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Vilija Jokubaitis, A/Prof (Chair)
A/Prof Jokubaitis completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science double degree at the University of Melbourne, followed by a PhD in Molecular Neurobiology at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health/University of Melbourne. She is a Group Leader at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research team's focus lies in MS prognostics and treatment individualisation, with a particular focus on MS genetics, environment, and Women’s Health. Her research group actively engages with MSBase. She has led a number of MSBase publications, as well as a number of collaborative research projects both within and outside of MSBase. Vilija is the Co-Chair and Scientific Lead of the MSBase SLG Pregnancy, women’s health and neonatal outcomes sub-committee.
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Tomas Kalincik, MD, PhD (Deputy Chair)
Tomas Kalincik is a neurologist and statistician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He holds a degree in medicine/surgery from Charles University in Prague, and has trained as an neurologist in the Czech Republic. He completed a PhD in neuroscience at the University of New South Wales and a Postgraduate Certificate of Biostatistics at the University of Melbourne.
Together with his research team, Tomas is an active participant in the global MSBase collaboration. Tomas has led a number of MSBase publications and leads several collaborative projects within as well as outside the MSBase network. His main research interests span treatment outcomes in MS, individualised therapy, prognostics, epidemiology and the utility of volumetric MRI in MS.
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Alessio Signori, PhD
Alessio Signori is currently Assistant Professor in Medical Statistics at University of Genoa, Italy. He works in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) field from 10 years. He obtained the PhD in Biostatistics in 2013 and was post-doc in the same field up to 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Maria Pia Sormani. In 2011 he was visiting fellow at Neurological Centre of McGill University in Montreal under the supervision of Prof. Douglas Arnold. In 2015 he was recipient of the MSBase Fellowship. He was speaker at EAN, ECTRIMS and Charcot congress. He is interested mainly on the methodological aspects of research projects on MS patients. He is author or coauthor of more than 150 papers on international journals.
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Anneke van der Walt, MD
A/Prof Anneke van der Walt is a Neurologist specializing in the management of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuro-ophthalmology. She is appointed as the Director, MS and Neuroimmunology and is the Head of Neuro-ophthalmology at Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia. She leads the MS and Neuroophthalmology research group in the Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University.
Her research interests include digital biomarkers and applied technology, real-world data, MS cognition and cerebellar function. She has a keen interest in Women’s Health in MS as well as symptom management in people with MS.
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Ayse Altintas, MD
Prof.Ayse Altintas became a neurology specialist (Ege University) in 1992, “associate professor” in 1997, and “professor” in 2003 (Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty). Between 1991-1992, she studied neuroimmunology under the mentor of Prof. Moses Rodriguez at the Mayo Clinic and worked on the experimental model of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). With this work, she was awarded the Eczacıbaşı Medical Incentive Award. In 2001, she worked with Prof.C.Lucchinetti and Prof. B. Weinshenker on the neuroimmunopathological mechanisms, radiological correlations and demyelination / remyelination mechanisms of MS at Mayo Clinic.
She has been a Board member of the European Neuroimmunology School for many years, a member of the BioMS-eu working group, the coordinator of the Turkish Neurological Association’s Neuroimmunology working group, SLG member of MSBase and member of international scientific committee of Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation. Her current works are focused on multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and primarily aimed to clarify possible disease biomarkers and mechanisms at the immunopathological level by clinical and laboratory studies.
Prof.Ayse Altintas has been working at Koç University School of Medicine Neurology Department and Research Center for Translational Medicine(KUTTAM) since June 2018.
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Barbara Willekens, MD, PhD
Prof. Dr. Barbara Willekens is an academic neurologist at the Antwerp University Hospital and assistant Professor of Neurology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium. In 2021 she obtained a PhD in Medical Sciences, with a thesis entitled “Towards patient-tailored treatment in multiple sclerosis: a dendritic cell-based vaccine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis”. She has authored more than 50 papers and has presented her research at international conferences. Prof. Dr. Willekens performs dedicated clinical work and translational and clinical research in the field of multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunological disorders of the central nervous system.
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Dana Horakova, MD, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Dana Horakova, MD, PhD, completed medical school at Charles University in 1992. Since 1999, she has been working in the MS Centre, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague. In 2006, she spent 6 months training at the BNAC, in Buffalo, USA.
In 2010, she received her PhD with a thesis titled “Predictive Markers for Clinical Development in Patients with MS.”
Dr. Horakova is a member of the Immunological Committee of Czech Neurological Society
She was Chair of the MSBase Scientific Leadership Group between 2016-2020.
Her key research interests are - markers of disease activity and treatment response (clinical and MRI, especially implementation and validation of quantitative volumetric MRI techniques in a routine clinical practice), use of databases and registries in MS, and phenotype-genotype project.
