A top MS researcher has been recruited to the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Michael Levin will take on a seven-year term as the university’s new $8.4-million chair in multiple sclerosis research beginning in March, the school announced Thursday.
“This recruitment is an important step forward in the effort to increase MS research and improve clinical care for Saskatchewan people with MS,” Saskatoon University MLA Eric Olauson said in a media release, on behalf of Health Minister Jim Reiter.
Levin, a neurologist and professor with the University of Tennessee’s College of Medicine, is also the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center and Laboratory of Viral and Demyelinating Diseases in Memphis. He’ll be leading a program at the University of Saskatchewan focused on identifying causes of multiple sclerosis and developing or improving treatments.
“I’ve dedicated most of my adult life to exploring the causes of MS and the care of people with MS and I am grateful and humbled to be named the inaugural chair,” Levin said.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Money for the chair position was raised by a number of community stakeholders, including the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, the MS Society of Canada, the U of S Centennial Enhancement Chair program, the U of S College of Medicine and the Saskatoon Health Region.
An estimated 3,600 people live with MS in Saskatchewan. The province has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis per capita in the world.
