Clinical Research of Multiple Sclerosis?

<p>Hello, </p>

<p>I am a high school student who, in the future, wants to pursue a career in the clinical studies of multiple sclerosis. What I can't seem to pinpoint is exactly what I should be 1: having as an undergraduate major and 2: what my graduate major would end up being. I thought that possibly an undergraduate of major biological sciences and then leaning towards immunology; MS is an autoimmune disease and is involved with the nervous system. The thing that confused me was that when one who has the disease goes to a doctor, they see a Neurologist. Would that mean I should lean more towards a Clinical Neurology or neurobiology? Should I go into a pre-med undergrad or stick with biology?</p>

<p>Thanks in Advance!</p>

<p>If you major in biology, you most likely will meet the usual premed requirements anyway.</p>

<p>Whether you go toward a nonmedical grad program or medical school depends on whether you primarily want to be a research scientist or a clinician. You can do both, however, and having an MD has advantages for access to patients, clinical trials, etc. You could get both an MD and a PhD. Some medical schools have combined MD/PhD program.</p>

<p>Possible undergrad majors would include biology, physiology, neuroscience, molecular biology, etc. All would be appropriate as premed majors or as preparation for a graduate research degree. At the grad level, relevant specialties would be immunology or neuroscience, but you also could study pharmacology, genetics, etc. depending on what aspect of the disorder you thought was a promising direction for research.</p>

<p>At MS specialty clinics, many different types of specialists might be involved in treatment:
<a href=“http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/multiple_sclerosis/ns_team.aspx[/url]”>http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/multiple_sclerosis/ns_team.aspx&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.mayoclinic.org/multiple-sclerosis/[/url]”>Multiple sclerosis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic;