Mr.
Dep. Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Ulrik Dalgas is an exercise physiologist specialized in rehabilitation of neurological patients. In particular most of his research focuses on the effects of exercise therapy in subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS). His main research covers the effects of different exercise modalities (e.g. resistance training and endurance training) and aspects of exercise therapy related to selected groups of MS patients (e.g. thermo-sensitive patients or fatigued patients).
Much of his ongoing research focuses on understanding the effects of exercise on brain function, and he is trying to determine, whether long-term exercise is a disease modifying intervention in MS. He is previous executive board member and secretary for the European organization Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RIMS) and executive board member for the Danish MS Research Association (DAREMUS). Finally, he has authored more than 90 scientific papers and several book chapters on the topic.
Prof.
VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Vincent de Groot was born in 1971 and obtained his MD degree in 1996. Subsequently, he entered the rehabilitation medicine residency programme, which he combined with his PhD training. In 2004 he started working as a rehabilitation physician at VU University Medical Center Amsterdam. In 2007 he successfully defended his PhD thesis ‘Outcome measurement and functional prognosis in early multiple sclerosis’.
Mr.
National Multiple Sclerosis Center, Melsbroek, Belgium
Piet Eelen is a Clinical Nurse Specialist Multiple Sclerosis working in the National Multiple Sclerosis Center (NMSC) of Melsbroek, Belgium since 1981. He has a post-bachelor degree in Rehabilitation Nursing and Continence Nursing.
Since 2012 he is the president of the Belgian Association of MS-Nurses. In that perspective he organizes educational meetings for MS-Nurses and neurology nurses in Belgium. Since 2017 he is board member of RIMS and coordinator of Special Interest Groups in RIMS.
Prof.
University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
Jenny Freeman is a Professor in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation within the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences at Plymouth University.
Her research programme in MS centres on the development and evaluation of complex rehabilitation interventions; reflecting the priority given by health services to providing evidence based management. A key focus is on the rehabilitation of impaired mobility and balance. Her research is grounded on her longstanding clinical expertise in neurological physiotherapy, for which she has an ongoing clinical commitment. She is a member of the executive board of RIMS.
Prof.
Finnish Neuro Society / Masku Neurological Rehabilitation Centre, Finland
Päivi Hämäläinen has worked as a neuropsychologist in Masku neurological rehabilitation centre, owned by the Finnish Neuro Society (former MS Society), since 1990. Since 1999, she has worked as the head of the Psychology department and since the beginning of March, 2011 as the head of the rehabilitation centre. Since 2005 she has acted as an adjunct professor in the Psychology Department in the University of Turku.
She is actively involved both in national and international neuropsychological activities. She is a former member of the executive board of the Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RIMS) and an active member of the International MS and Cognition Society (IMSCogS). Her main research interests are cognitive deficits in MS, especially cognitive fatigue and holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation in MS. She acts as a supervisor for several Finnish neuropsychologists keen on cognition and MS.
Prof.
University Hospital Leuven, Belgium
Daphne Kos graduated as occupational therapist (OT) and movement scientist. She worked in the National MS Center in Melsbroek (B) as OT practitioner and researcher and studied fatigue management and assessment in people with multiple sclerosis in her PhD project.
Currently she is professor and co-manager of the OT bachelor and master programme in AP University College Antwerp and in KU Leuven (interuniversity programme with Ghent, Hasselt and Antwerp). Her research domain is situated in the area of fatigue, occupational performance, life balance and assessment, mainly in multiple sclerosis.
Daphne Kos is vice president of the European organisation for rehabilitation in MS (RIMS).
Ms.
Nieuw Unicum, Zandvoort, The Netherlands
Leonie Ruhaak is a speech and language therapist at Nieuw Unicum, Zandvoort, an institution for physically disabled people and specialized in the care and treatment of multiple sclerosis in the advanced stages of the disease. Leonie was educated as a speech and language therapist at University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (2011-2013). She received her master’s degree in Clinical Language, Speech and Hearing Sciences at University Utrecht in 2014. She is a PhD student at the VU Medical Center.
Leonie is chair of the special interest group on ‘Communication and Swallowing’ of the RIMS. The scientific pursuits of Leonie are currently focused on the validation of the Dutch DYMUS questionnaire (RIMS GRANT Program 2015), conducting a systematic review in dysarthria (RIMS GRANT PROGRAM 2016) and developing a study into NMES therapy in dysphagia in MS.
Mr.
MS Hospitals, Ry and Haslev, Denmark
Anders Skjerbæk qualified as a Physiotherapist in 2005 and holds a Master degree in Rehabilitation from 2012. Since 2008, Anders has been specialized within MS rehabilitation at the Danish MS Hospitals, and currently holds a position as Development Manager.
Anders is involved in strategic planning, scientific work and quality improvement activities. His current research activities involve publication of data from "The Danish MS Hospital Rehabilitation Study". I addition, Anders is a part of the executive board of RIMS and he also serves as a scientific committee member in the Italian MS foundation. Anders is especially focused on exercise- and rehabilitation activities in progressive MS.
