What to Expect When You Need to Take Your Child to the Emergency Room

It’s a moment every parent dreads. You believe your child needs critical medical care and decide you must go to the hospital.

Christopher Strother, MD, Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital, offers some helpful tips on when you should take your child to the emergency room and how to best prepare. The Mount Sinai Hospital recently completed a full renovation of the Children’s Emergency Department, which features state-of-the-art technology and treatment rooms, and specially trained staff.

What are the most common pediatric emergencies?

For children, the three biggest things that we see in the emergency department are infections, such as the flu, stomach viruses that can cause patients to get dehydrated, and high fevers. That’s followed by injuries: falls, broken arms, cuts, and head injuries. In New York, we also see a lot of patients with asthma, especially during the spring allergy season.

When should you take your child to the emergency department?

It’s a tough question. Anytime your child is in pain, or you’re scared, or you’re worried about their safety, we’re here for you 24/7. We’re there for anything, and if you think you need to see somebody right away and you’re not sure where else to go. There are many reasons to come to the hospital, such as severe pain or injuries, or anytime you’re worried about your child’s health and safety. The things we worry the most about are trouble breathing, dehydration, and major injuries.

How does the children’s emergency room at The Mount Sinai Hospital differ from a regular emergency room?

The biggest difference in a children’s emergency room is the people who work there. The doctors and nurses are all pediatric trained and comfortable taking care of sick children. If your child needs medications, an IV, or a procedure, the people who do that are trained to do it with children. We also have child life specialists who will help kids cope with the experience. Our staff will help your child be comfortable. They can educate you and your child on what’s happening and what’s going be next. Our expertise, our staff, and our training and the focus on children really set us apart.

What else is new at the Emergency Department?

The new Emergency Department is tailored to the needs of children and their families, with a separate space from the adult ED that is connected to all services within Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital.

We’ve increased the size of the Department as well as redone the entire space. It’s brighter and very child friendly, with lots of colors and other features that make the experience calmer and safer for kids. Video tablets have something to keep kids busy, distracted, and calm. We have a whole wall with an interactive video for the kids to look at. It feels like a family environment. We’ve also created are a “low-stimulation room,” which is a single room a little bit apart for children with autism or other neurodevelopmental challenges, where they can be quiet and calm. We also have a separate area with the most advanced equipment where we can take the best care of critically ill children.

How common are children only emergency rooms?

We’re lucky here in New York. We have several children’s hospitals in New York City and around the area. A lot of places in the country don’t have any. A major city might have one children’s emergency department. Most children who go to the emergency department in the United States go to a general emergency department. Pediatric emergency departments are a unique thing.

What else does Mount Sinai offer?

Mount Sinai has two other pediatric emergency departments, one at Mount Sinai-Union Square downtown and one at Mount Sinai Morningside on the Upper West Side. At all of the emergency departments throughout Mount Sinai Health System, we keep in touch with how they take care of children. So even if you’re not in one of our children’s emergency departments, our pediatric specialists are working closely with the other emergency department to make sure that your child gets the best care.

What are some tips for parents taking their child to the emergency room?

  • If possible, call your pediatrician first. Sometimes you’re worried. Things may look scary, and you feel you must go right away. If you have a minute to think about it, I always suggest giving your pediatrician a call if you can. It helps in a few ways. Sometimes talking to your pediatrician or your regular doctor can actually keep you from having to go. Sometimes they can make an appointment the next day or give you some advice that might allow you to stay home for this visit.
  • Be prepared to spend some time in the emergency department. If you need to go, be prepared to be there for a while. Bring a charger for your phone, and a book. A visit may last a couple of hours. It can take time to perform X-rays or tests.
  • ·Be ready to tell the medical staff about any medications your child is taking. Either bring the medications with you or write them down. It’s extremely helpful to the staff at the hospital to know what your child has taken already and when they took it. For example, if you have given Tylenol or Motrin, write it down. Let us know when was last time. Or if your child has any allergies to medications, let us know right away.
  • ·Let us know as soon as possible if your child has any chronic medical conditions. For example, if your child has sickle cell disease, when you come into the emergency department with a fever let the first person you talk to know they have a fever and sickle cell disease. Because that can change the way we approach a patient and the tests that are done. Be up front and an advocate for your child’s history.

