Mellen Center Update in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 2014

About the Symposium Welcome to our seventh annual Mellen Update in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Our focus this year will be primarily on where we stand with treatment. The past 5 years have yielded an explosion of new medications for MS. Deciding what medicines to begin and how to monitor and safeguard these medicines can be challenging for the busy clinician. Our keynote speaker this year, Dr. Jeff Dunn from Stanford Medical School will discuss whether MS is truly one disease or perhaps several. Other speakers will review data on therapeutics and disease management. At the Mellen Center we are developing a more standardized approach to care which incorporates the best evidence as well as an awareness of patient preferences, co-morbid conditions, and risk tolerance. The Mellen Center has been spearheading this approach and we will discuss the work that has been done on the Mellen Center Carepath. We will have speakers on a diverse range of topics focused on what’s new and what’s important in the field: Vitamin D, MS pathology, treatment targets, MRI measures and symptoms management. This year we will address disability assessment and counseling as well as new technologies in MS and some exciting research work going on at the Mellen Center. We will focus on how treating MS patients affects the professional, reflecting a growing awareness of the importance of ‘mental health’ for clinicians to avoid burnout and job satisfaction issues. Building a better experience for our MS patients and initiating and monitoring the new MS medicines from an allied health professional point of view will be discussed. We hope you find this year’s conference engaging, thoughtful, and worth your time and commitment.