The inaugural meeting of the Rehabilitation Research Interest Group (RIG) of the MS Cooperative Studies Group, CMSC was held in Boston, August 17 – 18, 2003. At this meeting, the Research RIG, comprised of 16 rehabilitation professionals from North America, established the Mission for the RIG and the specific goals and objectives.

The Boston group identified the first proposal to be investigated by the RIG was to survey rehabilitation professionals to establish the current standard of care in rehabilitation for individuals with MS. A conference was convened in Chicago April 17 and 18 2004 in which a draft consensus statement of outcome measures for rehabilitation in MS was developed. Funding for this conference was provided by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA).

The work completed in Chicago was presented in a poster format at the CMSC meeting in Toronto June 2004 and the consensus statement was adopted by the CMSC Board of Directors in November 2005.

Since that time the members of the RIG have met at the annual conference to discuss current research studies under investigation and identify opportunities for networking for collaboration of clinical research projects. Networking beyond the annual meeting has been difficult and such the development of the Rehabilitation RIG webpage as part of the CMSC website was proposed to the Research Committee in March 2007 and approved.

We are now in the process of working with the IOMSRT to establish the webpage that would include a research page that would facilitate communication of research in rehabilitation of MS and a clinical page for the practicing clinician.