Finding Your Footing in the Shifting Landscape of Multiple Sclerosis

Michael K. Racke received his M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School. He completed his neurology training at Emory University in Atlanta and a neuroimmunology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. His first faculty position was at Washington University in St. Louis, where he was the recipient of a Harry Weaver Neuroscience Junior Faculty Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Young Investigator in Multiple Sclerosis of the American Academy of Neurology Education and Research Foundation. He then moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center where he was Vice Chairman for Neurology Research and also professor in the Center for Immunology. He was chairman of neurology at The Ohio State University School of Medicine from 2006-2014. His research focused on understanding how inflammation is established in the central nervous system and developing novel therapeutics by studying the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. He was instrumental in performing preclinical studies which helped lead to the development of dimethyl fumarate as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. He also participated in research efforts developing anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies for multiple sclerosis, including the first publication using rituximab in progressive multiple sclerosis. His research also centers on the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Dr. Racke has served on scientific advisory committees for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Institutes of Health, and the Hertie Foundation. He serves on several editorial boards, including JAMA Neurology and the Annals of Neurology, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuroimmunology. He has served as chairman of the Research Programs Advisory Committee for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, on the Board of Directors for the American Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS), and as President of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), of which he now serves on the Board of Governors. He has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in America for over 20 years. He is currently the medical director for neurology at Quest Diagnostics.

Dr. Anne H. Cross is a professor of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, where she holds the Manny & Rosalyn Rosenthal and Dr. John L. Trotter MS Center Chair in Neuroimmunology and has served as Section Head of the Neuroimmunology/MS Section since 2001.

Raised in Mobile, Alabama, Dr. Cross graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and was selected for the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honorary. After residency training in adult neurology at George Washington University, she spent several years as a post-doctoral fellow training in neuroimmunology and neuropathology at the National Institute of Health with Drs. Dale McFarlin and Henry McFarland and later at Albert Einstein College of Medicine with Drs. Cedric Raine and Celia Brosnan. Dr.Cross pursued further training in the clinical care of MS patients at Albert Einstein College of Medicine with Dr. Labe Scheinberg and received the Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar award of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 1990 and the John Jay Dystel Prize in 2019.

Dr. Cross joined the Washington University Department of Neurology in 1991. Her research has been continually funded by the National MS Society, the NIH and/or the U.S. Department of Defense since she opened her laboratory in 1991. Her laboratory currently focuses on advanced imaging studies of progressive MS and the role(s) of B cells and B cell products in MS and its animal models. During her nearly 30 years at Washington University, she has trained more than 30 students, residents, and fellows; she is very proud that they all continue to actively contribute to the research and care of MS and related diseases.

Mitzi Joi Williams is a Board-Certified Neurologist and Fellowship trained Multiple Sclerosis Specialist who serves as the Founder & CEO of the Joi Life Wellness Group Multiple Sclerosis Center in Newnan, GA. She is considered a subject matter expert in Neurology, Multiple Sclerosis, and Health Disparities. Dr. Williams has over 15 years of experience in the field of Multiple Sclerosis. She received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and received her Doctor of Medicine Degree from Morehouse School of Medicine, also in Atlanta, Georgia. She completed her Internal Medicine Internship, Neurology Residency, and Multiple Sclerosis Fellowship at Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly MCG) in Augusta, GA, where she received numerous accolades and served as Chief Resident of the Neurology Residency Program.

Dr. Williams has spearheaded and participated in multiple steering committees and work groups to further research in underserved populations with MS, with a focus on the African American population. She has recently joined efforts to increase diversity in clinical trials and educate the community about the importance of research participation. Through collaborations with national and international committees, she advocates for people living with MS to share in the decision-making process with their healthcare teams to combat this disease. Dr. Williams is the author of MS Made Simple: The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis. She continues to live out her mission to provide personalized Multiple Sclerosis Care delivered with expertise, compassion, and joy.