We are excited to announce that we've received funding for a trial comparing pain self-management models for people with progressive MS and chronic pain! This will be a multi-site trial with our collaborators at the University of Michigan. www.progressivemsalliance.org/2026/02/18/a...

Cate Baum is also joining us for the year! Cate is a senior majoring in public health and is interested in learning more about clinical research, specifically intervention implementation and community involvement. Outside of work, she spends her time running, golfing, cooking, and being outside.

RSC Sarah Orsborn presented a poster on results from the pilot trial of our CBT for MS Fatigue Study at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention last weekend! You can learn more about the ongoing factorial RCT here: uwmsrehabwell.org/cbt-for-ms-f...

We're excited to be welcoming new undergraduate interns to our team this week! Ainsley Greve (she/her) is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She is excited to learn about non-pharmacological interventions for symptom management in MS.

Our team brought a few treats to the MS Center to celebrate Halloween last week! We are so grateful to be able to work alongside such amazing staff and providers!

The leaves are turning! 🍁 🍂 Happy Fall from our research staff at UW Medical Center - Northwest!

Each fall, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS) holds its annual conference. You can read this National MS Society summary if you're interested in learning about themes emerging in MS research! www.nationalmssociety.org/news-and-mag...

We are looking for a UW student to join us as an undergraduate research volunteer! For more details, see our posting at new.expo.uw.edu/expo/opportu.... To apply, go to redcap.link/uwmsrehabwel.... Please feel free to share this opportunity!

For #PainAwarenessMonth, we want to share some resources about #MS pain. MS Society UK has helpful articles (www.mssociety.org.uk/about-ms/sig...) and booklets (www.mssociety.org.uk/sites/defaul...) describing types of pain, causes, treatment options, and how to communicate about pain with others 🧡

Check out UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine's article on our summer interns! rehab.washington.edu/news-and-eve...

Huge congratulations this week to Erin Mistretta, who is starting her new role as Acting Assistant Professor!

Finally, NMSS intern Noor shared: "Through contributing to several research projects, engaging directly with participants, and working with MS clinicians, I have gained valuable insight into how the integration of research and clinical care can lead to meaningful improvements in patient outcomes."

Our NMSS intern Jeremy Luo shared "I think this summer was an amazing introduction to research and I enjoyed it a lot! ... I'm definitely going to continue trying to do research with MS and I'm actually applying to a lot of MS labs at Vanderbilt this semester. Thanks so much everyone!"

We'll share our interns' end-of-summer reflections this week! Elena: "I saw how research and practice intersect to improve outcomes ... This experience has sparked a new interest in neuropsychology and women's health, and inspired me to pursue research-integrated medical practice in the future."

It was so wonderful to have our summer interns here this year! We'll be sharing their end-of-summer reflections next week. You can read more about the National MS Society's undergraduate research program below -- applications for 2026 will open in November! www.nationalmssociety.org/for-professi...

Huge congratulations to Tracy Herring, PhD on receiving the Early Career Practice Award from the Rehabilitation Psychology division of the American Psychological Association!! rehab.washington.edu/news-and-eve...

Today we're saying goodbye to our amazing summer interns, Jeremy, Elena, and Noor. They've brought such curiosity, enthusiasm, and joy to our work this summer! Thank you to the National MS Society for sponsoring Jeremy and Noor's internship. We're excited to see what everyone does in the future!

If you're interested in learning more about women's health and #MS, Can Do MS is hosting a TAKE CHARGE® MS and Women's Health webinar on Friday 8/1 from 2:00pm - 7:00pm PT! Register here: cando-ms.org/programs/tak...

Study coordinator Susan Robles is a co-author on this paper from the ENERGY study, which found that self-hypnosis and meditation can help with #MS fatigue. You can read more on HealthCentral at the link below!

Summer is officially here, and that also means heat! ☀️ Many people with #MS report heat sensitivity, or that their symptoms worsen in the heat. Check out this factsheet from MS Society UK on temperature and MS for more info and tips for staying cool 🧊 www.mssociety.org.uk/sites/defaul...

Finally, we want to welcome Jeremy Luo! Jeremy is part of the @nationalmssociety.bsky.social program. Jeremy is a rising junior at Vanderbilt majoring in Medicine, Health and Society, and also plans to go to medical school. This summer, he's excited to get more hands-on clinical research experience!

Please welcome Elena Skirgaudas, who is volunteering with us this summer! Elena is a rising junior at Boston College majoring in Sociology. She plans to apply to medical school and is interested in researching treatment adherence for people with chronic pain.

We have wonderful @nationalmssociety.bsky.social interns joining us this summer! Noor Ahmed is a rising senior @theohiostate.bsky.social majoring in Neuroscience. Noor plans to apply to medical school and is excited to learn about MS from a clinical perspective and interact with participants!

On #WorldMSDay, we reflect on what makes our work possible. As a team, we're committed to helping people with MS feel seen in research. We are grateful to our MS center colleagues, our community advisory board, and our participants. We could not do this without you! #MultipleSclerosis #MSAwareness 🧡

We're excited to be working on this expansion of My MS Toolkit for depression self-management! Stay tuned for more updates 🤗

We've been doing some spring cleaning, and we have new website pages you can check out! If you're interested in learning more about our completed studies, you can visit uwmsrehabwell.org/past-research/ or see our publications at uwmsrehabwell.org/publications... 🌻

On Friday, Dr. Sarah Simmons presented her work on transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation to promote hand and arm function for people living with #MS at the @uwrehabmed.bsky.social Lehmann Symposium! We are so happy to have such a talented faculty member on our team!!