Expert Advice on How to Keep Cool During the Summer

Summer is often a time to relax and enjoy the sun and the outdoors. But sometimes temperatures and humidity rise to the point where it can become uncomfortable, and potentially unhealthy.

In this Q&A, Erik J. Blutinger, MD, MSc, an emergency room doctor at Mount Sinai Queens and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, offers some simple tips on how to keep cool when temperatures rise, and how to know when you or others may be overheating and require medical care.

Erik J. Blutinger, MD, MSc

How can you keep cool when it gets very hot during the summer?

First, make sure that you monitor your time in the sun. Try to stay in a cool place, out of direct exposure. Apply sunscreen. Wear loose fitted clothing. Drink plenty of fluids. And be careful of being in enclosed hot spaces, especially your vehicle. Within just a few minutes, you can get very hot inside a vehicle. So we always advise patients to be aware of your surroundings, especially your loved ones such as young children or older adults, to prevent anyone from getting too hot during the summertime.

Who is most susceptible to overheating?

People who are most susceptible to overheating include older adults, those with chronic medical conditions, and babies. That’s because it is more difficult for them “to adapt as adults to temperature change; they have a harder time regulating their own body temperature.” Others who are potentially at risk include those working outside and those who play sports outside.

Do you often see people seeking medical treatment for overheating?

At any emergency room, we often see people who come in seeking medical treatment for overheating, especially in the summer months. Fortunately we have the medical tools available to us to take care of them safely. But it is always best to be aware of your surroundings so that you don’t get to the point where you do need medical treatment.

What is heatstroke?

Heatstroke is a true medical emergency and is often fatal if left untreated. It is the most serious type of heat-related illness. It’s marked by very high temperatures, such as when your body temperature reaches 104 F (40 C) or higher. It is normally accompanied by other problems, notably confusion.

What are some early signs of general heat illness?

Early signs of general heat illness include having cool, pale, or even flushed skin. You can also have headaches, lightheadedness, or weakness among other symptoms

How do I know when I should seek medical care?

You should seek medical care when you feel as though you’re having a true life-threatening emergency. Generally what I advise patients and family members is that if you are starting to feel lightheaded or dizzy, have a headache, or feel hot, put yourself into a cool environment. Drink plenty of fluids, rest, and see how you feel. If you feel as though you’re not experiencing improvement after taking a few concrete steps to get better, then I would consult a medical professional and consider going to the hospital or contacting your doctor

How can I tell the difference between a sunburn and heatstroke?

It can be tricky to tell the difference between sunburn and heat stroke because the symptoms can be similar. Sunburn is usually marked as very mild irritation, flushed skin, or blisters that can be treated at home and with a few topical creams and ointments. But in some cases, a sunburn can lead to a heatstroke. Heatstroke usually will be accompanied by not only a rash, but also fevers or chills, nausea, vomiting, and possibly confusion.

How can I get help if I am concerned about heat-related illnesses?

New York City has many resources that are available to all. For those who do not have an air conditioning unit and may struggle financially, there are resources such as the Home Energy Assistance Program. You can also call 311 or find a cooling center in New York City during a heatwave, which can be found on the website.

 

Answers to Your Questions About the COVID-19 Vaccines Just Authorized for Kids Six Months to Five Years Old

Parents of young kids finally have important news they have been waiting for: health authorities have authorized COVID-19 vaccines for kids six months to five years old.

This is welcome news for families and their younger children who have had to face the prospect of getting sick and have had to avoid many of their regular activities.

Federal health authorities have authorized the Moderna vaccine for children ages 6 months through 5 years, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 6 months through 4 years. The Pfizer vaccine requires three doses; the Moderna vaccine requires two doses. Pfizer’s vaccine was authorized for children ages 5 and over last November; the Moderna vaccine has now also been authorized for the  5-17 age group.

In this Q&A, Lindsey C. Douglas, MD, MSCR, a pediatrician at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, explains why parents should get their young kids vaccinated as soon as possible. Dr. Douglas is Medical Director, Children’s Quality and Safety, and Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and she is also Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Why should I get the vaccine for my child six months to five years of age? What are the benefits and risks?

