The Swedish MS Center: New leadership committed to our tradition of visionary care

[5 min read]

In this article: 

• Swedish is home to the country's premier multiple sclerosis (MS) center, which has offered patients with MS some of the most innovative care and programs for more than 15 years. 
• MS is an incurable neurological disease that disrupts the brain-body connection and causes a host of symptoms including the inability to walk, difficulty with speech and vision loss. 
• Pavle Repovic, M.D., Ph.D., was named the leader of Swedish's MS Center in January 2025.
• Learn more about Dr. Repovic, his vision for the MS Center and treatments on the horizon that can help MS patients live longer, healthier lives.  

The Pacific Northwest is believed to have one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world. That understanding was the driving force behind the founding of the Swedish MS Center at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute. For over a decade, Swedish’s MS Center has provided MS patients with world-class care in a state-of-the art space and spearheaded visionary research on the disease.   

Through an effort led by the Swedish Foundation, the MS Center was launched in 2009 with philanthropic support from the community. Given the effects of MS on so many patients right here in our region, it was fitting that the community rallied to provide such an excellent center of care.

Swedish’s MS Center is the most comprehensive and one of the largest in the country and contributes to groundbreaking scientific advancements of MS treatment and clinical care. Programs include music therapy, mat and chair Pilates, gentle yoga and wellness, and outdoor adaptive adventure activities, including skiing, skydiving and kayaking.

Because MS can be life-altering and isolating, the center’s work is guided by a multidisciplinary, holistic approach designed to support patients (and their families) in every area of life. Whether it’s navigating complex clinical treatments or managing the effects of MS on patients’ personal and professional lives, the center and its caregivers are dedicated to keeping patients engaged, active and supported throughout their experience with MS.  

Late last year, James Bowen, M.D., founder and medical director of the MS Center, passed the leadership torch to Pavle Repovic, M.D., Ph.D. We recently spoke with Dr. Repovic about his new role, his vision for the future and where MS care and research are leading us.

How did you come to study neurology and specifically MS?

As a college student, I came across several books by Oliver Sacks that got me curious about the brain and neuroscience in general. In medical school, this interest led me to pursue a Ph.D. in cellular biology, studying immune signals in the brain. After my residency in neurology, I continued along this line of interest to pursue a fellowship training in multiple sclerosis, since it is the most common autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord.

What are some recent advances in our understanding and/or treatment of MS?

Over the past decade, the number of available medications to prevent MS attacks has considerably expanded. We now have over 20 different therapeutic options to prevent MS attacks. However, for some patients MS can manifest in more insidious ways, through gradual progression of neurological damage, that is not adequately addressed by most of our available medications. We need effective therapies for this aspect of MS. 

Please tell us about some of the work you were doing previous to assuming leadership of the MS Center.

For as long as I have been at Swedish, I have been involved with the clinical trials of new MS treatments. Over the same period of time, I have witnessed the field of MS care evolve to recognize that earlier use of higher efficacy therapies is beneficial in the long run. It has been very gratifying to be able to offer cutting-edge treatment options to our patients, and the MS community at large. 

Do you have any plans for additional services or changes at the Center? 

I would like to bring back more of the in-person patient programs that have made our Center so unique. In addition to several support groups, this includes our music therapy sessions, book club, art show, open gym and educational sessions. Many of these have moved online as a result of the pandemic, but this convenience has come at a price of the sense of community that we have fostered over the years.

Tell us about the importance of support for the MS Center and research at Swedish? What makes Swedish unique and special in this regard.

Our clinic strongly believes that treating MS requires a holistic, individualized approach. Our doctors, aided by a superb team of therapists, nurses and support staff aim to provide a superior level of medical care. But we also know that treating MS requires more than medicine. This is why we have patient-centered auxiliary services of the MS center, that are entirely supported through philanthropy. Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to organize outdoors activities for people of all abilities.

Are there treatments that are particularly out-of-the-box that excite you?

I am cautiously optimistic about several recent developments in MS. One is a promising treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis called tolebrutinib. This is currently under review by the FDA and may become available later this year. I am also excited by the promise of a novel approach called CAR T-cell therapy. This is still in the early stages of clinical trials, however.

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