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Meet The Team

The CMSC Staff and Continuing Education Committee is comprised of dedicated professionals that represent the interprofessional team.

Continuing Education

Department Staff

The administrative staff is comprised of the following individuals and functions:

June Halper

June Halper
MSN, APN-C, MSCN, FAAN, CEO

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

June Halper is a certified adult nurse practitioner who has specialized in multiple sclerosis since 1978. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and Executive Director of the IOMSN.

Ms. Halper has published and lectured extensively on multiple sclerosis and its ramifications. Her numerous publications include Comprehensive Nursing Care in Multiple Sclerosis and Advanced Concepts in Nursing Care in Multiple Sclerosis, co- editor of Staying Well with Multiple Sclerosis: A Self-Care Guide, and co-editor of Nursing Practices in Multiple Sclerosis: A Core Curriculum. She is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the founding director of IOMSN, the International Organization of MS Nurses, and the recipient of the IOMSN’s first June Halper Award for Excellence in Nursing in Multiple Sclerosis. She was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in November 1999. In 2000, she spearheaded the establishment of the Multiple Sclerosis International Credentialing Board who developed the first international certification examination in multiple sclerosis nursing offered in June 2002 and bi-annually thereafter. As CEO of the CMSC, she initiated the first certification examination for MS specialists in 2004.

As early as 1995, Ms. Halper was involved in the development of clinical practice guidelines in multiple sclerosis which were multi-organization collaborative projects. She was involved in the publication of guidelines in bladder dysfunction in MS, fatigue in MS, spasticity in MS, immunizations in MS, and disease modification in MS. Subsequently the CMSC has adopted a best practices model and Ms. Halper was involved in publication of models of comprehensive care, complex symptomatic management, and cognition to name a few publications (please visit www.mscare.org for a full listing).

In 1995 the NARCOMS patient registry was established under Ms. Halper’s leadership and support. Since that time, the registry has been a source of information about outcome measures and a resource for quality improvement projects.

Laurie

Laurie Scudder
NP, DNP, DIRECTOR OF CE

DIRECTOR, CONTINUING EDUCATION

Laurie E. Scudder is a practicing Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She provides management oversights of CMSC’s CE Program working closely with the CE Managers and Consultants. Laurie is a clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Health Science at George Washington University, having formerly taught at the University of Maryland and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Laurie has served as chairperson of numerous national and regional joint medical and nursing conferences. She is on the editorial board of the Journal for Nurse Practitioners and has held previous editorial positions as contributing editor to Medscape Nurses and as an editorial board member of the Nurse Practitioner Journal.

Tina Trott

Tina Trott

MANAGING DIRECTOR, CONTINUING EDUCATION

Tina joined the CMSC in 2000 as Executive Assistant to June Halper. In July 2010, Tina was promoted to CPE Education Manager. She works closely with joint sponsors and committees on the planning, development, and implementation of CPE activities. Tina oversees and enforces compliance with ACCME accreditation requirements, and is responsible for faculty recruitment, ongoing communication, logistics management, and maintaining complete and accurate activity files.

hsss

Jennifer Pichardo

Managing Director Assistant, COntinuing Education

Consortium of Multiple

Sclerosis Centers Hackensack, NJ

Rachelle Ramirez

Rachelle Ramirez

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Consortium of Multiple
Sclerosis Centers Hackensack, NJ

susan_ratti_300

Susan Ratti

Conference Faculty Liaison

Consortium of Multiple
Sclerosis Centers Hackensack, NJ

Mary Buonato

Marty Buonato

MANAGER, CONTINUING EDUCATION

Nurse Practitioner Alternatives
Ellicott City, MD

Continuing Education

Committee

The CE Committee plans, oversees, and evaluates all educational activities that are conducted by the CMSC throughout the year. As an ACCME-accredited provider of continuing medical education for physicians and co-provider for continuing nursing and pharmacy education, this interprofessional committee ensures adherence to the rules and regulations of ACCME, ANCC, and ACPE, and includes the following functions:

In recognition of the needs of the entire healthcare team, CMSC worked diligently to obtain provider status with the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). In addition, each year the CMSC applies to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to allow social work learners to earn credits for attending selected sessions during our annual meeting that target their area of expertise.

