NeuroVoices: Carrie Hersh, DO, on Key Takeaways From the 2026 CMSC Annual Meeting

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) held its 2026 Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, held May 27-29, bringing together neurologists, advanced practice providers, nurses, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, and researchers across the multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology community. The meeting continued CMSC's tradition of pairing emerging science with practical clinical application, reflecting a field that is moving beyond relapse- and lesion-based measures of disease activity toward a broader understanding of long-term disability accumulation and patient outcomes.

Sessions at this year's meeting addressed disability progression independent of relapse activity, the growing role of biomarkers such as serum neurofilament light chain in monitoring disease course, and the integration of patient-reported outcomes into routine care. Additional programming covered wellness and rehabilitation strategies, including exercise, cognitive rehabilitation, and fall prevention, as well as updates on rare neuroimmunologic disorders. Emerging cell-based therapies and workforce development, including mentorship and support for early-career clinicians and researchers, were also featured throughout the program.

In a new iteration of NeuroVoices, neurologist Carrie Hersh, DO, MSc, FAAN, associate professor of neurology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and the newly elected president of CMSC, discussed these highlights and what they signal for the future of MS care. During the conversation, Hersch reflected on the meeting's emphasis on progression biology, precision medicine, early intervention, and comprehensive, patient-centered care, noting that the field is increasingly focused on helping patients with MS have better quality of life.

NeurologyLive: How did the 2026 CMSC Annual Meeting go this year, and what was your overall reaction to the program?

Carrie Hersh, DO, MSc, FAAN: I thought this year's CMSC meeting was exceptionally successful and really reflected what makes this conference unique in the MS community. CMSC has always occupied a special space where cutting-edge science, clinical practice, rehabilitation, symptom management, wellness, and multidisciplinary care all come together, and this year felt like a particularly strong example of that balance. We saw robust scientific discussions around disease biology and emerging therapeutics, but also meaningful conversations about how we translate those advances into better outcomes for the patients living with MS whom we care for every day.

What stood out to me was the energy and engagement throughout the meeting. There was a sense that our field is entering another period of evolution. We've become increasingly sophisticated in our understanding of MS biology, and we're beginning to ask more nuanced questions. Not simply how to suppress inflammation, but how to optimize long-term outcomes, prevent disability progression, preserve quality of life, and address the full experience of those living with MS.

The program itself was incredibly diverse, with sessions spanning disease-modifying therapy selection and monitoring, progressive MS biomarkers, rehabilitation, cognition, wellness interventions, patient-reported outcomes, and emerging technologies. It created opportunities for neurologists, advanced practice providers, nurses, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, and researchers to learn from one another, which is really one of the defining strengths of CMSC. Another thing I appreciated was the focus on practical clinical application. Attendees weren't just hearing about the data, they were discussing how these findings can influence treatment decisions tomorrow in clinic. That translational aspect is something CMSC consistently does exceptionally well.

What were the most notable highlights and sessions from this year's CMSC meeting?

There were several highlights, and honestly it was difficult to choose because the quality of the programming was so strong. One major theme that resonated throughout the meeting was our evolving understanding of disability progression in MS. Multiple sessions explored progression independent of relapse activity and how we can better identify patients who may be accumulating disability even when they appear clinically stable from a relapse standpoint. We're moving beyond a simplistic model of disease activity defined solely by relapses and MRI lesions, and toward discussions of how subtle worsening in function, mobility, cognition, and daily activity may represent ongoing disease biology. One that requires us to rethink how we monitor patients and assess treatment effectiveness.

I also enjoyed several sessions focused on biomarkers. We're seeing continued progress in the use of serum neurofilament light chain and other emerging biomarkers as tools to better understand disease activity, treatment response, and potentially progression. Although many questions remain regarding implementation in clinical practice, it's exciting to see the field moving toward more objective measures that can complement our clinical assessments.

Another highlight was the continued emphasis on patient-reported outcomes and patient-centered care. Increasingly, we're recognizing that traditional clinical measures tell only part of the story. Understanding fatigue, cognition, quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and functional status gives us a more complete picture of how our patients are doing. Several presentations examined real-world outcomes and longitudinal patient experiences, which I think are particularly valuable because they help bridge the gap between clinical trial efficacy and everyday clinical practice.

