For the MS clinicians and researchers at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, our goal is to provide the best treatment that is safely available to our patients and to pursue research that could lead to improvements in their lives.
Website: http://ms.centreforbrainhealth.ca/
Clinical Activities
The MS Clinic to date has seen over 10,000 patients and cares for 80 – 90 per cent of MS patients in BC.
From the beginning the MS Clinic adopted a multidisciplinary team approach, with many different health care professionals including, neurologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, urologists, nurses, social workers, physio and occupational therapists, psychiatrists, and genetic counselors working together to support patient treatment, education and research.
The MS Clinic is a national clinical trial centre for new pharmaceutical therapies (http://ms.centreforbrainhealth.ca/ or email ms.nmo_research@ubc.ca); imaging research, advanced genetics and immunology research; and is home to the world’s largest MS registries (database) of over 7500 patients, many of whom have been followed for over 25 years.
The UBC Hospital MS Clinic is a teaching clinic and is actively involved teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows who may become future MS specialists.
Outreach Clinics
The UBC Hospital MS Clinic physicians and staff provided outreach clinics to Prince George, Kitimat, Whitehorse and Comox.
Specialized Services
The Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) Clinical and Research Program at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health is Canada’s only NMO program that is focused on clinical service with a research component. It was established in 2009 through the generous support of Rick and Susan Diamond. The NMO Clinic and Research Program is focused on the cause and the treatment of NMO. It strives to raise ongoing awareness and to educate and disseminating information about NMO to patients, the public, and healthcare professionals. (http://nmo.centreforbrainhealth.ca/)
Participating Divisional Members
Neurologists
Virginia Devonshire – Director
Tony Traboulsee
Robert Carruthers
Ana-Luiza Sayao
Alice Schabas
Neuro-Ophthalmologists
Janet Lindley
Claire Sheldon
Affiliated Non-Divisional Members
Stacey Elliott
Joseph Tham
Rajiv Reebye
Paul Winston
Magda Ilcewicz
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
MS/MRI RESEARCH GROUP (MRI)
MS/MRI is a multi-disciplinary group of neurologists, radiologists, computer programmers, statisticians and scientists working together to design MRI protocols for use in phase I, II, III and IV multicenter clinical trials in MS.
Lead PI: David Li, Tony Traboulsee, Roger Tam
UBC MRI RESEARCH GROUP (PHYSICS)
The UBC MRI Research Centre develops advanced imaging for monitoring myelin repair (myelin water imaging). The mandate of the Imaging Centre is to make state of the art in vivo MR imaging and spectroscopy available to researchers at the University of British Columbia, the four Vancouver teaching hospitals (UBC Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital and St Paul’s Hospital) as well as the broader research community.
Lead PI: Alex MacKay, Shannon Kolind, Alex Rauscher
PATHOLOGY
Ongoing exploration of the basic mechanisms of MS pathogenesis. The study of therapies with immunomodulatory as well as neuroprotective capabilities have the greatest promise in treating and preventing the disability attributed to inflammatory demyelination and neurodegeneration.
Lead PI: Jacqueline Quandt, Corree Laule, Wayne Moore, Katerina Dorivini-Zis
IMMUNOLOGY
Study of antibody secretion in vitro using both myasthenia gravis and MS as models and the development of assays to measure antibodies to interferon in MS. The study of whether autoimmunity to lipid antigens plays a role in the pathophysiology of disease such as multiple sclerosis.
Lead PI: Joel Oger, Lorne Kastrukoff, Peter Van Den Elzen
GENETICS
Research on genetic susceptibility to MS has been a very productive and successful part of the MS program in addition to studying epidemiology, pathobiology, and the clinical outcome of Canadian children with clinically isolated demyelinating syndromes (CIS).
Lead PI: Dessa Sadovnick, Carles Vilarino-Guell
EPIDEMIOLOGY
A core component of this program focuses on bringing together multiple large health databases created for over two decades by physicians, pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals.
Lead PI: Helen Tremlett
REHABILITATION & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Research in chronic neurological conditions and their impact on chosen. Current projects include research investigating occupations related to significant life transitions, community integration, and health and well-being; fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS); pain and fatigue in spinal cord injury (SCI); fatigue in traumatic brain injury (TBI); and adults successfully living with MS.
Lead PI: Susan Forwell
EDUCATION PROGRAM
The UBC MS Connect Education Program provides multidisciplinary training for our medical students, residents, fellows and research students provided through weekly MS rounds. These rounds are local and visiting fellow/student and or research led rotation weekly journal clubs, presentations, workshops and “Bench to Bedside” session. These sessions continue to foster ongoing enrichment and collaboration among clinicians, researchers and trainees in our UBC MS Program.
Lead: Michelle Eisner