UM co-leads first-of-its-kind national study on MS health
A team of researchers launched a national study in Nov. 2025 to better understand how biological and social factors can influence health outcomes for Canadians living with multiple sclerosis (MS), which affects more than 90,000 people in the country, making it one of the highest rates in the world.
Each person’s experience with MS is different, due in large part to factors like their gender, age, ethnicity and if they live in a city or not. Together, these factors contribute to a person’s diversity, yet researchers are unsure which of these put people at the greatest health disadvantage.
With almost $2 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the interdisciplinary team at Dalhousie University, the University of Manitoba, Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo, will examine that relationship to improve the health of people with MS who have historically not been part of past studies.
The team will develop ways to test how biological factors, like genetics, age and sex, contribute to health outcomes in people with MS. That will involve recruiting 500 diverse people with MS to look at how a person’s biology, lifetime experiences and environment affect their health. And, the research will test ways to best support people with MS who experience health disadvantages because of their experiences and environments.
The researchers, co-led by Dr. Kaarina Kowalec, associate professor in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences‘ College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, will work closely with people living with MS in Manitoba as well as health-care providers, advocacy groups and health policy decision-makers. Other co-principal investigators include Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, professor at Dalhousie University, and a long-time UM MS researcher.
“We are taking an inclusive approach to ensure our research findings are meaningful, equitable and actionable,” said Kowalec. “Understanding diverse life stories and biological differences can help advance effective care and support for everyone living with MS.”
If interested in participating, please visit the study site or contact: msepidemiology@nshealth.ca