Overview
The goal of the multidisciplinary team at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center in Cleveland and the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas is to enhance health and wellness in multiple sclerosis through clinical care, education, and research. Dr. Rensel piloted individual wellness consultations in 2007, adding shared medical appointments with experiential wellness activities for patients with multiple sclerosis in 2016. In addition, she has received educational grants to support the Mellen Center MS wellness shared medical appointments. Individual wellness consultations with an were started at the Mellen Center in 2017.
Dr. Hersh leads the MS Health and Wellness Program at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. She conducts one-on-one visits with patients, individualizing wellness care with a collaborative and multidisciplinary focus. She secured grant support in 2017, 2018 and 2020 for a Health and Wellness Education Series with an interdisciplinary team of neuro-rehabilitation specialists, a social worker, a dietitian, a yoga master, and an executive chef to highlight the physical and emotional benefits of healthy living with MS.
Drs. Hersh and Rensel have grant funding to evaluate wellness and patient-reported outcomes in MS patients who participate in the MS Health and Wellness Program. Currently, they are applying for a large grant to investigate physical activity via wearable technology and MS outcomes in patients participating in the Health and Wellness Program, Cleveland Clinic Physical Therapy, and those receiving standard care at each facility.
Contact Information
Mary R Rensel, MD
renselm@ccf.org
Funding Sources
Genzyme, Wellness shared medical appointments for MS patients, Rensel (PI), 07/2016 – 06/2017
Genentech, Wellness intervention program and MS outcomes study, Hersh (PI), one-year grant
Publications
The current approach to managing MS. Women’s Health in Primary Care. Rensel M, Cohen J 2000;3(6):417-31.
Effects of meditation on pain and quality of life in multiple sclerosis and peripheral neuropathy: a pilot study. Tavee J, Rensel M, Planchon SM, Butler RS, Stone L. Int J MS Care. 2011 Winter;13(4):163-8. doi: 10.7224/1537-2073-13.4.163. PMID: 24453721
Biofeedback in coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Baumann M, Frank DL, Liebenstein M, Kiffer J, Pozuelo L, Cho L, Blackburn G, Bethoux F, Rensel M, Hatipoglu B, Young J, Moravec CS, McKee MG. Cleve Clin J Med 2011;78(Suppl 1):S80. PMID:
General Health and Wellness in MS. In Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Clinical Guide to Diagnosis, medical management, and rehabilitation. Rae-Grant A, Fox, R and Bethoux F (eds), pp235-242, 2013.
Wellness and the role of comorbidities in multiple sclerosis. Moss, BP, Rensel MR, Hersh CM. Neurotherapeutics 2017;14(4):999-1017. doi: 10.1007/s13311-017-0563-6. PMID: 28785958.
Outcomes of the wellness shared medical appointments were presented at the 2018 Consortium of MS Centers annual meeting in Nashville, TN.
Members & Collaborations
Cleveland Clinic Affiliations - Mellen Center and Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
- Malissa Ayers, PA-C
- Francois Bethoux, MD
- Claire Hara-Cleaver, CNP
- Carrie Hersh, DO MSc
- Randy Karim, DPT Clinical Rehab Specialist
- Jason Longhurst, PT DPT, Physical Therapist
- Trevor Mahoney, PT DPT, Physical Therapist
- Shaina Meyer, OT, Occupational Therapist
- Jennifer Nash, PT DPT, Clinical Rehab Manager
- Mary R Rensel, MD
- Christine Ross, PT DPT, Physical Therapist
- Darlene Stough, RN, Coord Research Nurse
- Matt Sutliff, DPT, Clinical Team Leader
Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute
- Judy Barr
- Jane Ehrman, Lifestyle Medicine
- MLadin Galubic, MD
- Kristen Kirkpatrick, RD
- Jim Perko, Admin Executive Chef, Culinary Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
- Sonu Bassi- Student researcher
External Relationships and Collaborations
- Laura Kruskall, PhD – University Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
- Jennifer Graves, MD PhD – University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- Chef Wesley Holton – Executive Chef, Aria Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