I also enjoyed the sessions focused on comprehensive care and wellness. Historically, discussions around wellness were sometimes viewed as separate from disease-modifying treatment conversations, but what was refreshing this year is that these concepts are becoming increasingly integrated. Topics such as exercise, nutrition, resilience, mental health, sleep optimization, and social connection were presented not just as adjunctive considerations, but as important components of comprehensive MS management. The evidence supporting these interventions continues to grow, and clinicians are becoming more comfortable incorporating them into routine care discussions.

I thought the rehabilitation sessions were outstanding. As our patients live longer and disability patterns evolve, rehabilitation remains one of the most impactful interventions we can offer. There were excellent discussions around mobility preservation, fall prevention, cognitive rehabilitation, fatigue management, and strategies to maintain independence and participation in meaningful life activities.

One thing I also appreciated about this year's meeting was that it extended well beyond traditional MS-focused content. While MS remains the foundation of CMSC, the program included excellent sessions on rare neuroimmunologic disorders, reflecting the increasingly overlapping landscape of neuroimmunology. Discussions around conditions such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody–associated disease, and other autoimmune neurologic disorders provided valuable updates for clinicians who care for these complex patient populations on a regular basis.

Another exciting area was the focus on emerging cell-based therapies. As these approaches continue to evolve across neurology and immunology, it was fascinating to hear discussions about the science, the opportunities, and the challenges associated with these potentially transformative treatments. Many questions remain, but it's clear we're entering an era where cellular therapies may become an increasingly important part of the neuroimmunology treatment landscape.

Finally, I was particularly encouraged by the attention given to the current and future workforce. Several sessions focused on mentorship, professional development, purpose-driven work, and cultivating the next generation of MS and neuroimmunology clinicians and researchers. As our field continues to grow and the needs of our patients become increasingly complex, investing in trainees, early-career providers, and multidisciplinary team members is essential. Those conversations served as an important reminder that advancing patient care depends not only on scientific innovation, but also on developing and supporting the people who will carry this work forward in the years ahead.

Based on the research and sessions presented at CMSC 2026, what is most exciting right now in MS care?

There are several reasons to be optimistic about where the field is headed. First, our understanding of MS biology continues to advance at a remarkable pace. For many years, our focus was appropriately centered on controlling inflammatory disease activity, and we now have highly effective therapies that have dramatically changed outcomes for many patients. The next frontier is understanding progression and neurodegeneration more deeply: what causes disability accumulation, why some patients continue to worsen despite excellent inflammatory disease control, and how we can intervene earlier and more effectively.

Many of the presentations this year reflected that shift. Researchers are investigating mechanisms that extend beyond focal inflammation and exploring pathways that may contribute to chronic progression, and that work is essential because it has the potential to drive the next generation of therapeutic innovation.

The second exciting area is precision medicine. As our scientific and therapeutic landscape expands, we've moved away from a one-size-fits-all approach. The challenge now is identifying which therapy is best for which patient and at what point in the disease course. The integration of biomarkers, advanced imaging, clinical characteristics, and patient-specific factors may ultimately allow us to make more individualized treatment decisions. We're not fully there yet, but we're clearly moving in that direction.

Another exciting development is the growing recognition of early intervention and prevention of disability. Many discussions this year reinforced the importance of treating disease proactively and recognizing that irreversible changes may begin much earlier than we once appreciated. The concept of preserving neurological reserve and protecting long-term function is becoming central to how we think about MS care. Rather than reacting to disability after it occurs, we're increasingly focused on preventing it from developing in the first place.

I was also encouraged by the continued maturation of real-world evidence. Clinical trials remain the gold standard, but real-world studies help us understand how therapies perform across diverse patient populations and clinical settings, and these data can provide valuable insights into effectiveness, safety, adherence, patient experience, and long-term outcomes.

Finally, what excites me most may be the broader shift toward treating the whole person with MS. The discussions this year consistently emphasized that success is not measured solely by MRI outcomes, relapse rates, or other disease metrics. Success means helping individuals maintain mobility, cognition, independence, employment, relationships, and their quality of life. The future of MS care will certainly involve better therapies and better biomarkers, but it will also involve more comprehensive, personalized, and patient-centered care. I think CMSC is uniquely positioned to help lead that evolution, because multidisciplinary care has always been part of its foundation.

Transcript edited for clarity. Click here for more coverage of CMSC 2026.