MS nursing scholarship fund granted $100K by EMD Serono
FCMSC fund created in memory of nurse practitioner who specialized in MS
The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) has received a $100,000 donation from EMD Serono, known as Merck Kgaa outside North America, to honor the foundation’s late CEO June Halper by supporting a nursing scholarship fund in her memory.
Halper was a former nurse practitioner who specialized in multiple sclerosis (MS) and was among the first to adopt a comprehensive care approach to the disease. She started working with MS in 1978 and was dedicated to improving the lives of people living with MS until her final days, the FCMSC said in a foundation press release announcing the gift. She died in July 2024 at the age of 86.
During her career, Halper founded the MS Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, where she served as executive director, and later co-founded the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC). She was the consortium’s president, executive director, and CEO. At the time of her death, she was CEO of the CSMC, FCMSC, and also of the International Organization of MS Nurses, whose website now is honoring her as “an extraordinary MS nurse.”
EMD Serono’s donation will support the newly established June Halper Nursing Scholarship Fund, which will help train nurses to care for people with MS. The FCMSC notes the job requires special skills due to the complexity of the disease.
“The CMSC will continue June’s vision of assisting health care professionals in providing the best quality of care for MS patients and their families,” the consortium states on its online donation page for the nursing scholarship fund.
Donation awarded to June Halper Nursing Scholarship Fund
According to the CMSC, Halper’s lifelong passion for helping people with multiple sclerosis made her a well-respected figure in the MS community.
“We are indebted to the dedication and legacy of work that June Halper provided to the MS community and the nursing profession,” Jeffrey Wilken, PhD, the CMSC’s president.
MS affects the brain and spinal cord and can cause a wide range of symptoms, from fatigue and numbness or tingling to blurred vision and problems with concentration and memory. There is no cure, but treatment and nursing care can help manage its symptoms and improve the quality of life for patients.
We are indebted to the dedication and legacy of work that June Halper provided to the MS community and the nursing profession.
The EMD Serono donation also will support the FCMSC’s Workforce of the Future programs. These programs encourage healthcare professionals — nurses, neurologists, mental health experts, and rehabilitation specialists — to focus their careers on MS, helping to ensure that more skilled workers are available to support patients.
“Together with [Halper’s] team’s hard work to make the lives of people living with MS better, this generous donation from EMD Serono will help transform MS care for patients and their families across the globe for years to come,” Wilken said.
In addition to her leadership, Halper also contributed to many publications on MS, helping to educate both patients and healthcare professionals about the best ways to manage the disease.
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