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Helmut Butzkueven, MBBS, PhD, FRACP
Helmut Butzkueven is an academic neurologist specializing in management of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and real-world MS outcomes research, including drug safety and long-term effectiveness studies.
He is the van Cleef Roet Professor and Head of the Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, and Director of Neurology at the Alfred Hospital, all in Melbourne.
He is a current NHMRC Leadership Investigator.
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Jens Kuhle, MD, PhD
Dr Jens Kuhle obtained his MD from the Eberhard-Karls University in Tübingen, Germany and went on to specialise in neurology and neuroimmunology at the University Hospital Basel. He is the Head of the MS Centre at the University Hospital Basel, deputy Head of the Research Center for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience Basel and the Principal Investigator of the Swiss MS Cohort Study. His main research interests include body fluid biomarkers and observational cohort studies in MS.
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Jiwon Oh, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Jiwon Oh is a staff neurologist, scientist, and Medical Director of the Barlo Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Program at St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto and specializes in the care of people living with MS. Dr. Oh’s research focuses on developing advanced MRI techniques in the spinal cord and brain for use in clinical settings. She leads the MRI research program at St. Michael’s Hospital, and is the principal investigator on numerous local multi-center collaborative studies, including the Canadian Prospective Cohort Study to Understand Progression in MS (CanProCo), which is a national prospective cohort study designed to better understand progression in MS. Dr. Oh is also the Secretary and an Executive Committee member of the North American Imaging in MS Cooperative (NAIMS) representing a multi-national collaborative MRI research endeavor in MS with over 30 sites in North America.
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Johannes Lorscheider, MD
Dr Johannes Lorscheider is a Consultant Neurologist and Deputy Head of the Neurological Outpatient Service at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. He is a Group Leader at the Research Centre for Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience Basel (RC2NB) and Senior Lecturer at the University of Basel. He graduated and was awarded an MD from Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg, Germany and undertook his neurology training at the University Hospital Basel. He performed a one year clinical and research fellowship in MS at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne in 2015.Dr Lorscheider’s main research interests are real-world data in MS with a special focus on disability progression and the development of digital biomarkers for MS.
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Liliana Patrucco, MD
Dr Patrucco received her medical degree in 1989 from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and her neurological certification in 2000, when she also joined the Department of Neurology as a staff physician at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Liliana is now Co-Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Centre and the Neurology Residence Tutor at the same hospital, as well as Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Buenos Aires, and a member of LACTRIMS. Dr Patrucco’s interests lie in the fields of epidemiology, genetics and clinical aspects of multiple sclerosis, which have been the subject of several published papers by Liliana.
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Louise Maree Rath, Lead Nurse Consultant
Louise Rath is a Multiple Sclerosis Nurse Consultant specializing in patient experience and engagement in healthcare. She is the lead nurse consultant at MSNI (Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology) service at Alfred Health, Melbourne.
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Mario Habek, MD, PhD
Dr. Habek is a Professor of Neurology at University of Zagreb, School of Medicine and a Neuroimmunologist at the University Hospital Center Zagreb, where he serves as the Head of Referral center for demyelinating diseases of the CNS. His research focuses on the autonomic nervous system abnormalities in demyelinating diseases of the CNS.
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Matteo Foschi, MD, MSc
Dr Matteo Foschi is a neurologist and the research coordinator at the MS Center of S.Maria delle Croci Hospital in Ravenna, Italy. He received his degree in Medicine (MD) from the University of Chieti in 2014 and completed his neurology residency at the University Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna in 2019. He achieved a 2nd level Master degree in MS research from the University Federico II of Naples. He is also attending a PhD program in Neuroscience at the University of L’Aquila, Italy. Dr Foschi’s interests in MS research encompass treatment outcomes, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, neuroimaging features. He authored and co-authored several publications in the field of MS and Stroke. He established national and international MS registries at the MS Center of Ravenna and is currently involved in many clinical trials on MS therapeutics.
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Oliver Gerlach, MD, PhD
Dr. O. Gerlach, MD, PhD, studied medicine at the Maastricht University in the Netherlands and graduated in 2005. In 2006, he started his training in Neurology at the Maastricht University Medical Centre+ and finished this May 2012. Since then he works as a neurologist at the Zuyderland Medical Centre in the Netherlands. O. Gerlach is chairman of the department of Neurology. He participates as a neurologist at the academic MS Centre Limburg at Zuyderland Medical Centre and is involved in MS related research.
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Orla Gray, MD
Dr Orla Gray is a Consultant Neurologist who specializes in the management of Multiple Sclerosis, based in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland. During her neurology training, she gained an MD for her research on the Epidemiology, Genetics and Quality of Life in MS and performed a one year clinical and research fellowship in MS and Neurorehabilitation in the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
She became a member of the MSBase SLG in 2009 (chair 2012-2016) and is a member of the Research Sub-committee (chair 2014-2016). She is Co-Chair and Clinical Lead of the Pregnancy, Women’s Health and Neonatal Outcomes Sub-committee.
