A nationally recognized faculty will present their latest multiple sclerosis related research findings and treatment protocols to medical professionals at the first annual MS 2008: Maximizing Care Strategies. Scheduled for May 3 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, the objectives of this multi-disciplinary conference are to expand the professionals' knowledge of MS and enhance their practice skills.

The National MS Society, Arizona Chapter and Banner Health have partnered to offer this one-day program to neurologists, physicians, gynecologists, ophthalmologists, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, speech language pathologists and other medical professionals. Attendees will receive continuing medical education or continuing education units at the conference.

"We have found, through our professional relationships with MS clinics, that the most effective plan of quality health care delivery is to promote a comprehensive care model incorporating networks of multidisciplinary providers," said Philip Carll, Program Director with the Arizona Chapter.

Topics to be presented include:

- MS Research Update: T cells, B cells and Emerging Treatment Options
- MS Genetics: What Have We Learned After 50 Years of Study?
- Relationship Busters: A Psychosocial Perspective on MS and Families
- Neuromyelitis Optica
- Sex is not Just a Three Letter Word
- Assessment and Treatment of Cognitive Difficulties with MS
- MS and the World of Work: Key Employment Concerns and Strategies
- Going 'Green': The Global Picture of Energy Conservation in Gait
- Cultural Diversity Matters: A Mind, Body, Spirit Approach
- Who Me? Conflicts of Interest in MS Research

There is a $95 registration fee for allied health, and a $150 registration fee for physicians. Registration is available online at http://nationalMSsociety.org/MS2008 or by phone at 1-800-344-4867, option 2.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and it stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2006 alone, through our home office and 50 state network of chapters, we devoted nearly $126 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives to move us closer to a world free of MS. The Society also invested more than $46 million to support 380 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society