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Board of Trustees
Michael Kaufman, MD, President Print

Mike KaufmanDr. Michael Kaufman is a clinical neurologist with an interest in multiple sclerosis clinical research since 1993. After attending Union College, Dr. Kaufman received an M.D. degree from Duke Medical School. His post-graduate training was performed at Cornell’s The New York Hospital, Case-Western Reserve’s Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, and The Mayo Clinic. Dr. Kaufman held faculty positions at Emory School of Medicine and Duke Medical School before a 14-year career in the private practice of neurology. In 1993 he left private practice and joined the Department of Neurology at Carolinas Medical Center, where he organized the first MS clinical research center in North or South Carolina. This Center has conducted more than 75 randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials in MS and has contributed over 30 articles, abstracts, and book chapters to the MS literature.

Dr. Kaufman has been selected as Professional of the Year and for the Leadership Award by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is also a National Multiple Sclerosis Society Volunteer Hall of Fame inductee. He has served on its national Health Care Delivery and Policy Research Committee and Clinical Care Committee. Dr. Kaufman serves as president of the Consortium of MS Centers. He is a former Chairman of the Integrative Panel of the Congressionally Directed MS Research Program. He has been named one of the Best Doctors in America, Southeast Region since 1996 and Nationally since 2008.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 April 2011 10:00 )
 
Susan Bennett, PT, DPT, EdD, NCS, MSCS, Vice President Print

Susan Bennett Dr. Susan Bennett is a clinical associate professor in the departments of rehabilitation science and neurology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, where she also serves as director of the MS Comprehensive Care Center within the Jacobs Neurological Institute. She has long been active in various professional societies related to physical therapy and MS and currently chairs the Rehabilitation Research Interest Group of the CMSC (Consortium of MS Centers) and is the treasurer of the CMSC.

Dr. Bennett received her BS in physical therapy from Daemen College (Buffalo), followed by an MS in health-science education, and an EdD in health behavioral sciences, both from SUNY in Buffalo. She recently completed her DPT from the University of Marymount Loyola and is a board-certified neurorehabilitation specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists and is certified as an MS specialist by the CMSC. 

Dr Bennett lectures and publishes in the areas of MS and physical rehabilitation, and is the 2010 recipient of the Labe C. Scheinberg Award, presented in recognition of outstanding work in neurorehabilitation in MS.
Last Updated ( Monday, 18 July 2011 15:28 )
 
Robert P. Lisak, MD, FAAN, FRCP, Secretary Print

Robert Lisak, MD, FAAN, FRCPDr. Lisak has served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine since 1987 as well as Neurologist-in-Chief of the Detroit Medical Center from 1987-2011.  He previously was a member of the Department of Neurology, the Graduate Group in Immunology and as Associate Member of the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also served as Vice-Chair of Neurology.  Having served on multiple editorial boards, Dr. Liask is the Editor of the Journal of the Neurological Sciences, the journal of the World  Federation of Neurology.

Dr. Lisak's research and clinical interests are in autoimmune/immunological mediated diseases of the nervous systems including multiple sclerosis and related disorders, myasthenia gravis, inflammatory neuropathies including Guillain-Barre syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies, inflammatory myopathies, CNS vasculitis and neurological complications of system autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosis, Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, mixed connective tissue disease and others.  His research studies include basic science, clinical research including treatment trials and translational research.  Over the years his work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Guillain-Barre Syndrome/CIDP Foundation, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America as well as by philanthropy and pharmaceutical companies.

Last Updated ( Monday, 18 July 2011 15:00 )
 
Michael K. Racke, MD, Treasurer Print

michael k. rackeDr. Racke is Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology College of Medicine at Ohio State University.  An international leader in neurological sciences, Dr. Racke is a distinguished scholar known for his research in immunology and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Racke serves on many advisory committees and currently is the chair of the Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors (CNBT) NIH Study Section.

He has received the prestigious Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholarship from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Young Investigator in Multiple Sclerosis Award from the American Academy of Neurology Education and Research Foundation.

Board certified in Neurology, Dr. Racke's clinical and research interests are neuroimmunology and multiple sclerosis, specifically studying disease pathogenesis and developing novel therapies.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 19 July 2011 08:26 )
 
Colleen Harris, RN, NP, MSCN, CMSC Past President Print
Colleen HarrisColleen Harris, RN, NP, MSCN is the Immediate Past President of the CMSC and serves as Nurse Coordinator/Nurse Practitioner of the University of Calgary MS Clinic, where she has been involved in multi-disciplinary care for much of her nursing career. She completed a diploma-nursing program at Foothills Hospital and later obtained both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in nursing, as well as a post Masters Nurse Practitioner Certificate through the University of Calgary. She holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor appointment with the faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary. She sits on the Alberta MS Special Therapies Review Panel that gives input on the approval and funding of new MS Therapies. Her interests specific to MS include intrathecal baclofen therapy, pain management, health outcomes research, and nursing education. Colleen, along with several of her MS nursing colleagues from North America, Europe and Australia, was involved in the creation of the International Organization of MS nurses (IOMSN) and is one of the past presidents of this organization.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 April 2011 06:58 )
 
Marcia Finlayson, PhD, OTR/L, MSCS, Senior CMSC Member at Large Print

Marcia Finlayson, PhDDr. Finlayson has over 22 years' experience as an occupational therapist and has been a MS Clinical Specialist since 2004.  Her clinical experience ranges from inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, to home health.  Dr. Finlayson completed her M.Sc. and PhD at the University of Manitoba in community health sciences.  Currently, she is a full professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Her research program focuses on understanding the experiences and challenges of living with multiple sclerosis (MS), and then using this information to develop, implement and evaluate self-management programs to reduce challenges and enhance quality of life among people with MS and their caregivers.  She has examined issues of aging with MS, fatigue management, falls prevention and caregiver support.

Since 2000, Dr. Finlayson has received over $2 million dollars in MS research funding.  She has published over 85 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and done over 100 conference presentations at national and international meetings.  In 2007, the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National MS Society named Dr. Finlayson "Volunteer of the Year."

 
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 19 July 2011 09:33 )