MS Summit Speakers Announced

March 16 event focusing on multiple sclerosis will cap MS Awareness Week

Some of Wisconsin’s leading multiple sclerosis experts will be sharing the latest information about MS research and treatments at the 2013 MS Summit, March 16 at the Country Springs Conference Center in Pewaukee. The annual event brings together individuals and families affected by multiple sclerosis for a day of networking and education in a supportive and social atmosphere.

There is no charge to attend but registration is required.

Confirmed speakers for MS Summit are:

Bonnie Dittel, Ph.D., a senior investigator at the BloodCenter of Wisconsin-Blood Research Institute who is studying how cannabis-related molecules affect immune system cells.

John Fleming, M.D. , the MS Clinic Director at UW-Madison Hospital and Clinics, whose revolutionary trials are testing how worm eggs alter the immune response in people diagnosed with MS. 

Colleen Hayes, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose studies have laid the foundation for research into the role of vitamin D in developing MS.

Bhupendra Khatri, M.D., a Board Certified Neurologist with Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s newly-opened Center for Neurological Disorders at St. Francis Hospital.

Alexander Ng, Ph.D., F.A.C.S.M., an associate professor in the Exercise Science Program at Marquette University who focuses on symptomatic fatigue in chronic disease such as MS.

Julie Olson, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at U.W.-Madison who is studying cells in the brain and spinal cord that participate in the immune attack in multiple sclerosis.

MS Summit is scheduled as a capstone for MS Awareness Week, March 11-17, a time when people across the nation come together to share, educate and build awareness to create a world free of MS. The Summit will be held at Country Springs Conference Center, 2810 Golf Road, Pewaukee. For more details on the event and the speakers, or to register, visit www.wisMS.org or call 262-369-4400 (toll free 800-242-3358).

About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.1 million people worldwide. More than 10,000 children, women and men have been diagnosed in Wisconsin, giving the state one of the highest incidence rates in the country.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. The Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move forward with their lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society invested $44 million in 2012 to support more than 350 new and ongoing research projects around the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement by contacting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society-Wisconsin Chapter at wisms.org or 262-369-4400 (toll-free 800-242-3358).

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).