Explore Our 2023 Chicago wellness for MS Forum Exhibit Hall
Welcome
Scroll down to learn about our speakers, sponsors,
exhibitors, partners, and event schedule.
Yoga Moves MS is partnering with MS Views and News to present this special Forum that empowers those impacted by MS with information about a range of integrative and holistic mind-body strategies. This event is an opportunity to learn about healthy living and wholesome options that complement traditional medical care. Feedback from past year’s attendees is that they learned a LOT from our inspiring speakers. Sessions were packed with useful material. Many told us that they plan to watch the presentations again online! You too can gain much from the Holistic Health and Wellness Forum for MS.
The purpose of this Virtual Exhibit Hall is to provide a place for exploration for our registrants to explore before, during, and after the in person and LIVE virtual event on Saturday April 22, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. CDT. Read about our very special presenters who are renowned National MS experts. Learn about our fabulous sponsors and partners, and the products and services that they offer. Together we will gather, and learn about relevant and up to date information to help us along the MS journey.
Yoga Moves MS Spotlights Resilient Warriors
Meet George, Stacey, and Marcia and let their stories inspire you to join the YMMS community.
View the Complete Forum HERE
You can also view individual speaker presentations with the links below. Speaker’s presentation slides and handouts are included with their bios.
Yoga Moves MS Mission & Purpose
Yoga Moves MS (YMMS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and supportive community of students, yoga instructors and therapists, and volunteers. Our mission is to increase the quality of life and wellness for individuals impacted by MS through the provision of virtual and in person adaptive yoga for Any Body. We seek to educate the expanding YMMS community about yoga as an umbrella for healthy lifestyle choices- as a way of life! Holistic health principles are integrated into educational forums. The annual Holistic Health and Wellness Forum for MS offers opportunities to learn about an array of wellness topics from national MS experts.
The Yoga Moves philosophy cultivates empowerment, healing, and fun. We provide adaptive yoga resources for those with MS and neuromuscular conditions. Presently, we offer at-home practice through subsidized and donation-only virtual classes. In person classes in southeastern Michigan have recently begun.To learn more about our Yoga Moves Any Body classes, you can view the schedule and descriptions at yogamovesms.org. These classes can be supported by the purchase of our book, card deck, and helpful videos. Take a look at our new videos of Yoga Moves in a Wheelchair.
CLICK ON THE LOGOS BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS, AND PARTNERS
Speakers and Their Presentations
Allison N. Block, DO
Multiple Sclerosis Fellow, University of Chicago
Presentation: How Inside and Outside Environment affects MS
Allison N. Block, DO is a Multiple Sclerosis Fellow at the University of Chicago. She went to Medical School at Des Moines University. She recently completed her neurology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She is currently doing a clinical fellowship in multiple sclerosis at the University of Chicago. Dr. Block has a special interest in a mimicker of MS called anti MOG associated disease. Next year, she will be practicing with Edward Elmhurst in Naperville, where she lives with her spouse and toddler.
Watch Presentation:
How the Inside and Outside Environment Affects MS
Robert W. Motl, PhD
Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition
Director, Integrative Physiology Laboratory
Director, Exercise Neuroscience Research Laboratory
College of Applied Health Sciences
University of Illinois Chicago
Presentation topic: Benefits, Safety, and Guidelines for Exercise in MS
Prof. Robert Motl has systematically developed a research agenda that focuses on physical activity and its measurement, predictors, consequences, and interventions in persons with neurological diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis (MS). Prof. Motl has generated a body of research on the validity of common physical activity measures in persons with MS. This has resulted in foundational research on quantifying differences in physical activity, particularly rates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, in persons with MS. These two lines of research have provided the basis for examining the outcomes of physical activity in MS, particularly beneficial adaptations in brain structure, cognition, depression, fatigue, walking disability, and quality of life. Prof. Motl has undertaken research on social-cognitive predictors of physical activity that has informed the design of behavioral interventions for increasing physical activity in MS. This agenda serves as a test-bed for application and expansion into other conditions such as spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease.
Watch Presentation:
Benefits Safety, and Guidelines for Exercise in MS by Professor Robert Motl
Stuart Schlossman
President, MS View and News, Patient Advocate and Moderator
Mr. Schlossman is the founder and President of MS Views and News (MSVN). Since his diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 1998, Stuart has been an active and vocal voice in the MS community. Stuart was previously a Vice President and principal of Mico International Corp., a distributor of industrial parts and supplies to the apparel industry.