We’re really excited that the vaccine has been approved for children six months to five years of age, so now nearly all children can get vaccinated. The vaccine does, in fact, reduce the chances that a child will get COVID-19. Many people who have looked at the data believe the reduction doesn’t seem to be that much. But we know that the vaccine reduces the chance that a child will get severe COVID, and that is really important. Children are being hospitalized with COVID-19, and that is something we worry about. Also, the vaccine will help us truly get back to normal, with children being able to be around other children, around their grandparents, and reducing the risks of transmission in general. We hope this will get us back to where we were before the pandemic, so that we can all gather together and not be as worried about COVID-19.

Two vaccines are recommended. What are the differences and does it matter which vaccine I get?

We have some information about both of them. There were studies that were done for the authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, and the two vaccines seem to have similar efficacy. However, the doses are different, and the timing is different. There are three doses for the Pfizer vaccine and two doses for the Moderna vaccine. My recommendation is to get the one that’s easiest for you to get, the one that’s available at your pediatrician. The differences are probably not as important as the difference between having the vaccine and not having the vaccine. You can talk with your pediatrician if you have other questions.

Will children experience any side effects?

Side effects have been quite minimal, and they’re similar to other vaccines, which include soreness at the site of the shot, and some children experienced fevers and body aches. I like to think of these as proof that the vaccine is working, that your immune system is actually activated and working.

What can I do about these side effects?

You can give your young child acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin). They can help with fever and muscle aches. Some medications, such as ibuprofen, work as anti-inflammatory medications, whereas acetaminophen does not. Some believe anti-inflammatory medications may also block the immune response. I have two children of my own who are between five and 11 and had the vaccine, and I tried to wait it out with them, so that they could have the most potent response. The symptoms typically last only about a day. If you need to use something, I suggest acetaminophen.

What does the data show about how effective the vaccine is?

The effectiveness of the vaccine was shown in how often a child would get COVID-19. But that’s not the only  thing that we worry about. The other thing that I worry about, as a pediatrician who takes care of hospitalized children, is preventing severe disease. There is not as much data on that, so it’s something that each parent should think about. Preventing severe disease in children is really important, and so is getting back to school and playgroups and all of the things that smaller children need for their development. Those to me are equally as important as not getting COVID-19 at all.

Are kids five and under at risk for serious disease?

People believe children don’t get COVID-19 as often or there are fewer cases of COVID-19 than in adults. That technically is true. More adults have been hospitalized. But there are children who have died from COVID-19. My opinion is this vaccine prevents both serious disease and hospitalization of a child, and that means it makes sense to get your child vaccinated.

Why is there no vaccine for kids under six months?

The studies for these vaccines were done in children over six months of age because the immune system is not fully formed in children under six months. We do start shots in infants as early as two months of age, but many vaccines can’t be given until kids are older, including the chickenpox shot. We tend to be much more careful with vaccines in children under six months of age.

If my child already had COVID-19, do they still need a vaccine?

Unfortunately, getting COVID-19 doesn’t prevent you from getting it again. I recommend that a child who has had COVID-19 be vaccinated. We know that vaccination is a strong way to prevent disease and prevent severe disease, and having some natural immunity from having the disease also provides some protection. The combination of the two is even better.

Is there anything else that patients and consumers should know?

The COVID-19 vaccines have been available for quite some time now. Kids under five are not that much different from those older than five. As a pediatrician, and as a parent myself, I’m thrilled that we can offer the vaccine to our most vulnerable and youngest children. This age group has been out of school the most of any age group because of not being eligible for the vaccine and not being able to wear masks easily. I urge parents to consider getting their children vaccinated today.

Rising Above the Health Toll of Racism


Racism—both on a personal level and in overall society—negatively affects the mental and physical health of millions of people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These health issues, and some ways to rise above them, are addressed in this Q&A with Lynne D. Richardson, MD, Co-Director of the Institute for Health Equity Research at Mount Sinai, and Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“Racism is a public health crisis that is damaging to all of us, regardless of race or ethnicity,” Dr. Richardson says. “We need to use all of the tools at our disposal to fight it, and to improve our own individual and our collective emotional and physical well-being.”

Lynne D. Richardson, MD

How does racism affect mental health?

