During the fellowship, the fellow will conduct a neurodisparity-focused research project that is built up on the neurodisparity research that is currently being conducted in the 2023-2024 academic year by our EMD Serono I’M IN Neurodisparity Fellows. We will utilize the results from their investigations on the impact of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on delays in initiation of appropriate disease-modifying therapy in North Florida to conduct a larger nationwide project. As a participating center in the North American Registry for Care and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (NARCRMS), the University of Florida has access to a comprehensive prospective data base comprising >1000 persons with MS from 26 centers (www.narcrms.org). The fellow will utilize this unique resource to investigate neurodisparity in a large nationwide MS population to assess disparities in symptom severity, disability, and utilization of disease-modifying therapy due to ethnic or racial background, socioeconomic status, or gender identity. The fellow is expected to complete this project during the fellowship and to subsequently publish the results of this neurodisparity research at a national MS conference, the University of Florida College of Medicine Research Day, the Department of Neurology Grand Rounds, and a peer-reviewed journal.
We are planning to utilize the results of the research projects conducted by the UF EMD Serono I’M IN Neurodisparity fellows 1) to develop appropriate interventions to address neurodisparities in Multiple Sclerosis Care and 2) to create a concise fact sheet for general neurologists to heighten awareness for current disparities in order to adequately identify and address them.
The fellow will be trained in blinded rating for clinical trials and receive specific training in clinical trials methodology. The University of Florida provides opportunities for course work in the design of clinical research studies, statistics, clinical epidemiology, clinical trials design and conduct, as well as basic graduate immunology and more advanced courses in immunology.
The fellow will become familiar with:
- Introduction to biostatistics
- Epidemiologic methods
- Responsible conduct of research/ethics
- Topics in clinical research
- Protocol design and writing
- Molecular medicine
- Grant writing
- Clinical trial design
- Interpretation of outcomes
- Clinical tools used in clinical studies in MS
- Various animal models in MS studies