Thomas Leist, MD, PhD
Director
Phone: 215-955-6781

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 350,000 people in the United States.  Aside from traumatic injury, it is the leading cause of disability among young adults.  In MS the person's own immune system damages areas of the brain and spinal cord.  Common signs and symptoms include double vision, loss of vision in one or both eyes, weakness, difficulty walking and fatigue.

There is no cure for MS.  Early treatment and a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to care can positively affect the course of the disease, improve the quality of life and helps to preserve independence.  The Multiple Sclerosis Center at the Thomas Jefferson University has the mission to provide comprehensive patient care and to advance research into the cause and treatment of MS. The Center has a team of expert clinicians, nurses and research staff striving to provide the best treatment possible of the diseases. Embedded in the Division of Neuroimmunology, the Center is part of a wider effort to improve the life of people with immune disorders affecting the nervous system (e.g. optic neuritis, Lyme's disease and tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1 associated myelopathy).

Through the Center, a fuller range of services is accessed to help in the diagnostic process and in treatment.  Specialists in physician rehabilitation, therapy, radiology, urology, and mental health, participate in the care of those affected by MS.  Together with patients, practitioners at the Center develop individualized plans of care to meet the challenges of MS.

The Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Thomas Jefferson University is affiliated with the Greater Delaware Valley chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and is a member of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.