That is a big question. The impacts of racism happen at various levels because, of course, racism happens at various levels. There is the experience of being personally discriminated against, whether that’s racial slurs or hate crimes or the experience of being followed in a store because you’re under suspicion that you’re going to steal because of the way you look. All of those sorts of macro and microaggressions really undermine your sense of self-confidence, your sense of self-esteem, and your sense of safety. It’s like having repeated traumas on your mental and emotional well-being.

There is a lot of evidence that racism of various kinds has a destructive impact on mental health, and there is a growing awareness of the importance of structural racism in that picture—this includes limited access to societal resources, like housing, food, job security, and health care. The persistent inequities in the way that those resources are distributed across our society have an impact on our mental health and well-being. It’s those persistent negative messages that you are not valued, that you are not protected. This is why we see huge disparities in conditions like depression. African Americans are much more likely to have more severe symptoms. They have a longer course of illness, and they experience greater levels of disability from depression compared to white patients. This is also why rates of youth suicide are exploding in the black community, with something like a 73 percent increase over the last decade of suicide attempts among young people of color. In terms of suicide death rates, the fastest growing segment are black children between the ages of five and 12. We are seeing the impact of racism and the harmful effects that it has on mental health reflected in this epidemic of suicide among black youth.

How does racism affect physical health?

Racism affects physical health in direct ways. Due to structural racism, you may be more likely to live in housing that is substandard, housing that has environmental toxins or irritants that directly impact your health. You are more likely to live in a neighborhood where there are higher levels of air pollution, where there are higher levels of violent crime. You are more likely to not get the health care that you need, and so you may have a higher burden of disease and more avoidable complications of illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, or asthma. These effects are cumulative, and they directly impact the physical health of communities that are experiencing the effects of structural racism.

There is also a connection between mental health and physical health. We know that the assault on your mental health also affects your body. It affects your immune system and makes you more susceptible to disease. It affects your hormonal system and results in problems with your adrenal regulation. So the more we understand about how complex health disparities are and about all the things that create these differences in health between blacks and other groups, the more we understand how racism is often a root cause of many of these effects.

What are some ways to feel better?

I think it is important to not only talk about the negative ways in which racism impacts black people, but also to remember all of the strengths that have helped us to get to where we are today. I think that we have to pay attention, to take care of ourselves and take care of each other, especially given the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I think it is even more important that we lean on our strong social supports of families and friends. For many people, spirituality is a source of strength and comfort.

In addition, I think we have to try to directly address the inequities that are leading to these negative impacts on our mental and physical health. I have a colleague who talks about spreading hope, as a strategy to deal with what we are facing as we combat the effects of racism—and I love that image.

What are some ways to help?

I think all of us have an obligation to advocate for anti-racist policies, and that happens at every level. There are societal issues. There are policies and processes in every institution that we belong to. There are things that we can do, in every place we are, to try to understand how the structural inequities are embedded in our society, and to start to dismantle them. We need to do that where we work, where we go to school, where we worship. In every context, we all need to be doing this anti-racism work if we really want to make a difference and we really want to end these long-lasting, persistent effects of racism on communities of color.

What else should people know about racism and health?

There is a lot of discussion now about implicit bias. One of the things that is not widely understood about implicit bias, or unconscious bias, is that while it may happen at a subconscious level on the part of the person who has the bias, it has a very explicit impact on the person who is the recipient of the bias. There is often a sense that because this kind of bias is not intentional it’s not harmful, but it is very harmful, and it results in micro aggressions that do create repeated micro-traumas that erode our physical and mental health.

Therefore, I think everybody has individual work to do on themselves to understand the extent to which they have internalized the biases that are pervasive in our society. At the same time, we should work at a higher level collectively on our organizations and institutions and try to eliminate the structural racism that is persistent and pervasive throughout our institutions.

Staying Informed on Mpox

Mpox—a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus that results in fever and a blistery rash—has been in the news lately. Normally found in parts of Africa, an increasing number of mpox cases have been confirmed in Europe and the United States. In this Q&A, Bernard Camins, MD, Medical Director for Infection Prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System, says most people shouldn’t be too worried about mpox, but calls for a bit of vigilance by physicians and the public. “It’s good to just inform people, even though the likelihood of the average person living in New York being exposed to someone with mpox is low,” Dr. Camins says.

