Hackensack, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/19/2014 -- The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC),(http://www.csmcfoundation.org) recently awarded its Whitaker Prize for MS Research to Albert Joseph, from The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. His findings “Right Under our Noses: Pathology in Central Nervous System Demyelinating Diseases.” will increase the understanding of the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis.

The Whitaker Prize was established in memory of John Whitaker, MD, a pioneer and role model in MS research, through the generous support of EMD Serono, Inc. The 2014 award was presented by Michael Racke, MD, chair of the Whitaker Research Track and Fernando Dangond, MD , Head of U.S. Medical Affairs, Neurodegenerative Diseases for EMD Serono, Inc.

The presentation of the award is one of the highlights of the Cooperative Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS®), that took place May 28-31, in Dallas, TX.

“Receiving this year’s Whitaker Prize was truly an honor and I am looking forward to studying more about multiple sclerosis,” said Albert Joseph of The University of Oxford.

Gabriel De Luca, MD, PhD, Deputy Director, of Oxford Medical School, who is now mentoring Mr. Joseph, accompanied him to this year’s Annual Meeting. In 2010, Dr. De Luca was awarded the ABF/CMSC John F. Kurtzke Clinician Scientist Development Fellowship Award while a chief resident at the Mayo Clinic.

“It was an honor to have received the FCMSC’s first clinician scientist fellowship. The FCMSC-funded award opened so many doors for me as a medical student and was extremely instrumental in bringing me down my current path in MS research and patient care,” said Dr. De Luca. “Now as a teacher, it is extremely gratifying to see Albert being recognized for his work and I know that the Whitaker Award will influence his future career.”

“It is exciting for the FCMSC to support the workforce of the future and to see Dr. De Luca and others continue to progress through training and become committed and compassionate MS clinicians and professionals,” said Judy Katterhenrich, Executive Director, FCMSC.

The FCMSC had seventy medical students, graduate rehabilitation students, neurology residents and Clinician-Scientist Fellows, a record number, participating in the educational and scientific sessions at this year’s CMSC & ACTRIMS Annual Meeting.

Their participation was funded through the FCMSC scholarship programs and training programs.

Another first for the FCMSC, two students who collaborated on a research project funded through the FCMSC were recognized at the 2013 “Best MS Research” Award Presentation in Copenhagen, Denmark during the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) meeting. Peter Sguigna and Ethan Meltzer, fourth-year medical students mentored by Dr Elliott Frohman at the University of Texas Southwestern, were one of five to receive this distinction out of 2,500 candidates for their work on “Investigating the Structure and Function of the Retinohypothalamic Tract in Multiple Sclerosis by OCT and Pupillometry.”

“It is exciting for the FCMSC to support the workforce of the future and to see Dr. De Luca and others continue to progress through training and become committed and compassionate MS clinicians and professionals,” said Judy Katterhenrich, Executive Director, FCMSC.

For more information on additional scholarships and fellowships made possible by the FCMSC and supporters, please visit http://www.cmscfoundation.org/initiatives2

About the Foundation of CMSC (FCMSC)
Celebrating 15 years, the FCMSC mission is to stimulate the growth, development and provision of patient care services, education and research in the field of MS and to enhance the quality of life of those affected by MS through initiatives supporting the activities of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers’ (CMSC) and its members. For more information go to http://www.cmscfoundation.org

About CMSC
The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) is the leading educational, training, and networking organization for MS health-care professionals and researchers. The CMSC’s mission is to promote quality multiple sclerosis care through educational programming and accreditation including live and online events, research grants, technical journals and papers, and targeted advocacy efforts. The CMSC member network includes more than 7,000 international health-care clinicians and scientists committed to multiple sclerosis care as well as more than 60 Veterans Administration MS Programs and 225 MS Centers in the US, Canada, and Europe.

CMSC’s and IOMSN’s official, peer-reviewed journal, the International Journal of MS Care (IJMSC), publishes high-quality research, reviews, and consensus papers on a broad range of clinical topics of interest to MS health-care professionals, and is mailed to its membership at no charge. All IJMSC content is available at http://ijmsc.org. For more information on the CMSC, visit http://www.mscare.org.