Ph.D. Candidate Presents MS Quality‑of‑Life Research at ACTRIMS Forum

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Ph.D. Candidate Presents MS Quality‑of‑Life Research at ACTRIMS Forum

A growing body of work from emerging epidemiologists is helping clarify how symptoms shape the lived experience of people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

At the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, Ph.D. candidate Claudia Alonso, M.P.H., presented new findings on how cognition and depression contribute to long‑term declines in quality of life among individuals living with MS.

Alonso’s presentation, “Longitudinal Relationship of Cognition & Depression on Quality of Life in MS,” explored how subjective cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms influence health‑related quality of life (HRQoL) over time. Her longitudinal analysis identified both as key drivers of HRQoL decline in people with MS, with individuals reporting greater cognitive difficulties appearing particularly vulnerable to the compounding effects of depressive symptoms across the disease course.

Her findings reinforce the importance of monitoring patient‑reported cognitive difficulties and mood symptoms together, rather than in isolation, to better understand and support long‑term well‑being in MS.

“ACTRIMS was an incredibly enriching experience. It’s exciting to share my research with professionals in other MS research disciplines, such as radiologists and statisticians,” Alonso said.

She attended the Forum with her mentor, Farren Briggs, Ph.D., M.Sc., associate professor in the Division of Epidemiology, gaining exposure to interdisciplinary perspectives and emerging analytic approaches in MS research.

Alonso will continue this line of work for her dissertation, centering on patient‑reported outcomes and long‑term disease experiences among people living with MS.

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published on February 23, 2026.

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