Prior to MS Views and News (MSVN), Stuart was a Chairperson for several years for local National MS Society MS Walks and their annual MS Expo. Additionally he volunteered countless other hours for the South Florida MS Society chapter helping wherever he could for the benefit of the MS patient and caregivers.
In order to make information more available, everywhere, in 2005 Stuart formed what is now known as MS Views and News. In 2008 he formalized plans to turn the organization into one of the premier outlets for MS information and reached out to the community for consultants and directors. The Board of Directors for MS Views & News has been meeting since September of 2008 and gained non-profit (501(C)(3)) status in May 2009. As President, Stuart voluntarily oversees the daily operations of the organization and is the driving force behind its successes.
Mindy Eisenberg, MHSA, C-IAYT, ERYT-500
Director and Founder of Yoga Moves MS
Presentation topic: Yoga for MS
Mindy is the Founder and Director of Yoga Moves MS, a non profit 501(c)(3) with the mission of improving the quality of life for individuals with MS, Parkinson’s Disease, and neuromuscular conditions through the provision of adaptive yoga and holistic health and wellness education. Mindy has provided in person and virtual yoga therapy to individuals with mobility challenges for over seventeen years and thrives on building a strong, mighty community for her students, families, and care partners. She is the author of Adaptive Yoga Moves Any Body, created for individuals with MS and neuromuscular conditions and Adaptive Yoga Cards, daily yoga moves for all ages and abilities. She has trained hundreds of students with her Adaptive Yoga Moves Any Body Teacher Training and is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction teacher, Reiki Master, and Certified Buteyko Breathing Instructor. Her experience as a health care administrator at the University of Michigan Medical Center contributes to her ability to bring the Yoga Moves philosophy of healing to the health care arena. She created the cutting edge and widely acclaimed annual Virtual Holistic Health and Wellness Forum for MS, presents for corporate, academic, and yoga therapy organizations, and offers small group and private therapeutic yoga, breathing, and meditation sessions. She lives with her husband and pets, Felix and Oscar in Michigan, and loves to visit her daughter and son, Julia and Noah, in NYC.
Watch Presentation:
Yoga Moves MS by Mindy Eisenberg
Wellness Forum for MS Movement Break with Mindy Eisenberg
Megan Weigel, DNP, ARNP-c,
Author and Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse, Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurse
Presentation topic: Integrative Medicine and MS: Why “Wholistic” Care is Important & Nutrition/Microbiome
Megan Weigel, DNP, 200RYT, is a nurse practitioner specializing in neurological care in Jacksonville Beach, FL. She has been a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) certified nurse since 2005, and an NP for over 20 years. She is also a board-certified Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse. She earned her doctorate of nursing practice from the University of Florida, where her research emphasis was on preventive healthcare. She completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in the Fall of 2018 which complements her practice focus on wellness and holistic care. She is the past-president of the International Organization of MS Nurses and the co-founder of oMS Yoga, a non-profit organization that brings free yoga classes to people living with MS (www.omsyoga.org). Her bestselling book, Monday Mantras with Megan, offers an approachable mindfulness journey and is available on Amazon.
Her areas of expertise include:
Multiple Sclerosis
Migraine Management
Integrative Medicine/Lifestyle Medicine
Neurological Complications of Post-Acute COVID
Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse
HeartMath Biofeedback Certified
Watch Presentation:
Yoga Moves Chicago April 2023 Megan Weigel
James Voci, MD
Chair, Yoga Moves MS
Presentation topic: NMOSD and What is New in MS?
Dr. James M. Voci received his undergraduate training at Haverford College in Philadelphia followed by Medical School at the University of Pennsylvania. There, his interest in Neurology was nurtured by a strong faculty which included Dr. Robert Lisak who later became Chairmen of Neurology at DMC in Detroit. His residency in Neurology was performed at University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve University where he served as Chief Resident in his final year. Upon completion of his training, he served on the faculty there as Assistant Professor Of Neurology, performing both research in molecular biology as well as the instruction of new residents. In 1996 he left for private practice and eventually arrived in the metro Detroit region in 1999 where he has remained since. Dr. Voci currently serves as the Director of Neurology at St. Francis Hosp in Evanston. He is actively involved in the care of Multiple Sclerosis patients both clinically and with clinical research studies. And, yes, he actively practices Yoga. He has been the Chair of Yoga Moves MS since 2014.
