Hackensack, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2014 -- The preeminent conference for multiple sclerosis health care professionals, the 2014 Cooperative Meeting of CMSC (Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers) & ACTRIMS® (Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis), kicks-off each day with some of the top minds in MS diagnosis, treatment and comprehensive care. Taking place May 28-31, 2014 in Dallas, TX at the Hilton Anatole, the robust educational agenda includes headline speakers as well as panel discussions and continuing education programs for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and social workers.

“The Cooperative Meeting of CMSC & ACTRIMS features national and international MS experts who represent the best in clinical care and research,” said June Halper, Chief Executive Officer, CMSC. “Attendees will walk away with a greater understanding of the comprehensive management of the disease and the right knowledge and tools to enhance their skills as an MS professional.”

Stephen D. Miller, PhD, opens the CMSC & ACTRIMS Cooperative Meeting with a lecture entitled: “Tolerance Directed Immunotherapies Employing Biodegradable PLG Nanoparticles –The Future of MS Treatment,” on Wednesday, May 28th. Dr. Miller is Director, Interdepartmental Immunobiology Center Judy Gugenheim Research Professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

On Thursday, May 29th, the opening lecture by Kottil Rammohan, MD will address: “MS Care in the 21st Century: How Information Technology will Transform Care.” Dr. Rammohan is a Professor of Neurology – Clinical, and the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Miami.

The CMSC ACTRIMS Collaborative John Whitaker Memorial Lecture: “Role of NG2 Cells and IL-17 Signaling in EAE;” takes place on Friday, May 30th chaired by Michael Racke, MD, Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, MD with Richard Ransohoff, MD presenting. Dr. Racke is Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center and is internationally recognized as a leader in neurological sciences.

Dr. Dhib-Jalbut is Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurology?UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School?Chief, Neurology Service?Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and is President of ACTRIMS®. Dr. Ransohoff is Director of the Neuroinflammation Research Center in the Department of Neurosciences of Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic; Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and Staff Neurologist in the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, Cleveland Clinic.

Elliot M. Frohman, MD, PhD, FAAN and Teresa C. Frohman, PA-C, will deliver the CMSC Donald Paty Memorial Lecture on Saturday, May 31st, entitled: “Elegance and Eloquence of MS Plaque Pathogenesis: Protons, Protection, and the Prospects for Plasticity.” Dr. Frohman is Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology, holder of the Kenney Marie Dixon-Pickens Distinguished Professorship in Multiple Sclerosis Research and the Irene Wadel and Robert Atha Distinguished Chair in Neurology and Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program in the Department of Neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

In addition to the daily opening lectures, the CMSC & ACTRIMS Meeting features unique educational opportunities. At The Meet the Professor Dinner on May 28th, a “Stem Cell Update” will be presented by Dr. Mark Freedman, Professor of Neurology at the University of Ottawa and the senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

There are also full courses on “The Fundamentals of MS Care;” “Current Topics and Trends in MS Rehabilitation;” and timely topics that include “The Role of the Advanced Practice Clinician;” “MS Palliative & Long Term Care;” “Complementary & Alternative Medicine;” “New Insights and Future Direction in MS Pathology;” “Infectious Complications of MS Therapy;” “Gender Issues in MS;” and “Assessing Risk Tolerance to DMTs.”

The 2014 Cooperative Meeting of CMSC & ACTRIMS® is the only North America event that provides health care professionals, from a wide range of medical disciplines and from all over the world, with the latest information, treatment advancements, and research in comprehensive care in multiple sclerosis. For more information on the CMSC & ACTRIMS Meeting and to register, visit: www.cmsc-actrims.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 www.mscare.org.