For Immediate Release

Mercy Medical Director to be in National MS Hall of Fame

Oklahoma City—It’s hard to miss the sheer passion Mercy’s Gabriel Pardo, M.D., a neurologist and neuro-ophthalmologist, has for multiple sclerosis (MS). When he isn’t seeing patients — a practice with more than 2,000 MS patients — he’s traveling to places such as Montreal, Canada, Rhodes, Greece, and Madrid, Spain, to share results of his MS research.

Dr. Pardo, medical director of Mercy’s MS Center of Oklahoma, will be inducted into the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Volunteer Hall of Fame this week in Chicago for his significant contribution to MS as a health professional and researcher. In addition, he was recently named to the society’s National Clinical Advisory Board, an elite group of physicians from recognized centers such as Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins and Beth Israel.

“Dr. Pardo is one of the nation’s leading experts on MS,” said Paula Cortner, president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the National MS Society, the group that nominated Dr. Pardo for the Hall of Fame. “He opened Mercy’s MS Center in 2002, the only National Multiple Sclerosis Society affiliated center in the state. Through his dedication to MS, Dr. Pardo and his MS team have made it possible for Oklahomans to receive the type of comprehensive medical care required for this condition.”

Under his leadership, Mercy has completed several MS medication studies and is currently involved in seven clinical trials — several investigating potential new medications. Mercy is also leading research in innovative ways to improve balance in MS patients.

“By being committed to MS clinical trials and research here at Mercy, Dr. Pardo and his affiliated group of specialists provide MS patients in Oklahoma with the most advanced treatment available and increase the therapeutic options for MS patients worldwide,” said Mark Johnson, M.D., Mercy’s chief medical officer. “Dr. Pardo and the MS team are looking at new ways to maximize motor function of MS patients with disabilities. Besides preventing new manifestations of the disease in patients and treating current MS symptoms, they also want to improve the quality of life for those MS patients who are already suffering with disabilities from the disease.”

While the list of scientific journals is long, Dr. Pardo’s research was recently published in the Journal of Neurology with an article, “Decreased postural balance in MS patients with low disability.” Another recent article, “Relationships between disability, quality of life and duration of disease for women with MS,” was in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

A chronic, often disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord, MS affects some 400,000 people in the U.S. Research is proving that comprehensive disease management can help MS patients lead a normal or near-normal life expectancy without becoming severely disabled.

Press release dated: November 6, 2008