the largest private MS Centers in the country. In addition to his extensive experience as the primary and sub-investigator for clinical trials in Multiple Sclerosis, he is known as a national speaker on the topic of Multiple Sclerosis. He is also actively involved in educating medical students and residents in the field of Neurology as he serves as the residency program director for the Ascension Macomb-Oakland Neurology Residency. As of July 2022, he has developed and serves as the director of the MIND MS/Neuroimmunology fellowship program. Additionally, he serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.

About MIND

MIND Center for Comprehensive MS Care Virtual Exhibit

Virtual Exhibit

James Bowen, MD
Medical Director, Multiple Sclerosis Center
Swedish Neuroscience Institute

James Bowen, MD, is medical director for the multiple sclerosis center at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute (SNI) in Seattle. In addition, he is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Washington. He has served in many capacities with the National MS Society, receiving the Society’s Hall of Fame for Health Professionals and Researchers award in 2005. Dr. Bowen has published more than 160 peer-reviewed journal articles, plus numerous book chapters and abstracts with an emphasis on multiple sclerosis. His research focuses on clinical trials in MS, including hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Dr. Bowen was instrumental in creating the MS Center at Swedish that is internationally recognized as a model for providing comprehensive care of patients.

Dr. Bowen will present about the comprehensive MS Center at Swedish Neuroscience Institute (SNI), their unique wellness program, and how they optimize wellness which is divided into three parts: physical, emotional and community. An extensive list of wellness opportunities offered at SNI will be discussed, and  Dr. Bowen will share how programs can be initiated in other communities. 

The Pacific Northwest is believed to have one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, so it’s natural that the Swedish Neuroscience Institute is home to a world-class MS Center — a leader in MS treatment and MS research. We help people with MS live to their fullest by providing an array of crucial services in one convenient location. Our compassionate, comprehensive care includes the latest medical treatments and addresses each person’s emotional and physical needs.

We move beyond the long list of physical and cognitive symptoms of MS to address the emotional, psychological and social needs that arise from this complicated disease and its impact on every aspect of a person’s life. Our goal is to help patients not only to cope, but to live life well, despite having a chronic illness.

MS Adventures Year Round

We currently have numerous virtual programs, including yoga, that anyone living with MS is welcome to join. Visit our wellness program calendar.

The Power of Music as Therapy in MS

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Mariska Breland
Certified Pilates Teacher for MS, The Neuro Studio

In 1999, Mariska took her first Pilates class. After a 2002 diagnosis of MS, she became a devoted yoga and Pilates practitioner and taught her first class a year later. Mariska then founded Fuse Pilates, a contemporary Pilates method and studios based in Washington, D.C., for which she developed all of the group classes and training programs. Mariska is also the inventor of the patented Fuse Ladder.

Mariska completed a research project on Pilates for multiple sclerosis patients as part of her comprehensive Pilates certification through Body Arts and Science International (BASI Pilates). She later expanded that research into an in-depth multi-day Pilates for Neurological Conditions teacher training course and incorporated the latest research in neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation into a program designed for people with MS, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological conditions. This year, she launched the MS Master Plan – the most comprehensive single source for multiple sclerosis patients in existence, consisting of over 275 videos including interviews with experts and patients about everything from diet and exercise to understanding how MRIs work and how to read the results, from successful strategies for disability and workplace claims to the psychological ramifications of an MS life. 

As a student of medical neuroscience, Mariska has also designed workshops that focus on how to integrate brain science into exercise programs to enhance performance and improve neurological function. She has worked extensively with students with MS, stroke, spinal cord injury, neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral scelrosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease), and Charcot-Marie- Tooth disease. She regularly consults with Pilates teachers around the world as well as with neurologists, physical therapists, and physiatrists to help them work with clients with MS.

