The focus of the seminar series is to call for experts related to academia and research in the areas related to biomechanics, variability, motor disorders, physical therapy, and related studies.

Presentation Title: Multiple Sclerosis in Focus: Raising Awareness and Exploring Potential Collaboration in Biomechanics

Presentation Abstract:

Multiple sclerosis (MS), both as a disease and as an illness, ranks among the most puzzling conditions, presenting a multiplicity of challenges. As a disease, MS is considered a chronic, immune-mediated, inflammatory, demyelinating, and neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. As an illness, it typically affects people in the prime of their lives, when families, careers, and ambitions are developing. MS is the most common disabling primary neurological condition among young adults and affects approximately one million people in the United States. In this presentation, we will delve into MS by discussing its history, epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentations, diagnosis, disease course, and current management and treatment strategies. We will also discuss potential collaboration opportunities in the field of biomechanics.

About the speaker:

Afsaneh Shirani is an assistant professor of neurology and a clinician-scientist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She earned her MD from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Subsequently, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the pharmacoepidemiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and a neurology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Following this, she pursued a fellowship in MS and neuroimmunology at Washington University in St. Louis, where she also obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation. Dr. Shirani’s main areas of research interests include real-world effectiveness of disease-modifying therapies for MS, the integration of emerging biomarkers in personalized management of people with MS, and the development of neuroprotection strategies in the central nervous system. She has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and several book chapters in the field of MS and has received prestigious awards from the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology.