Professional Education & ECHO MS

The National MS Society provides a variety of professional education opportunities for healthcare providers. See below for a comprehensive list and visit our professional education calendar to view upcoming virtual, online and in-person events. Offerings with CME/CE are noted below and on the calendar.

Follow us on Twitter for educational event updates!  @mssocietyhcp

ECHO MS increases the capacity of neurologists to diagnose and manage patients with multiple sclerosis.  The program establishes an innovative peer-to-peer professional knowledge sharing network through a six month 12 CE cohort.

Join us on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 9 AM MT for the inaugural Mountain West MS Forum! This continuing medical education virtual conference is hosted by the National MS Society's Mountain West Healthcare Provider Council and brings MS Experts together, attracting an audience of neurologists, physiatrists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and others involved in the search for answers to the complex questions of multiple sclerosis. This year’s focus will be on DEI, Implicit Bias, Diversity in MS Clinical Trials and Research plus Mental and Emotional Health Awareness and Management Tips and Tools.

Find more information including registration here

On June 21, 2022 the National MS Society, in partnership with the VA, hosted a webinar on the economic burden of MS in the United States. Emphasis was placed on a comprehensive overview of the economic burdens those living with MS face, including both systemic and individual burdens, actionable ways healthcare providers can support their patients in navigating these burdens, and policies that could support a decrease of burden. 

Listen to the recording here

Personalized Approach to Preventing COVID-19 in the Immunocompromised 

On March 3, 2022 the National MS Society and Consortium of MS Centers hosted an expert-led virtual discussion on tailoring COVID-19 prevention strategies to the needs of each patient. Discussion topics included the role of personalized vaccine schedules, pre-exposure prophylactics and the role of biomarkers in clinical decision making.   

Listen to the recording here

From pandemic to endemic: How do the immunocompromised live with SARS-CoV-2

On February 17, 2022 the National MS Society and Consortium of MS Centers hosted an expert-led virtual discussion on post-pandemic life, what that means for the general population and the implications for those who are immunocompromised.

Listen to the recording here

Recent opportunities have been made available to MS healthcare providers to better understand and address health inequities and social determinants of health in clinical care. The National MS Society has a vetted collection of programs that highlight health equity strategy implementation, further describe unmet needs in MS and provide a scoping review of health equity.

National MS Society Program:

Cultural Competency and Implicit Bias

Presented by:
Lilyana Amezcua, MD- USC                                          
Mitzi Joi Williams, MD-  Joi Life Wellness Group Multiple Sclerosis Center

Additional relevant articles:

• Perceptions and Preferences Regarding Multiple Sclerosis Research Among Racial and Ethnic Groups- International Journal of MS Care, 2021
• Conscious & Unconscious Biases in Health Care- Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competency
• Training Culturally Competent Direct Care Workers: Key Considerations for Long-Term Services and Support Workers- Resources for Integrated Care

CME Programs:

• Prime - Achieving Health Equity in Multiple Sclerosis: Expert Strategies for Delivering Evidence-Based, Patient-Centered Care
• All Roads Lead to Change: Addressing Unmet Needs in the African American MS Community Web Activity
• Health Equity CME, to include training on:
  • Health Equity: Leading the Change
  • LGBTQ+ Patient Care
  • Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Town Hall
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Weight Bias

The Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC) is the leading organization for multidisciplinary MS professional education in North America. We are excited to partner with the CMSC on several professional education activities. In addition, we are pleased to provide a link to the official journal of the CMSC, the International Journal on MS Care, a peer-reviewed international publication focusing on multiple sclerosis and related autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system. Every issue of the International Journal on MS Care has one article which offers free CE credit.

A collaboration between the VA MS Centers of Excellence and the National MS Society. This CME/CE webinar series provides a free, accessible educational opportunity for health care clinicians involved in the care of patients with MS with the aim of improving MS knowledge and patient outcomes.

July 2022 - Mar. 2023, second Thursday of each month, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. CT

The National MS Society’s Upper Midwest Healthcare Provider Council invites you to join us in a virtual networking and discussion series covering  the following symptom management topics:

Cognition and Mental Health
Fatigue
Bowel and Bladder
Spasticity and Pain
Sexual Health
Optimizing Independence
Adaptations
Symptom Management Research Update

Click here to register

Bi-monthly (every other month) interactive discussion calls for the education, information and engagement of mental health professionals working with individuals and families living with MS. View the details here. 

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the United States Network for Pediatric MS Centers invite you to a monthly Difficult Case Webinar to discuss difficult cases of pediatric MS or other suspected demyelinating diseases. Click here to learn more.

MS and Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Approach to Care is an on-demand webinar series targeted to rehabilitation providers (OTs, PTs, SLPs). The rehabilitation series covers MS pathophysiology, medical management, and symptom management of the disease, rehabilitation neurological assessment and intervention and recommended exercises, and an overview of the National MS Society and related community resources. 

This course is a resource for fitness and wellness professionals, including aquatics instructors, yoga teachers, personal trainers and other professionals who want to learn more about MS. It provides an overview of the disease and offers specific strategies for working with a diverse MS population. Access the course here.

An opportunity for fellows across the country to present cases and receive feedback from other fellows and renowned faculty. Visit our Clinical Fellows page to learn more.

The National MS Society partnered with the International Organization of MS Nurses (IOMSN) to provide a comprehensive multiple sclerosis nursing update exploring concepts underlying clinical practice of an MS nurse and study reference materials and preparatory resources. Presented by Amy Gilbert, RN, MSCN of The Schapiro Center for Multiple Sclerosis® and IOMSN Midwest Regional Liaison. Download the recording here.