The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers

What The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers does

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) is a US-based nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1985 and headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey, serving multidisciplinary healthcare professionals engaged in multiple sclerosis care, including neurologists, MS nurses, pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists, mental health professionals, physician assistants, and dietitians. The organization delivers its mission through a portfolio of products including the CMSC Scholar continuing education platform, four professional certification programs (Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist, MS Certified Nurse, Certified Rare Neuroimmunologic Disorder Specialist, and Certified MS Healthcare Associate), six Special Interest Groups, the International Journal of MS Care, the NARCOMS patient registry for MS outcomes research, an MS Center Directory, and the largest North American Annual Meeting for MS healthcare professionals (2,000+ attendees, 70+ exhibitors, 120+ educational hours).

Revenue is generated through a mix of membership dues, continuing education program fees, certification exam fees, annual meeting registrations, branded educational webinars sponsored by pharmaceutical partners (including EMD Serono/Merck KGaA and Sandoz), and tiered donations (Bronze $40, Silver $400, Gold $4,000) to the June Halper MS Workforce of the Future Fund. The organization is governed independently with no parent company, employs 11-50 staff, and is led by CEO Kathleen Costello, who was officially appointed in November 2025 after serving as interim CEO since January 2025, succeeding founder June Halper who led CMSC for 50 years until her passing in 2024.

Name

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers

Legal name

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers

Website

https://mscare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CMSC is a US-based nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1985 that delivers multidisciplinary continuing education, four MS-focused professional certifications, research collaboration, and the largest North American MS healthcare annual meeting for neurologists, nurses, pharmacists, and allied clinicians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Education and Certification

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare Clinical Professions (CME/CE for Nurses, Allied Health, Pharmacy) (EDAAALAC), Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology (HLAKAIAF)

Keywords

• Multiple sclerosis care
• Continuing medical education
• Professional healthcare certification
• Clinical research registry
• Medical conference services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hackensack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for healthcare professionals engaged in MS care, providing access to resources, certifications, special interest groups, and annual meeting discounts.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations to CMSC and the June Halper MS Workforce of the Future Fund. Donation tiers include Bronze ($40), Silver ($400), and Gold ($4,000) supporters.
3. Continuing Education Programs: Revenue from CE programs including monographs, webinars, certification exams, and annual meeting registrations.
4. Branded Educational Webinars: Pharmaceutical partners sponsor live educational webinars focused on disease-modifying therapies and disease state management in MS, NMOSD and other rare diseases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) is a nonprofit professional membership organization that delivers continuing education programs, professional certifications (MS Certified Specialist, MS Certified Nurse, Certified Rare Neuroimmunologic Disorder Specialist, Certified MS Healthcare Associate), the largest North American annual meeting for MS healthcare professionals, and the NARCOMS patient registry for MS outcomes research. Its offerings are consumed by neurologists, MS nurses, pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists, mental health professionals, and dietitians engaged in MS care.

Product overview

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) operates as a professional healthcare organization focused on advancing MS care through research, education, and professional collaboration. The organization offers a comprehensive ecosystem of products including professional certification programs (MSCS, MS Certified Nurse, Certified Rare Neuroimmunologic Disorder Specialist, Certified MS Healthcare Associate), the CMSC Scholar continuing education platform, annual meetings, MS TeamWorks video program, Ask the Experts webinar series, patient education resources, the NARCOMS patient registry, and various clinical guidelines and publications. The portfolio also includes special interest groups for different MS care disciplines, branded webinars for pharmaceutical partners, and the June Halper MS Workforce of the Future Fund for training next-generation MS care leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CMSC Scholar: Online platform for continuing education programs, annual meetings, monographs, primer, journal, podcasts, webinars and videos for MS healthcare professionals.
• NARCOMS Registry
• MS TeamWorks

