Momentum - Spring 2012

or closed) was affected when participants were given a dual task, such as counting backward by threes. Dr. Huisinga—a rehab fellow in the Mentor-Based Rehabilitation Fellowship program of Fay Horak, PT, PhD—will continue to tease out what makes daily tasks difficult for people living with MS and ways to address these challenges.

Urinary symptoms, such as incontinence, in kids with MS and similar diseases were examined by Clinical Care Fellow Bethany Morgan-Followell, MD (Ohio State University). Of 19 children who filled out a survey on the topic, 11 reported such symptoms, even though this problem was only recognized in seven after being examined by standard clinical measures of disease activity. Dr. Morgan-Followell advised that incontinence is likely an under-reported symptom, and the survey used by her team may be better able to identify this problem.

Clinically oriented fellows enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the science of MS, as well. “I plan on taking this exciting research back home and explaining it to my patients,” said Teri Schreiner, MD, MPH (University of Colorado). “This will give them a lot of hope.”

Fellowship never ends Experienced researchers discussed their own training experiences, providing their best

advice for launching careers in the complex and exciting arena of MS research and care. “My own fellowship cemented my career in the MS community,” pointed out Timothy Coetzee, PhD, who is now the chief research officer of the Society.

“Dream big,” said former Society fellow and grantee Patrizia Casaccia, MD, PhD (Mount Sinai School of Medicine). “Otherwise, you will not have the motivation to survive. Papers get rejected and you have to continue. Know that the work is the best you can do, and eventually things will work out.” Dr. Casaccia talked about her own career and how she took up the study of epigenetics (how the environment and genetics interact) before the field garnered the attention that it enjoys today. “I knew in my heart that this was the best work I could do,” she said, adding that without the support of the Society, she would not have been able to develop her now highly successful laboratory.

Jerry Wolinsky, MD
(University of Texas Health
Science Center, and chair of
the Society’s National Clinical
Advisory Board), advised
flexibility. “You need to know
when it’s time to transform
yourself,” he said. “The worst
thing is to think that you have
the techniques you need when
you really need to retool and ask
the question a different way.”
It’s a process that continues
throughout an investigator’s
career. “Fellowships never end—
the mentors just change.”

A world of options

The Society supports nine different fellowship programs that allow young men and women to train with seasoned MS scientists and physicians in laboratories and MS clinics, and ease their transitions into independent careers. From its humble beginnings— funding six fellows for a total of $13,000 in 1955—the research fellowship program is now funding 75 fellows with about $50,550 each per year. In addition, the MS Clinical Care Physician Fellowships Program has trained 40 neurologists and physiatrists in specialized MS care since 2003.

The conference ended with breakout sessions in which the fellows discussed several career options. Not all MS research careers need be academic. Fellowships can launch MS-related careers in the pharmaceutical/biotech industries, in the clinic, or at nonprofit organizations.