Professor Dawn Ehde, PhD, professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, has received a second round of funding from the International Progressive MS Alliance to advance her team’s work on pain self-management for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Her project is one of three global studies selected for the Alliance’s 2026 Well-Being Phase II Efficacy Awards.
In addition to Dr. Ehde, the study team includes Sarah Simmons, MD, PhD; Erin Mistretta, PhD; Andrew Humbert, PhD; Mark Jensen, PhD; and Mary Curran, MSW; all from the UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Also contributing to the study are Drs. Anna Kratz and Dominique Kinnett-Hopkins from the University of Michigan.
The Alliance awarded a total of €6.9 million across the three studies. Dr. Ehde’s project received €2,559,656 (about $3,033,055 USD).
This award builds on Dr. Ehde’s 2023 Innovations in Well-Being Award from the Alliance, which supported the first phase of her team’s work to adapt evidence-based psychological strategies for pain in progressive MS. In that initial round, nine projects worldwide received funding to design and refine interventions aimed at addressing some of the most challenging symptoms of progressive MS, including pain, mobility changes, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties.
From those nine projects, the Alliance selected three, including Dr. Ehde’s, to move forward to multi-year efficacy testing. The projects were chosen based on scientific merit, broad impact, and potential for quick implementation, if they prove to be effective.
The Phase II study will compare three ways of delivering a telehealth-based pain self-management program: a self-guided online version, a coach-supported online version, and a therapist-delivered telemedicine version. The research team will also develop resources designed for global use, including workbooks, implementation plans, and data to support adaptation in different healthcare settings.
These awards are part of the Alliance’s Well-being Research Pipeline, a multi-stage effort to design, test, and implement effective strategies that improve daily life for people with progressive MS.
Read the full grant announcement from the International Progressive MS Alliance.
For more information about our research into MS, visit the Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation & Wellness Research Center.