Products and services

• CMSC Scholar Continuing education platform offering webinars, videos, podcasts, monographs, and live events for MS healthcare professionals to maintain professional credentials.
• Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist (MSCS) Professional certification validating expertise in multiple sclerosis care across multiple disciplines.
• Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurse Certification program for nurses specializing in multiple sclerosis care.
• Certified Rare Neuroimmunologic Disorder Specialist Specialized certification for healthcare professionals managing rare neuroimmunologic disorders.
• Certified Multiple Sclerosis Healthcare Associate Certification for healthcare associates working in MS care settings.
• CMSC Annual Meeting The largest North American meeting for healthcare professionals and researchers engaged in MS care, offering over 120 educational hours and featuring more than 70 exhibitors.
• NARCOMS Registry Patient registry for multiple sclerosis research and data collection, supporting longitudinal outcomes research.
• Branded Educational Webinars Live educational webinars presented by pharmaceutical partners focused on disease-modifying therapies and disease state management in MS, NMOSD, and other rare diseases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2000 attendees at annual meetings with 70+ exhibitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses (IOMSN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMSC partners with IOMSN, an international organization dedicated to MS nursing. IOMSN has its own membership and is listed as a CMSC partner with logo placement on the website. Joint initiatives include the MS Certified Nurse certification.
• NeurologyLivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurologyLive partners with CMSC on the Giants of Multiple Sclerosis award program. They also collaborate on MS Cure Connections video series and co-branded educational content.
• International Journal of MS Care (IJMSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMSC publishes the peer-reviewed International Journal of MS Care, a core publication providing the latest MS research and clinical information to members.
• Foundation of CMSC (FCMSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation of CMSC is a 501(c)(3) organization supporting CMSC's mission through fundraising and awareness efforts.
• MS CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMS Coalition is a collaboration of MS organizations working together to improve the lives of people affected by MS. Listed as a CMSC partner.
• International Organization of MS Rehabilitation Therapists (IOMSRT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOMSRT is a Special Interest Group of CMSC focused on advancing MS rehabilitation therapy. It operates as an international organization with its own website and membership.
• Professional Testing CorporationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional Testing Corporation administers CMSC certifications including the Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist (MSCS) exam at testing centers in New York and nationally.
• SandozmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandoz co-created and sponsored an educational package on biosimilar medicines for MS nurses, including an educational deck, pocket guide, infographic, and facilitation pack.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• National Multiple Sclerosis Society: NMSS is the leading US patient-advocacy and research-funding organization for MS. It complements CMSC (professional side) with patient-side programs, and they collaborate on shared initiatives; adjacent rather than competing.
• American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: ACAAI is a US specialty medical society running the Annual Meeting, CME, member certifications, and pharma-sponsored education — operationally a useful model peer for CMSC's structure.
• International Association for the Study of Pain: IASP follows the specialty professional-society model (membership, journals, World Congress, CE) and is structurally comparable to CMSC in operating approach even though the clinical focus differs.

Broad incumbents

• European Academy of Neurology: EAN is the European neurology professional society running the annual EAN congress with subspecialty programming including MS — analogous to AAN at regional/global level.
• Society for Neuroscience: SfN is the broad global professional society for neuroscience with large annual meeting and CE programming. Serves an adjacent member base of researchers and clinicians interested in MS.
• American Academy of Neurology: AAN is the largest US neurology professional society with CME, annual meetings, publications, and subspecialty programming for MS care among other neurology topics. Broad incumbent that overlaps with CMSC on MS-targeted CE.

Direct peers

• European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis: ECTRIMS is the leading international professional society for MS researchers and clinicians, offering annual congresses, CME, and research collaboration — directly analogous to CMSC but focused on Europe/global. Most direct peer.
• International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses: IOMSN is an international nursing professional society dedicated to MS care, with its own membership and certifications. Listed as a CMSC partner with overlapping nurse-certification offerings.

Emerging players

• American Association of Neuroscience Nurses: AANN is a US specialty nursing organization for neuroscience including MS, offering CE and certification. Adjacent to CMSC's MS nurse offerings.
• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: AAPM&R serves physiatrists including MS rehabilitation therapists via CME, annual assembly, and member resources. Partial overlap with the IOMSRT special interest group at CMSC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mscare
• Facebookfacebook.com/CMSCmscare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers