The Henry McFarland NAIMS Workshop 2026

Implementing the Central Vein Sign for the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

February 4, 2026
The Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
San Diego, California

The Henry McFarland NAIMS Workshop 2026 will be taking place Wednesday, February 4 from 8:30 am - 6:30 pm at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina in San Diego, California. The workshop will be held ahead of the ACTRIMS Forum 2026, taking place February 5–7, 2026.

Registration Fees
Delegate: professional employed by academic institution, hospital, government agency, or non-profit organization. $100
Young Investigator: student/trainee OR professional who has obtained an advanced degree (M.D. or Ph.D.) within seven years (2017 or later) of the time of the Forum. Proof is required. $50
Industry Representative: Professional who holds a non-research position and is employed by a pharmaceutical company or commercial entity. $150
Register

2026 Workshop Planning Committee

  • Dan Ontaneda

  • Christina Azevedo

  • Matthew Schindler

  • Maria Gaitan

  • Russell Shinohara

  • Marcel Maya

  • Pascal Sati

  • Jiwon Oh

  • Mike Dwyer

  • Nancy Sicotte

  • Andrew Solomon

  • Jae Song

Our Partners

If you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities, please refer to our sponsorship prospectus for more information.

Workshop Agenda

The Henry McFarland NAIMS Workshop 2026 will take place Wednesday, February 4, 2026. All times are listed in Pacific Standard Time (PST). This schedule is subject to change.

2026 Henry McFarland NAIMS Workshop
7:30 – 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 – 8:35 am
Welcome
8:40 – 8:45 am
Workshop Goals
8:45 – 9:05 am
Overview of CVS: past, present and future
9:05 – 10:25 am
Session 1: Recent advances in CVS research (5 × 12 min)
Moderators: Christina Azevedo and Matthew Schindler
•Pediatric MS and minority populations - Simone Sacco (UCSF)
•Aging and co-morbidities - Serena Borrelli (Belgium)
•Monitoring lesion and disease activity - Omar Al-Louzi (Cedars)
•CNS topographies of CVS - María Inés Gaitán (NIH)
•Simplification of CVS definition - Meggi Clarke (Nottingham)
Group discussion (20 min) to identify current research gaps and next directions for clinical research
10:25 – 10:45 am
Morning Break
10:45 – 12:05 pm
Session 2: Recent advances in CVS imaging (5 × 12 min)
Moderators: María Inés Gaitán and Mike Dwyer
•Clinical vs. Research MRI sequences - Sreekanth Madhusoodhanan (Cedars)
•CVS imaging at 1.5T: feasibility and Dx performance - Yunus Emre Senturk (Turkey)
•Automation of CVS detection using machine-learning - Fengling Hu (Penn)
•Deep Learning solution #1 for automated CVS detection: CVSnet (non-marketing presentation by Siemens) - Tommaso Di Noto (Siemens Neuro R&D)
•Deep Learning solution #2 for automated CVS detection: Icobrain ms+ (non-marketing presentation by Icometrix/GE) - Wim Van Hecke (Icometrix R&D)
Group discussion (20 min) to identify current technical gaps and next directions for technical development
12:05 – 1:05 pm
Lunch
1:05 – 2:25 pm
Session 3: Clinical implementation of CVS
Moderators: Nikos Evangelou (Nottingham) and Àlex Rovira Cañellas
•CVS in the diagnostic workflow: 2024 McDonald Diagnostic Criteria (15 min) - Daniel Ontaneda (CCF)
•Recommendations on imaging CVS in the clinic: MAGNIMS-CMSC-NAIMS guidelines (15 min) - Pascal Sati (Cedars)
•Practical experience on CVS implementation in the Diagnostic Workflow (3 × 15 min):
- A Neurologist perspective - Karlo Toljan (CCF)
- A Neuroradiologist perspective - Marcel Maya (Cedars)
- An MRI vendor perspective (non-marketing presentation by Philips) - Timo Kraemer (Philips Neuro R&D)
Group discussion (20 min) to identify current barriers and next directions for improving clinical implementation
2:25 – 2:45 pm
Afternoon Break
2:45 – 3:45 pm
Session 4: Hands-on use of CVS for MS diagnosis
Moderators: Andrew Solomon and Nancy Sicotte
•Interactive group review of clinical cases presented by trainees of the NAIMS sites from the organizing committee (5 sites with 3 cases each, 12 min per site)
3:45 – 4:15 pm
Poster Previews (power pitch presentation by each poster presenter)
Moderator: Taki Shinohara
4:15 – 4:35 pm
Wrap-up discussion of each session (for white paper)
4:35 – 4:40 pm
Closing remarks
4:45 – 5:30 pm
General NAIMS Member Meeting (non-related to workshop)
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Reception and Poster session