What is mpox?

The monkeypox virus is a virus that is in the same family as smallpox and cowpox. As you probably know, smallpox was eradicated years ago. But we do have to worry about mpox every now and then.

Should I be concerned about mpox?

Most of us should not really worry about getting exposed to or getting mpox. The current situation is that some people who have traveled to countries in Europe or Africa have been exposed to people with mpox, and potentially they could be at risk for also having mpox. These returning travelers have exposed other people within their social circles, so there are reports of people contracting mpox who have not left the United States.  You should only worry about mpox if you know someone who has symptoms of mpox or who has been diagnosed with mpox.

Click here to read the latest travel advisory on mpox from the CDC

What are the symptoms of mpox?

The hallmark of mpox is a rash, but before the rash appears, people can have a fever and a feeling of malaise or tiredness. Another hallmark is “diffuse lymphadenopathy” or enlarged lymph nodes. So if you do have fever and enlarged lymph nodes, and you were exposed to someone suspected of having mpox or someone who has been diagnosed with mpox, then you need to seek medical care.

What should doctors do if they see a patient with mpox symptoms?

If a doctor suspects a patient has mpox, even before the rash appears, we instruct them to isolate the person in a private room. The medical team will then wear personal protective equipment that includes an N95 respirator, gowns, and gloves, and then they will do an extensive interview. We need to know the details of the patient’s interactions with people who may have mpox. One of the key things that decides if someone needs to be tested is whether they have an epidemiological link to someone with mpox—meaning that either they traveled abroad and were exposed to someone with mpox or that they are at high risk for having mpox. While mpox is not usually considered a sexually transmitted infection, the latest outbreak has been observed among sexual partners.

Why are we talking about mpox now?

While mpox is a viral infection that is rare, a large outbreak has occurred in the United States before, in 2003. Mpox is endemic in Africa, meaning it is normally found there, but because we have a lot of people traveling around the world, it is spreading in countries where it is not endemic.

You can get more information about mpox and the latest updates from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Helping Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Thrive

Sammita Satyanarayan, MD,

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks your central nervous system, including the optic nerve, the brain, and the spinal cord. This can cause serious neurological symptoms, however the field has undergone advancements in recent years with more therapeutic options available to prevent disease worsening.

In this Q&A, Sammita Satyanarayan, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai, explains some of the symptoms of MS, how doctors diagnose this condition, and the unique services offered at Mount Sinai.

What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

There can be a lot of different types of symptoms with multiple sclerosis. MS is a disease where a person’s immune system starts going after their own brain and spinal cord. There’s inflammation that can sometimes build and leave a scar in the brain or spinal cords. Those scars are called lesions, and we can see them on an MRI. Not all areas of inflammation necessarily cause symptoms that people feel. It’s sort of like traffic. If you have a small fender bender on a quiet neighborhood road, that might not cause you any type of traffic delay, since you can just go around it and there’s plenty of ways to get to the main road. But if you have that same type of accident on a crowded highway during rush hour, you’re definitely going to feel that traffic delay. In a sense, that’s sort of true for signals going through our brain and spinal cord. There are areas of the brain and the spinal cord that are more like neighborhoods and some that are more like highways. With MS, these delays affect our sensations, our actions, and our thoughts.

Can you give an example?

The symptoms of MS depend on where the inflammation actually is. Some people can have painful vision loss if the disease involves the optic nerve, which takes visual information from the eye to the brain. Some people can have inflammation in the spinal cord, and that can sometimes affect the sensation or strength in your arms or legs, or could affect urination, bowel movements, or sexual function. People can also have lesions in their brain, and that can cause symptoms like numbness or tingling in their face, trouble with dizziness or balance, double vision, and even sometimes trouble with cognition or memory.

What does it mean if you think you have symptoms like this?

There are a few important things to know about symptoms in MS. First, not everybody is guaranteed to have all of these possible symptoms. In fact, some people only ever have one. New MS attacks don’t usually have symptoms that come and go over the course of just a couple minutes or an hour. They usually worsen over days to weeks at a time before getting better. This is for the type of disease that most people get, which we call relapsing-remitting MS. It’s important to say that symptoms can improve over time. MS treatments these days have gotten really good, and while they do not fix any prior symptoms a person has, they are very good at preventing any new symptoms.

