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Description: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has long been considered more aggressive in people who identify as Black or African Americans, and some studies have suggested Hispanic or Latinx people with MS may also have more active disease. However, there is increasing awareness that race is a social construct, making it important to more fully identify contributors to any differences in MS outcomes, as many may be modifiable. In this session, we will examine the state of the literature surrounding the course of MS in Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latinx individuals. Speakers will discuss socioeconomic factors in their intersection with race and ethnicity and will discuss some of biological manifestations that may proximally contribute to greater disease severity in these populations.

Chair: Ellen Mowry, MD, MCR, Johns Hopkins University

Co-Chair: Stephanie Tankou, MD, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital

Presentations:

Socioeconomic Status and Race as Predictors of MS Outcomes

Speaker:

Kathryn Fitzgerald, ScD

Johns Hopkins University

Latinx and Multiple Sclerosis

Speaker:

Lilyana Amezcua MD, MS

University of Southern California

Black or African Americans Experience Disproportionate Neurodegenerative Changes in Early Multiple Sclerosis

Speaker:

Darin Okuda, MD

University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center

Plasmablasts in Black/African American and Latino/a Individuals with MS

Speaker:

Kiel Telesford, PhD

Weill Cornell Medicine

The Impact of Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Status on Mental Health and Health-Seeking Behavior in a Multi-Ethnic Multiple Sclerosis Cohort

Oral Presenter:

Daniela Pimental Maldonado, MD

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Interrogation of Extracellular Vesicle miRNA Repertoire in Adult and Pediatric MS

Oral Presenter:

Setty Magana, MD, PhD

Nationwide Children's Hospital