Master program "Multiple Sclerosis Management" sets standards in medicine

15. Oktober 2020

The DIU master degree program "Multiple Sclerosis Management", which is unique in Germany, will start on October 20, 2020. Specialists and managers, mainly neurologists, from the health care system will receive further training to become multiple sclerosis (MS) specialists. There is a very high demand in both medicine and care.

International University of Dresden: Studying Several Sclerosis Management
Scientific director Prof. Dr. Tjalf Ziemssen

Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Tjalf Ziemssen

The clinical picture is varied and each patient requires individual care. Early diagnosis and therapy is crucial for the further course of the disease. With the "Multiple Sclerosis Management" course of study, DIU is making an important contribution to the fight against the nerve disease.

Target-group-oriented offer addresses high demand for MS experts

"We are pleased about the great interest in our new course of studies 'Multiple Sclerosis Management'. Specialists and health experts with special knowledge of multiple sclerosis are urgently needed," explains DIU Managing Director Prof. Dr. Joachim Niemeier. "Our aim is to create study programs that are geared to the real needs of medicine and care. With the introduction of the study program 'Multiple Sclerosis Management', we are reacting to the current demand and offer a unique study program that is specially adapted to the needs of MS patients".

The first matriculation will start with 18 students. Eleven applicants can study with a partial scholarship, thanks to donations from SANOFI, MERCK and BMS and two German scholarship foundations by the company BIOGEN.

Initially, the course content will be taught in German by experts from the DACH region. After the successful introduction of the new course of studies, an internationalization is planned.

For MS patients, early diagnosis and treatment will determine the further course of the disease. Individually adapted therapy options will make the patients' lives easier and inhibit the process of the disease. The treatment is life-long and very complex, for which well-trained specialists are needed. "In recent years, a lot has happened in the field of multiple sclerosis. The latest findings must be communicated and more widely disseminated. We want to actively promote both with the new course of studies 'Multiple Sclerosis Management'. We are very pleased that we can welcome the first students in our nationwide unique Master's program," explains Prof. Dr. Tjalf Ziemssen. He is the scientific director of the new course of studies at DIU, a specialist in neurology at Dresden University Hospital and a proven expert in multiple sclerosis. In 2006, he founded the Multiple Sclerosis Center Dresden, which today is one of the largest specialized outpatient clinics in Germany.

Part-time studies to become an MS specialist

The continuing education program is aimed at doctors, therapists, scientists, psychologists, pharmacists, biologists or nursing staff who want to specialize in MS. Prerequisite is a degree in human medicine or a related field with a total of 240 ECTS points. In addition, persons with a first academic degree who have been trained in a health profession and have worked in the field of MS for one year can take up the master's program. Upon successful completion they are awarded the title "Master of Science" (M.Sc.).

The extra-occupational study program is spread over four semesters. "Our students learn from leading specialists from the DACH region, mostly in online seminars. This guarantees the transfer of knowledge even in times of the corona pandemic. In addition, practical units are offered, for which we have selected centers with extensive experience in diagnostics and therapy," explains Prof. Dr. Tjalf Ziemssen. The program is divided into the modules "Theoretical Principles", "Clinical Practice and Diagnostics", "Studies and Statistics", "Therapy and Rehabilitation", "Monitoring and Documentation" on MS and other neuroimmunological diseases. The prospective experts learn detailed and scientifically based diagnostics and differential diagnostics in case of suspected chronic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. They will be supervised by renowned specialists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The German Multiple Sclerosis Society (DMGS) is the patron of the program.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - "The disease of a thousand faces

The disease multiple sclerosis affects approximately 250,000 people living in Germany. So far it is considered incurable. The body's own immune system damages parts of the central nervous system that are involved in the transmission of impulses. The chronic inflammatory disease often begins in early adulthood. The consequences are various neurological deficits. These include muscle weakness, signs of paralysis, reduction of the optic nerves or a convulsive increase in muscle tension. The course of the disease is individual for each patient, which is why it is known as the "disease of a thousand faces". The causes are as yet unexplained. There are various theories and approaches, but no scientifically sound explanation has been found yet.

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