We had a great time at the @nationalmssociety.bsky.social #WalkMS Seattle with the rest of the @uwrehabmed.bsky.social MS Center! It was great to see so many people out to show their support 🧡 💜

Happy APA #PsychologyWeek! We wanted to highlight a recent Can Do MS podcast with our own Mary Curran on managing MS pain, which highlights several of the evidence-based behavioral interventions that we research. Give it a listen! 🎧 cando-ms.org/resource/liv...

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 We are so grateful to live in a place with so many beautiful parks, trees, and wild spaces. If you can, take a moment today to appreciate something about this incredible home we share 🌻 Get involved with UW's earth-month activities here: sustainability.uw.edu/earth-day-20...

New publication! Participants with MS who were given access to hypnosis and mindfulness meditation recordings reported reduced fatigue impact, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms. Mark Jensen was lead investigator and RC Susan Robles was a co-author! journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Our research staff attended the ITHS Research Coordinator Networking to Enhance Development (NED) Conference on Friday! It was great to meet other Seattle-area research coordinators and learn about new topics, including enhancing community engagement and the emerging issues of AI in research.

Check out our latest publication with University of Michigan, exploring meaningful change in momentary measures of fatigue! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Our fellow Erin Mistretta, PhD is at the #SocietyofBehavioralMedicineConference this week presenting work on within-day negative affect regulation as a predictor of momentary pain and fatigue in #MS!

In honor of #NationalSocialWorkMonth, we want to thank Mary Curran, MSW for being an invaluable member of our team! On top of her other responsibilities, Mary delivers interventions to many of our research participants. We are so grateful for you, Mary!

Publication alert! ⭐ Our newest paper discusses common comorbidities for people newly diagnosed with MS and associations with health outcomes. Former research study assistant Sydney Pattison led this paper -- way to go, Sydney! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

For the last day of #MSAwarenessWeek, please consider joining the UW Medicine MS Center Team for Walk MS: Seattle on April 27! You can join or donate to our team here: events.nationalmssociety.org/index.cfm?fu... We can’t wait to see you there! #MSEndsWithUs #WalkMS

"My participation in the ETIPS study has been a crucial component in my healing journey. It provided me with the tools to create a better balance in my life and reminded me that I still have joy in my life." - Patti #MSAwarenessWeek

"I have been diagnosed with #MS for 35 years & have had amazing support from @uwrehabmed.bsky.social, through studies, classes and one-on-one counseling. Through these I have learned to manage both my symptoms and emotions in healthier ways which has contributed to a better quality of life." -Elysa

"Diagnosed with MS in 1999, I responded well to Avonex. I’m still leading a physically active and intellectually stimulating life, 25 years later. By participating in research, I hope that my experience can be replicated. I hope to finish circumambulating Whidbey Island this year!" - Jill

Since we've moved to a new platform, this #MSAwarenessWeek we'd like to re-share stories from some of our research participants living with #MS. We feel honored to have such wonderful, engaged participants who have donated their time and insight to contribute to MS research! 🧡 Stay tuned.

In honor of #InternationalWomensDay tomorrow, we want to celebrate the incredible women who are our research team, our colleagues, and an integral part of our #MS community! We are honored to stand on the shoulders of many amazing women who paved the way for us to pursue careers in clinical science.

New publication 🎉 with colleagues at Kratz Lab at UMich Medicine, @pennstateuniv.bsky.social, & @waynestateresearch.bsky.social! Smartphone-based tests of working memory and processing speed show good feasibility & reliability in people with MS. Read more below! journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

"Many people report when their stress is worse or when they're not taking care of themselves, MS symptoms feel worse, too.” One of our collaborators, Tracy Herring, PhD, recently did an interview with HealthCentral on self-care tips for people living with MS! www.healthcentral.com/condition/mu...

We're looking for participants for our study on CBT-based telehealth treatments for MS fatigue! The aim of this study is to develop an effective, efficient, and accessible treatment for MS fatigue. You can read more on our website at uwmsrehabwell.org/cbt-for-ms-f....

Congratulations, Erin! We are so lucky to get to work with you!

Interested in learning more about our ongoing research? We're actively running studies on exercise, fatigue, cognitive function, and chronic pain self-management! You can find all of our current studies on our website: uwmsrehabwell.org/research/

We'll be at Walk MS: Seattle this year on April 27 with the @uwmedicine.bsky.social MS Center Team! 🧡💜 You can register or donate here! events.nationalmssociety.org/index.cfm?fu...

Thanks to @uwrehabmed.bsky.social for a wonderful Winter Celebration!

Do you know someone without MS who wants to contribute to MS research? 🧡 We're looking for adults without MS to help us test our visual evoked potential machine! mstrust.org.uk/a-z/evoked-p... Contact us for more info: uwmsrehabwell.org/contact/