How do you diagnose multiple sclerosis?

MS is a life-changing diagnosis. And unlike other diseases, there isn’t one blood test that we can run and make the diagnosis. Therefore, doctors must be careful and comprehensive in our approach. We want to make sure that a person’s symptoms actually fit with MS, and want to make sure that we’re excluding other diseases that either don’t need treatment or need different non-MS treatments.

So what is involved?

We use different pieces of information to convince ourselves that this is a disease that’s happened in multiple places over multiple time periods, hence the name of multiple sclerosis. The types of information we use to assess this includes clinical symptoms, MRI, sometimes blood tests to rule out other diseases, and sometimes spinal fluid. With clinical symptoms, we look to see what’s affected. We look at what has happened over time with symptoms. We do a physical exam to see if we can find signs of injury to the nerves. We see if all those are consistent with what we expect in MS or if we get inflammation. We look at imaging and not just to see if there something on the MRI but we’re looking to see if there’s something specific for MS on the MRI. We look at the shape, the orientation, the location of what we’re seeing on the MRI to see if that characteristic of MS. We don’t have a blood test for MS, but there are times when we use blood tests to rule out other diseases. Lastly we sometimes use a bedside lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap, where we look at the clear spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. If there are signs of inflammation in the spinal fluid that are not in the blood, that can suggest there’s an inflammatory process in the brain or the spinal cord. But it’s just one piece of the puzzle. We are trying to fit all of these pieces together, and to do that we use an internationally approved set of diagnostic criteria to be able to actually make the diagnosis of MS.

What is unique about The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai?

The Center, located at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, treats MS as well as other neuroimmunologic disorders. One of the things that makes this place special is the people. We have doctors who are deeply invested in all aspects of doctoring, whether it’s taking care of people, doing the cutting-edge research that helps advance the field, or even educating the next generation of doctors about MS. There are neuropsychologists who are learning more about cognition because we know that’s important to our patients. We have a group of nurse practitioners who are dedicated to the care and the well-being of our patients, as well as social workers and administrative staff who help people with getting the resources and medications they need.

How does the Center help patients live their lives?

One thing that is unique is the Center’s focus on the whole person. Despite all our advancements, our treatments are preventative. They help you for the future, but they don’t necessarily help with how you feel right now. That’s important, because while a big part of our job is to make sure that things don’t get worse, we also want to see people feel better. We know it takes a village to get there. We work with your diet, sleep, exercise, and mood because we know this affects your energy, strength, and cognition.  And we know we have to find the best ways to help people not just survive, but really thrive. Our patients are not just defined by having MS. They’re defined by all the other things that they’re doing in their lives that are so important, and we want to keep them doing that.

What kind of research is being conducted in MS?

We are involved in a lot of different kinds of research at Mount Sinai, and we’re always looking for anyone who wants to get involved with that effort, such as participating in clinical trials. That’s how we push the field forward. Everything we know at this point in time about all the therapeutics available for MS is there because there have been people before us who have been willing to give their time to MS research. We’re involved in a lot of different types of clinical research. For example, we are participating in a clinical trial that’s testing a new kind of therapy for people who have progressive disease. We are involved in longitudinal research projects, which is where people don’t have to take a medication; they help us by monitoring their disease and their symptoms over the years, which helps us better understand MS as a disease. Unique areas of research at our Center include understanding the impact of MS on cognition, the role that diet might play in MS, and understanding the role of the gut microbiome. My research interests have been understanding how social disparities of health can actually impact access to care and even disability, both within MS and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder. It’s really important to think about, because in addition to learning how to treat people better, we want to make sure that we’re understanding how social and economic factors in a person’s life can also affect disability.

How can someone get involved with this research?

We’re also always looking for people MS or other types of conditions, or even people with no medical problems at all, to be involved in research studies. So if you’re a person with MS or a person without MS and want to get involved with our research, please reach out to one of the physicians at our Center or call or connect to talk to a research coordinator and see if you’d be eligible for any of our studies.

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