Dear Colleagues,
In just over a month, our global community will gather at MSToronto2026 to exchange ideas across borders, disciplines, and perspectives to reflect on the progress our field is making together.
This year’s Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting will be particularly meaningful for me, as it will also mark the conclusion of my term as President of ECTRIMS. I can think of no better setting in which to bring these two years to a close than among colleagues from across the MS community, sharing new science, strengthening collaborations and looking toward what comes next.
It has been a great privilege to serve as President since 2024. As I reflect on the past two years, I am proud of how we have continued to strengthen ECTRIMS as a community that connects people not only during our annual Congress, but throughout the year.
Looking back, I am proud of the progress we have made in broadening ECTRIMS’ contribution to the MS and neuroimmunology community. During my presidency, we have expanded training and development opportunities for early-career researchers, while also taking steps to increase our scientific scope across the global spectrum of neuroimmunological diseases. I have also been keen to strengthen ECTRIMS’ role in translating evidence into practical guidance for the community. This work is now taking shape through an expanded programme of guideline development, including a guideline on cognition to be delivered in 2026, followed by guidelines on pregnancy and ageing in 2027.
Another priority for me has been to ensure that people living with MS have a stronger voice within ECTRIMS and that our work remains closely connected to the people it is ultimately intended to serve. Over the past two years, we have significantly expanded our Patient Community Day activities and strengthened our engagement with the patient community beyond the annual Congress through more consistent year-round outreach. I am proud to have helped advance this more patient-centred approach and to see patient perspectives becoming increasingly embedded in the Society’s activities.
For me, this has been an important part of ECTRIMS’ evolution: bringing scientific and clinical expertise together with the experiences and priorities of people living with MS.
And while my own role within ECTRIMS is changing, I am pleased that my involvement will continue. With the establishment of the new role of Past President, I will have the privilege of continuing to serve the Society, supporting the incoming President and Executive Committee as ECTRIMS enters its next chapter.
There is much to look forward to. Science is moving quickly, our understanding of MS continues to evolve, and new technologies are changing how we conduct research and approach clinical care. I have been pleased to see ECTRIMS respond to this changing landscape through our new AI & Digital Innovation Committee, which will help guide the responsible, evidence-based adoption of these technologies across the field.
As these developments continue, ECTRIMS has an important role to play in helping our community navigate change while remaining grounded in scientific evidence and integrity.
I also believe there is an opportunity for ECTRIMS to contribute more actively to the research that will shape the future of our field. We have begun exploring new ways in which the Society can support and enable scientific progress in the years ahead. I am confident that ECTRIMS will continue to evolve while preserving what has always made it valuable: bringing people together around a shared commitment to advancing MS research and improving care.
Before I close this final newsletter as President, I want to thank everyone who has contributed to ECTRIMS during my term: my colleagues on the Executive Committee, members of the Council and committees, our faculty, partner organisations, the ECTRIMS staff, and the many members of our wider community who give their time, knowledge and expertise to our work.
It has been an honour to serve as President, and I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me over these past two years. I am also grateful that, as Past President, I will remain closely involved with a Society and community that mean a great deal to me.
But before that next chapter begins, we still have MSToronto2026 ahead of us. I look forward to seeing many of you there and to concluding my presidency where ECTRIMS is at its best: together as a community, exchanging knowledge, strengthening connections and looking towards what comes next.
With warm regards,
Bruno Stankoff
President, ECTRIMS