The members of the multi-disciplinary CE Committee are as follows:

Corey

Corey C. Ford
MD, PhD

CHAIR OF THE CE COMMITTEE

Dr. Ford is Professor of Neurology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he serves as Director of the MS Specialty Clinic, Assistant Dean for Research, and Medical Director of the Pharmacy Department. Corey is a past president of the CMSC, oversees the CE Committee, and frequently serves as faculty during the annual meeting, CMSC regional meetings, and web based programs.

Colleen Harris

Colleen Harris
MN, NP, MSCN, MSCS

CO-CHAIR

Ms. Harris is the Nurse Coordinator/Nurse Practitioner at the University of Calgary MS Clinic in Alberta, Canada, where she has been involved in multi-disciplinary care for much of her nursing career. Ms. Harris is a past president of the CMSC and IOMSN and spearheads numerous activities for both organizations.
Jaqueline

JACQUELINE L. BAINBRIDGE
PHARMD, FCCP, MSCS

Dr. Bainbridge serves as a Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Department of Neurology in the School of Medicine. Dr. Bainbridge is a frequent lecturer on topics of neurological and pharmacological interest including multiple sclerosis.

Patricia Bobryk

Patricia Bobryk
MHS, PT, MSCS, ATP

Ms. Bobryk works exclusively with persons with MS at the Orlando Health MS Comprehensive Care Center. Ms. Bobryk is an active member of the National MS Society’s Mid Florida Chapter Health Care Advisory Committee and provides educational seminars for professionals and patients nationwide on rehabilitation and multiple sclerosis. Ms. Bobryk is the Co-Chair of the International Organization of MS Rehabilitation Therapists (IOMSRT) and is the current Secretary for the CMSC.

Constance B. Easterling

Constance B. Easterling
MSN, ARNP, MSCN

Ms. Easterling is the Clinical Coordinator of the MS Care Center at Neurological Services of Orlando (NSO). Connie previously served as member-at-large on the CMSC Board of Directors. She is the current Past-President of the IOMSN. She also served as IOMSN liaison to the MSNICB from 2007 to 2012. Connie has been organizing the Fundamentals of MS Care program at the CMSC Annual Meeting for many years.

Frederick Foley

Frederick W. Foley
PHD, MSCS

Dr. Foley is Professor of Psychology at Yeshiva University, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology and Director of Neuropsychology & Psychosocial Research at Holy Name Medical Center MS Center. Dr. Foley is Co- Chair of the MS/MHP. He also frequently serves as faculty for CMSC programming.
Jodie Haselkorn

Jodie K. Haselkorn
MD, MPH

Dr. Haselkorn is Director of the MS Center of Excellence-West and an Epidemiologist in the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Dr. Haselkorn is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has more than 20 years of direct clinical experience within the Veterans Health Administration in the broad field of musculoskeletal and neurological rehabilitation medicine, specializing in recent years in the care of veterans with MS. Dr. Haselkorn is a Professor in Rehabilitation Medicine, Adjunct Professor in Epidemiology, as well as an Affiliate Professor in Medical History and Ethics at the University of Washington. Dr. Haselkorn, along with Dr. Mitchell Wallin, is involved in the planning, development and review of content contained in the annual meeting program related to the care of veterans affected by MS.

deborah

DEBORAH M. MILLER
PHD, MSAA, LISW

Dr. Miller is a member of the Professional Staff at the Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Miller oversees the development of educational programs related to mental health in MS patients and their families, and reviews and approves sessions for which social work credit is offered.

Amy Perrin Ross

AMY PERRIN ROSS
APN, MSN, CNRN, MSCN

Ms. Ross is a board-certified neuroscience nurse and the Neuroscience Program Coordinator at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. She is a Past President of the IOMSN and has been an invited speaker at national and international meetings and conferences and has been very active in neuroscience clinical research for over 20 years. She is Co-Chair of the CMSC Abstract Review Committee.

Bryan Walker

Bryan Walker
MHS, PA-C

Mr. Walker is a PA with the Department of Neurology, Division of MS and Neuroimmunology at Duke University Medical Center. In addition to his responsibilities within the divisions of multiple sclerosis, neuroimmunology, and stroke, he is part of a new working group for the American Academy of Neurology and has presented at national PA Education Association meeting in Washington, DC and at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Annual Meeting.