Mariska’s education in the movement arts is vast and includes Pilates mat certification through Power Pilates and additional apparatus, mat, and anatomy training through Balanced Body Pilates and Peak Pilates. From 2010 until his death in 2013, Mariska studied in a one-on-one mentorship with renowned Pilates Master Julian Littleford, founding member of the PhysicalMind Institute and one of the world’s most creative and innovative Pilates instructors.

Mariska is a Pilates Method Alliance (PMA®) Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) and Continuing Education Provider. She is a Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates Specialist, trained through the Center for Women’s Fitness directly with its founder, Carolyne Anthony, who invited her to join the organization as faculty. She is also a Post Rehabilitative Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, trained through the Pink Ribbon Program. In 2013, she completed Pilates Studio Techniques in support of Heroes in Motion, which overviews skills to work with amputees and persons with traumatic brain injury. Additionally, she has advanced certificate training in Pilates for Injuries and Pathologies, the Pathology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, and specialized training in Pilates for athletes and for men.

Mariska also has an upcoming TEDx Talk about finding your advocacy voice. 

Jean Cote, MD
Neurologist, Memorial Healthcare Institute for Neuroscience
Dr. Cote will discuss the benefits of Acupuncture for MS. 

Mindy Eisenberg, MHSA, C-IAYT, ERYT-500
Director and Founder of Yoga Moves MS

Mindy is the Founder and Director of Yoga Moves MS, a non profit 501(c (3) with the mission of improving the quality of life for individuals with MS, Parkinson’s Disease, and neuromuscular conditions through the provision of adaptive yoga and holistic health and wellness education.  Mindy has provided in person and virtual yoga therapy to individuals with mobility challenges for over seventeen years and thrives on building a strong, mighty community for her students, families, and care partners. She is the author of Adaptive Yoga Moves Any Body, created for individuals with MS and neuromuscular conditions and Adaptive Yoga Cards, daily yoga moves for all ages and abilities. She has trained hundreds of students with her Adaptive Yoga Moves Any Body Teacher Training and is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction teacher, Reiki Master, and Certified Buteyko Breathing Instructor. Her experience as a health care administrator at the University of Michigan Medical Center contributes to her ability to bring the Yoga Moves philosophy of healing to the health care arena. She created the cutting edge annual Virtual Holistic Health and Wellness Forum for MS, presents for corporate, academic, and yoga therapy organizations, and offers small group and private therapeutic yoga, breathing, and meditation sessions. She lives with her husband and pets, Felix and Oscar in Michigan, and loves to visit her daughter and son, Julia and Noah, in NYC.

Dr. Taylor Gonyou

Taylor Gonyou is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine where she
graduated at the top of her class. She completed her neurology residency through the Beaumont Health
System and Michigan State University Statewide Campus System. During her neurology training, she
developed a sincere interest and passion for helping patients with the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and
related disorders. She made the decision to dedicate her career to helping patients with MS both from a
clinical and research perspective. She is currently completing her fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at the
Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorder’s Comprehensive MS Center.

Betsy Hartman, MT-BC
Music Therapist-Board Certified
Neurologic Music Therapist, Fellow

Betsy will present how music therapy plays a role in the three of levels of wellness for people living with MS and their caregiver(s). She will provide an overview of music therapy including education, training, recent research, and the role of a music therapist – speaking specifically to the music therapy program at the MS Center. If time permits, she will lead an experiential exercise to showcase how music therapy addressed physical and psychosocial health.

Betsy is a board-certified music therapist with extensive experience working with people living with cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), and their families. She founded PNW Music Therapy (Seattle) in 2014 and since that time has partnered with Swedish Medical Group (Seattle) to build and lead its flagship music therapy program at Swedish Cancer Institute and Swedish MS Center. Betsy is passionate about developing tools and resources to help reduce pain and anxiety, improve coping skills and wellness, and enhance motor, speech, and cognitive health. In addition to her clinical work, she partners with companies to develop resources, tools, and content which improve access to and awareness of music therapy. Betsy participated in developing the award-winning music therapy resource, MS in Harmony, The Power of Music as Therapy video, and is a guest speaker for podcasts such as MS Journeys on IHeartRadio and RealTalk MS.  