Watch Presentation:
Current Research Update and NMOSD
Introduction to Wellness for MS Forum Chicago
Joy Wagner, RN, BSN
Founder, fitMS® NeuroBalance Center
Presentation topic: What Now? Post Rehab and Healthy Lifestyle
Joy Wagner, received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Iowa. She has practiced nursing and taught in the health field since 1982 changing her focus to Multiple Sclerosis, Auto-Immune and other Neuromuscular conditions after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001. Determined to regain her independence, Joy developed a rehabilitation protocol for herself. She named this program fitMS® in 2003 when she began teaching other MS patients at local fitness facilities. She released a standing and seated version of fitMS® on DVD in 2004 to make the program available to MS patients outside her community. Joy received the National MS Society’s “Leader of Hope Award” in 2004 in recognition of fitMS and her dedication to helping MS patients improve their mobility. Joy has taught fitMS® and spoken at patient and healthcare provider education events across the country since 2003.
Joy founded fitMS® NeuroBalance Center (not-for-profit – NFP 501(c)3 Public Charity) in 2010 with the goal of providing more services to address the unmet needs of the MS population and all those with Neuromuscular conditions that threaten independence. Joy continues to educate patients and healthcare providers about MS.
Watch Presentation:
What now? Post Rehab and a Healthy Lifestyle by Joy Wagner
Schedule of Events
10:45 AM CDT
Exhibits Open
11:30 AM CDT
Stuart Schlossman
Event Kickoff / Moderator
11:35 AM CDT
James Voci, MD
Chair, Yoga Moves MS
Introduction
11:45 AM CDT
Rober W. Motl, PhD
Benefits, Safety and Guidelines for Excercise in MS
12:30 PM CDT
Joy Wagner, RN, BSN
What now? Post Rehab and a Healthy Lifestyle
1:00 PM CDT
Allison Block, DO
How the Inside and Outside Environment Affects MS
1:45–1:55 PM CDT
Movement Break with Mindy
2:00 PM CDT
Megan Weigel, DNP, ARNP-C, MSCN
Integrative Medicine and MS:
Why “Wholistic Care” is Important & Nutrition/Microbiome
2:40 PM CDT
Mindy Eisenberg, MSA, C-IAYT
Yoga Moves MS
3:20 PM CDT
James Voci, MD
Current Research Update and NMOSD
Closing Remarks
Namaste
Each presentation includes time for questions and answers from attendees
Sponsors
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.
At Bristol Myers Squibb, we work every day to transform patients’ lives through science. We combine the agility of a biotech with the reach and resources of an established pharmaceutical company to create a global leading biopharma company powered by talented individuals who drive scientific innovation.
Interested in learning about a treatment option? Take a look at ZEPOSIA® (ozanimod)—a pill by exploring the resources below and visiting ZEPOSIA.com. There you’ll get the information you need, including clinical study results, safety and side effects, support from the ZEPOSIA 360 SupportTM program, and more.
About Bristol Myers Squibb
ZEPOSIA Ad
Learn more about ZEPOSIA
About TG Therapeutics
https://www.tgtherapeutics.com
At TG Therapeutics, our commitment to people impacted by immune diseases knows no boundaries. We are fiercely focused on the needs of patients and caregivers, as well as physicians and allied professionals, working together as one team to bring innovative treatments to those in need. We view our role as more than the development of novel treatments, but more broadly as the development of solutions to ease the burdens associated with immune diseases. To achieve this goal, we are actively pursuing partnerships that allow us to engage with the communities in the most respectful and meaningful ways. We look forward to working with you. Learn more about TG at www.tgtherapeutics.com.
To discover more about BRIUMVI, visit the website.
Exhibitors
Horizon is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines that address critical needs for people impacted by rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases. Our pipeline is purposeful: We apply scientific expertise and courage to bring clinically meaningful therapies to patients. We believe science and compassion must work together to transform lives. For more information on how we go to incredible lengths to impact patients, visit www.horizontherapeutics.com, follow us @HorizonNews on Twitter, like us on Facebook or explore career opportunities on LinkedIn.
Partners
About MS Views & News
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MS Views and News (MSVN) is a Grassroots, MS Patient Advocacy organization which provides educational programs, advocacy and resources to empower and enhance the quality of life, for the MS community. Whether in metropolitan communities, Suburbia or Rural America, we want those needing information about Multiple Sclerosis, to get this information.
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MS Views and News is dedicated to the global collection and distribution of current information regarding Multiple Sclerosis. In collaboration with other organizations, MS Views and News uses state-of-the-art communication channels to provide information for those affected by MS.
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Monthly virtual programs include: MS NeuroTV; MS Views NOW, MS Patient’s Voices; Mental Health and Wellness Chat; Compass To MS Care; Chair Yoga; Pilates; Physical Therapy; & more.
Use the search box on either our Blog or website to find information about Multiple Sclerosis.
Additionally, each month, you will be sent our monthly, MS Beacon e-Newsletter.
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