Description:

Abstract:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease of the central nervous system with a prevalence of approximately 1 million people in the United States. The disease experience of MS in predominantly advantaged populations has been well described and there is a paucity of available evidence in the disease experience of MS in disadvantaged populations (i.e., persons who experience a higher risk of poverty, social exclusion, discrimination and violence than the general population, including racial minorities). Research focused on disadvantaged communities is important because there are notable differences in access to healthcare and the MS disease experience. In this talk I will review available literature on MS in disadvantaged populations and will detail future research plans to develop and evaluate innovative disease management interventions for this population.

Speaker Info:

Dominique Kinnett-Hopkins, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Integrated Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Services and Outcomes Research at Northwestern University. She earned her PhD in Kinesiology with a biobehavioral focus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research agenda is focused on the interdisciplinary development and evaluation of disease management interventions among disadvantaged populations with chronic conditions.