Mehdi Ghasemi, MD

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in ALS

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have better quality of life and survival rates when their care takes place in a multidisciplinary clinic. However, access to multidisciplinary clinics is challenging for many ALS patients due to distance, cost of travel, and most importantly, physical limitations.

Dr. Ghasemi’s project will study the effectiveness of multidisciplinary ALS care delivered through telemedicine to determine whether these visits are feasible and provide equivalent or improved satisfaction among patients, caregivers, and health care professionals. This research has the potential to improve the quality of health care for ALS patients by increasing the frequency of assessments while minimizing arduous trips to the clinic. Telehealth services also have the potential to improve clinical trials in ALS, leading to further breakthroughs in research.

This research is funded by The ALS Association and the American Brain Foundation, in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Ghasemi is an Associate Program Director and Assistant Professor of Neurology & Psychiatry, Department of Neurology, at University of Massachusetts School of Medicine