German neurologist Professor Kerstin Hellwig has received the 2024 Rachel Horne prize for her pioneering contribution to research in the field of MS and family planning.
Founder of the award, Rachel Horne, said: "Professor Hellwig is such a deserving recipient. Her ground-breaking work has led the way in enabling women with MS and clinicians to make safe, informed decisions around family planning, so as to ensure the health of both mother and child."
The award was presented at the 40th Congress of the European Committee for Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Receiving the award, Dr Hellwig said: "I am thrilled to receive the Rachel Horne Prize. I have been involved in female health research in MS for nearly twenty years now and female scientists are still largely underrepresented in the world of scientific prizes and recognition. This award recognises the vital importance of clinical research in combination with different aspects of women's health in MS.
"I would like to thank my mentor Annette Langer-Gould, also a pioneer in female health research in MS, who greatly supported me to increase the methodological strengths of my research."
ECTRIMS President, Professor Mar Tintore, commented: "Dr Hellwig is an outstanding clinician-scientist whose pioneering work over the past two decades has improved the understanding, safety and healthcare for women with MS before, during and after pregnancy."
Dr Hellwig is a senior consultant at St Josef Hospital, Ruhr University, Bochum in Germany. She is chair and founder of the German MS and Pregnancy Registry (DMSKW) which she set up in 2006. The register currently holds information on more than 5,000 pregnancies.