The Power of Music as Therapy in MS

Ilana Katz Sand, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology
Kahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Dr. Katz Sand received her undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where she was elected to the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. She obtained her MD degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where she was elected to the AOA Honor Society, the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society, and received the Helen Sciarra Prize in Neurology. She completed her neurology residency at Columbia University Medical Center, where she was elected chief resident in her final year and was recognized by the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Foundation Circle of Excellence in Teaching. She then pursued a two-year fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS at Mount Sinai, funded by a Sylvia Lawry Fellowship Training Grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She joined the faculty at Mount Sinai following completion of her fellowship in 2013.

Dr. Katz Sand is currently the Associate Director of the CGD Center for MS. She cares for patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Neuromyelitis Optica, and other neuroimmunological conditions. She received a Cullman Family Award for Excellence in Physician Communication in 2016 and 2022. She is heavily involved in research, and is currently the Principal Investigator on several studies at the Center with a focus on clinical and translational research and a particular interest in how environmental factors, especially diet, affect prognosis. Recent and current studies include a pilot clinical trial of a dietary intervention for MS, observational studies related to diet and other lifestyle factors in MS, an investigation of the role of the gut microbiome in MS, a study on the mechanisms of neuronal degeneration in progressive MS, and a pilot clinical trial of cetirizine as an add-on for NMO. Her work has been funded by the National MS Society, the US Department of Defense, and the Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation. She is a member of the National MS Society’s Wellness Research Working Group and the Co-Director of the CGD Center’s MS Wellness Program.

James Voci, MD
Chair, Yoga Moves MS

Dr. James M. Voci received his undergraduate training at Haverford College in Philadelphia followed by Medical School at the University of Pennsylvania. There, his interest in Neurology was nurtured by a strong faculty which included Dr. Robert Lisak who later became Chairmen of Neurology at DMC in Detroit. His residency in Neurology was performed at University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve University where he served as Chief Resident in his final year. Upon completion of his training, he served on the faculty there as Assistant Professor Of Neurology, performing both research in molecular biology as well as the instruction of new residents. In 1996 he left for private practice and eventually arrived in the metro Detroit region in 1999 where he has remained since. Dr. Voci currently serves as the Director of Neurology at St. Francis Hosp in Evanston. He is actively involved in the care of Multiple Sclerosis patients both clinically and with clinical research studies. And, yes, he actively practices Yoga. He has been the Chair of Yoga Moves MS since 2014.

Dr. Emmanuelle Waubant, MD, PhD
Neurologist, University of California San Francisco Weil Institute for Neuroscience
Dr. Waubant will present about the microbiome as it relates to MS. 

Emmanuelle L. Waubant, MD, PhD, received her medical degree at the University of Lille, France. She then trained in France as well as at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in adult neurology, neuroimmunology and MS clinical research.  She is currently Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at UCSF. She has served as the Race to Erase MS medical director since 2001. She also directs the Regional Pediatric MS Center at UCSF and is the president-elect of the Americas Committee on Treatment and Research in MS. Dr. Waubant serves or has served on the clinical care, fellowship and research grant review, and research programs advisory committees of the National MS Society. She is the Chair of the Clinical Trial Task Force of the International Pediatric MS Study Group and a Steering Committee member of the US Pediatric MS Network and International Pediatric MS Study Group. She also directs translational research projects and mentors junior investigators on various clinical, research and career development aspects in the field of MS and related diseases. In 2018, Dr. Waubant started an international consortium (international Women in MS) to foster diversity and community spirit among clinicians and scientists from all over the world, promote diversity in professional organizations and mentor junior women in the field of MS. 


Dr. Waubant’s specific interests include the translation of promising agents from the bench to bedside to advance patients’ care, and risk factors for MS susceptibility and disease modification in pediatric and adult MS.