Stephanie Buxhoeveden Will Lead iConquerMS™ People-Powered
Research Network and Other Research
WALTHAM,
Mass., July 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Accelerated
Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) announced today that
it has named Stephanie Buxhoeveden,
Ph.D., M.S.N., FNP-BC, MCSN, as its Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).
She will be taking over the position from Robert McBurney, Ph.D., former CEO and Chief
Research Officer, who will be retiring after 13 years.
"In my various roles as a patient, advocate, clinician, and
researcher, I strive to better understand the molecular drivers of
disease, deliver personalized care, and educate diverse
stakeholders with the goal of bettering the lives of people living
with MS," Dr. Buxhoeveden says.
Dr. Buxhoeveden, who has MS, has spent her career as an MS
provider, patient advocate, and researcher. She began her career as
a neurosurgical ICU nurse and was later diagnosed with MS at the
age of 25. This inspired her to complete a master's in nursing. As
an MS-specialized Nurse Practitioner, she oversaw the care of over
a thousand patients with MS, and eventually established an MS
comprehensive care center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. As a passionate
champion for people with MS, Dr. Buxhoeveden also served as the
Chair of Government Relations Committee (GRC) for the National MS
Society. In this role, Dr. Buxhoeveden has helped set legislative
priorities for the organization, write policies, and testified for
several bills at House and Senate committee, including the 21st
Century Cures Act which established the first database to track the
incidence and prevalence of MS in the
United States.
In addition to clinical work, Dr. Buxhoeveden has been involved
in clinical research for many years, as a MS nurse, research
coordinator, and as a participant. She joined ACP as a research
consultant to establish and build iConquerMS, the first
patient-powered research network (PPRN) dedicated to MS. This
transformative experience inspired her to pursue a Ph.D. in Nursing
at Virginia Commonwealth University,
where she was awarded a NIH National Research Service Award
pre-doctoral fellowship on the tenth anniversary of her MS
diagnosis. Her research focuses on epigenetic drivers of sex-based
disparities in MS.
"ACP and iConquerMS have established a premier program in
patient-powered research and are making significant contributions
to the field and to improving the lives of people with MS. I am
very pleased to be leaving the program in such capable hands and
look forward to seeing the new paths forged under Stephanie's
leadership," says Dr. McBurney.
Founded in 2001, ACP is a non-profit organization dedicated to
speeding research efforts to improve diagnosis, optimize
treatments, and eventually cure MS, guided first and foremost by
the needs and priorities of those affected by the disease. ACP
partners with researchers around the world and provides them with
access to the biospecimens, data, and people they need to conduct
their work. ACP's research resources include the ACP Repository, a
collection of highly characterized biosamples and data from more
than 3,200 subjects, as well as iConquerMS, a network of more than
8,500 people affected by MS who share information, insights, and
lived experience to accelerate research and innovation. In
addition, ACP convenes the MS Minority Research Engagement
Partnership Network and the Research Inclusion, Diversity, and
Equity Council, which provide insights into motivators and barriers
to participation in research for those from historically
underrepresented populations.
"Stephanie's appointment is a rare opportunity to bring together
research, clinical and lived experience in MS," says Sara Loud, CEO of ACP. "Our years of partnership
with Stephanie assure us that she will be an enthusiastic and
skilled addition to our team. I'm looking forward to partnering
with Stephanie to guide ACP and iConquerMS even further along the
path of improving the lives of all affected by MS."
CONTACT
Melissa Glim
Ogilvy Health
Melissa.Glim@Ogilvy.com
About Accelerated Cure Project
ACP
(www.acceleratedcure.org) is a patient-founded non-profit
organization dedicated to accelerating research efforts to improve
the health, healthcare and quality of life of people affected by
MS. The organization promotes scientific collaboration and
accelerates research by rapidly and cost-effectively providing
researchers worldwide with people, data and biosample resources
they need to explore novel research ideas that can lead to cures
and better care for people living with MS. The major programs of
Accelerated Cure Project are the ACP Repository, the iConquerMS™
People-Powered Research Network and the MS Minority Research
Engagement Partnership Network.
About the iConquerMS People-Powered Research
Network
iConquerMS™ (www.iConquerMS.org) is a research
initiative by and for individuals living with MS who contribute
their ideas and their health data. iConquerMS™ was established in
2014 by the Accelerated Cure Project for MS, in partnership with
Feinstein Kean Healthcare and Arizona State
University. Initial funding for iConquerMS™ was provided by
the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
(www.PCORI.org). Over 8,000 individuals living with MS are
currently registered as iConquerMS™ research participants,
constituting a large and growing cohort for data-driven research
into topics that matter most to people affected by MS. iConquerMS™
achieves its purpose, to improve the health, healthcare and quality
of life of people affected by MS, through collaborations with U.S.
and international academic, government, and industry
organizations.
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SOURCE Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis