Multiple Sclerosis

Our Expertise

Dedicated Centers For People With MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin – the fatty sheath covering and insulating the nerve fibers that carry signals from your brain to other parts of your body. When you come to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for MS care, you'll receive personalized attention from a team of experts who understand your symptoms and how they affect your quality of life and the lives of your family members. Our approach to MS care includes:

• A Team of Specialists from Different Fields: Your team includes professionals from neurology, urology, psychiatry and neuropsychology, rehabilitation medicine, physical and occupational therapy, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, pain management, neuro-ophthalmology, clinical social work, and nursing.
• An Aggressive Approach to Diagnosis: We determine if MS is indeed the cause of your symptoms.
• A Treatment Plan Customized Just for You: We work to maximize your function, improve your quality of life, and increase your independence.
• Advanced Imaging Technologies: We use high-resolution MRI and optical coherence tomography (a tool used by ophthalmologists to measure the retinal nerve fiber layer) to monitor your MS and guide your choice of treatment.
• Rehabilitation Services: Our rehabilitation medicine physicians, occupational and physical therapists, speech therapists, therapeutic recreation specialists, and rehabilitation nurses can help you learn to function effectively in your home and to use assistive devices such as canes and wheelchairs.
• Support for You and Your Family: We understand how MS can affect your life and the lives of your family members. Our social workers, psychologists, and other members of your healthcare team communicate with you and your family to see how you’re doing and to provide the support you need.
• Clinical Trial Opportunities: You may be able to participate in clinical trials assessing new therapies to limit MS progression and restore function. Current clinical trials focus on the molecular basis and environmental causes of multiple sclerosis and new targets for treatment.
• Exceptional Patient Care and Research Facilities: We offer care and conduct research for multiple sclerosis at the Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care & Research Center and at the Judith Jaffe Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care & Research Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Both centers are affiliated with the New York City Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and provide services for patients with multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, and other autoimmune, inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system.