Meet Hannah Ott
Senior Director, Corporate Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Relations
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
“More than 75 years of progress toward creating a world free of MS.”
Q: How would you define health equity and its importance to MS patients?
A: As an organization, we are committed to empowering every person with MS to live their best lives as we cure MS. But one can’t live their best life when they face discrimination and exclusion. As a national health organization, speaking out is not just a choice, it is a responsibility. When we lift up those most affected by inequities in our communities and healthcare system, we lift up everyone.
Q: What are the biggest challenges you see to achieving health equity for patients with MS?
A: Some of the biggest challenges to achieving health equity begin with identifying and responding to the root causes and impacts of inequitable norms, policies, and procedures.
Q: What are some ways the National MS Society is advancing health equity?
A: We are providing information and resources that underrepresented groups need to move their lives forward, which includes the following:
- A guide and a documentary—Living Well With MS: A Guide for Black Americans
- Public Service Announcements to inform the Black community about the early signs and symptoms of MS
- A nationwide Black MS Experience Summit and a Hispanic/Latinx MS Experience Summit. At these yearly virtual events, participants make connections, learn from top scientific and healthcare experts, and voice the unique needs of members of these communities affected by MS
To learn more about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, visit: www.nationalmssociety.org.