Her key research interests include Real World Outcomes in MS and Women’s health, including pregnancy in MS.
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Raed Alroughani, MD, FRCPC
Dr. Raed Alroughani is a consultant neurologist and the director of MS clinic at Amiri and Ibn Sina hospitals. He received his degree in medicine (MD) from Charles University (Czech Republic). He completed his neurology residency at the University of British Columbia and subsequently obtained the neurology certification from the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeon (Canada). He then completed a fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at the University of British Columbia.
Dr Alroughani’s fields of interest are principally directed towards the epidemiology and therapeutics of MS. He established the national MS registry and the multi-disciplinary MS clinic in Kuwait. He authored and co-authored more than 150 publications. Dr Alroughani was awarded the National Prize for scientific production in the field of medical science in 2017 and the best researcher award by Amiri Hospital in 2018.
He is a founding member and the secretary general of MENACTRIMS. He sits on the executive boards of various scientific associations, steering committees, and advisory boards, mainly in the field of MS.
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Riadh Gouider, MD
Prof Riadh Gouider is a Professor of Neurology and Head of Neurology Department at Razi University Hospital and of the Multiple Sclerosis Center. He is also President of the Tunisian College of Neurology and Neurosurgery. He is the Coordinator of the Clinical Investigation Center "Neurosciences and Mental Health" involved in the clinical and scientific research on Multiple Sclerosis. Currently, he is the President of the Medical-Scientific Council of Tunisian MS Society (ATSEP), and the representative in the MSIF. He is actively involved in the Middle East and North Africa Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (MENACTRIMS) as a Founding member since 2013 and Vice President since 2014.
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Sara Eichau, MD, PhD
Sara Eichau is a neurologist specializing in the management of Multiple Sclerosis.
She is currently the Director of MS Unit at the Virgen Macarena Hospital in Sevilla, Spain (UEMAC). She is the leader of a team of 20 people specialized in MS, formed by neurologists, nurses, neuropsychologists, neurophysiotherapists and research personnel who perform an integral follow-up of the patient from the beginning.
She finished her PhD at the University of Seville in 2018, after completing her doctoral thesis on "Familial Multiple Sclerosis”.
In terms of research, she is the principal investigator of 28 clinical trials in MS and neuromyelitis optica.
She has an enthusiastic interest in Women’s Health in MS, immunology, MS cognition, and in the holistic management of the MS patients, including exercise, nutrition and social and laboral life.
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Stella Hughes, MD
Dr Stella Hughes obtained her medical degree from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and undertook neurology training in Northern Ireland. She completed a research fellowship with the MSBase Registry in Melbourne in 2011. She was awarded an MD from QUB in 2014 for her thesis entitled ‘Epidemiological Perspectives on MS’. She works as a Consultant Neurologist with specialist interest in MS at the Belfast HSC Trust and is an Honorary Lecturer in Queen’s University, Belfast. She is a current member of the ECTRIMS Council and a member of the UK MS Pregnancy Register Steering Group.
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Thomas P Leist, MD, PhD
Prof Thomas P Leist MD PhD is Director of the Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center at Jefferson University. He is involved in basic and clinical research into multiple sclerosis and the Neurology of autoimmune disorders and infections of the central nervous system. He has also conducted research on the Neurobiology and pathology of retroviral, herpetic, and bacterial infections and the role of lymphokines at the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, the University of Miami, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Zurich. A Prof Leist is the author of many research articles and is board-certified in Neurology
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Tiny Ruijters-Kempkens, Nurse Specialist
Tiny is a nurse practitioner, MSc at the Zuyderland Medical Center in Sittard, the Netherlands. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of MS. In her position, she takes care of patients and their treatment and participates in drug- and scientific research. In addition, she is very active in the board of MastersinMS, which consists of a group of about 50 nurse specialists and phycisian assistants. Those who are members of this group are authorized prescribers for medicines. In her role as Master in MS, she regularly gives training to the participants of the MS nurse education.
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Tomas Uher, MD, PhD
Tomas is a neurologist in the Centre for Demyelinating Diseases of Neurology Department and Center of Clinical Neuroscience at the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General Faculty Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
He obtained his medical degree at Charles University in 2006, where he later specialised in psychiatry and then in neurology. Since 2011, he has been certified for systemic psychotherapy. In 2012, he completed his doctorate in medical psychology at Charles University and became a neurologist in the Centre for Demyelinating Diseases. In 2016, he was recipient of the MSBase Fellowship.
His research interests include MRI phenotypes of multiple sclerosis, prediction of disease progression and monitoring of disease course using volumetric MRI and biochemical measures, neuroimaging correlates of cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis.
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