The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Program

The goal of the University of Calgary Multiple Sclerosis Clinic is to prevent or lessen disability and optimize wellness.  Our team also provides leadership in care delivery and regularly provides advice regarding policies related to MS care – provincially, nationally, and internationally.

The Multiple Sclerosis Clinic opened in December 1976 at the Calgary General Hospital under the direction of Dr. T. Peter Seland.  The original purpose of the Clinic was to provide expert clinical care to individuals with MS.  It was expected that over 100 patients would be followed on a regular basis which would also facilitate education and research.  Care was provided by three neurologists and a part-time nurse practitioner.  The focus of care was on diagnosis, education and support, symptom management, and treatment of relapses.  Rehabilitation issues usually required admission into hospital although some resources were available in the community.  Most people with MS were cared for by family physicians in collaboration with community neurologists rather than the MS Clinic.  There were no disease-modifying treatments at the time.

Originally, the Clinic operated one half-day every two weeks.  Within the first decade, the number of people with MS increased and their needs became clearer.  Healthcare was also moving towards an ambulatory/out-patient model.  The Clinic expanded by increasing the number of neurologists, nursing and clerical support, and the number of half-day clinics per week.  Mrs. Colleen Harris became the full-time nurse practitioner/manager in 1987.

The rehabilitation needs of the population required further expertise.  The first specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation joined the Clinic in 1989.  Through partnership with the Department of Rehabilitation, the Vernon Fanning Long Term Care Center, Home Care, and the Calgary Chapter of the MS Society, the OPTIMUS Rehabilitation Program (Out Patient Treatment In MUltiple Sclerosis) was developed.

In 1992, Dr. Luanne Metz became the Clinic director.

Mental health issues were known to be important in MS; psychology services and psychiatric expertise became more integral to the Clinic during the 1990s.  Research (pharma-sponsored clinical trials and investigator-driven research) increased during the early 1990s.

The first disease-modifying treatments became available in the mid-1990s and markedly changed MS care.  Since the mid-1990s, the Clinic has grown in patient numbers, number of physicians, as well as nursing and clerical.

In 1997, the MS Clinic and the OPTIMUS Program relocated to the Foothills Medical Centre (FMC).  The opening of the South Health Campus (SHC) in 2016 allowed the Clinic to expand – we are now “one Clinic on two sites”.  Similar services are available at both sites and we serve the MS population in southern Alberta, the southeast corner of British Columbia, and the southwestern part of Saskatchewan.

In 2016, Dr. Michael Yeung became the medical director of the Clinic.

The Clinic now has ~7000 registered patients, with ~5500 active patients; approximately 2/3 are seen at FMC and 1/3 at SHC.  There are now ~30 half-day clinics per week divided amongst 11 neurologists.  Our PMR physician runs four half-day clinics per week.  There are two neuropsychiatrists who have specialized training in psychiatric disorders associated with neurological diseases.  The OPTIMUS Program continues at FMC, and Rehabilitation Allied Health is available at SHC.  This “one Clinic on two sites” has the largest number of patients and physicians within the Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

The Clinic also has expertise for patients with other central nervous system  demyelinating  diseases, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody disease (MOGAD) 

In 2023, Dr. Sarah Morrow became the medical director of the Clinic.

Research:

The Clinic also has a dedicated research unit that participates in national and international pharmaceutical company-sponsored clinical trials and investigator-driven research trials.  In association with the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, research also includes translational research, clinical and epidemiological research, basic science, innovations in imaging and trial design, basic science, and innovations in imaging and trial design.

Neuro-Immunology Clinic:

An “off-shoot” of the Clinic is the Neuro-Immunology Clinic.  The medical director is Dr. Katayoun Alikhani.  The Neuro-Immunology Clinic is located at the South Health Campus and provides multidisciplinary care to patients with various immune-mediated disorders, including autoimmune encephalitides, , vasculitides, neurosarcoidosis, and other systemic immune-mediated disorders affecting the nervous system.  

Education:

The MS program supports the education of trainees at all levels.  Neurology residents rotate through the MS Clinic in their junior and senior years.  MS and neuroimmunology fellows are involved in clinical care and research.  MS and neuroimmunology fellowships can be either clinical- or research-based and are one to two years in length.  Previous fellows are now practicing across Canada (Edmonton, Vancouver Island, Montreal, Saskatoon, Red Deer, Calgary), the United States (Nebraska), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah), Iran (Zahedan), and Trinidad/Tobago (Port of Spain) in both academic and community settings.