Dr. Dessa Sadovnick is a Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics and the Division of Neurology, the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia. She was the Director of the Canadian Western Pacific Regional Research and Training Center for Multiple Sclerosis.
Dr. Sadovnick’s work in the field of multiple sclerosis research has made an enormous difference in the lives of people living with MS and their families and given them hope that one day a cure will be found. Her tenacity and resilience to stay committed to finding a genetic link to MS is inspiring and we look forward to the opportunity to share her story of what can be accomplished with determination and perserverance.
Dr. Sadovnick’s research has focused on the genetic epidemiology of common complex disorders, most notably multiple sclerosis and dementia. She was and continues to be a principal investigator on several national and international multi-center research endeavors on both multiple sclerosis and dementia.
Dr. Sadovnick was one of the developers of the Master’s Degree in Genetic Counseling Program at the University of British Columbia, has served as its co-director and is now on the advisory panel. She has published extensively (over 300 articles in peer-review journals) and serves as a reviewer for a wide variety of medical journals and grant review panels. She is often an invited speaker at Canadian, American and International (Europe, Asia, South America, Russia) scientific meetings on multiple sclerosis and dementia. She has also served on several special task forces including the Canadian Coalition for Genetic Fairness, the Canadian Consensus Conference on Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Onset Dementia, and the Technical and Advisory committees for the Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Monitoring System. Dr. Sadovnick is also a frequent speaker at events for the general population, particularly for individuals with multiple sclerosis or dementia and their family members.
