Imagine that you are 25 years old, physically active, and a 4.0 student in a competitive Nurse Anesthesia program, and then you learn that you have MS. What do you do? If you are Stephanie Buxhoeveden, RN, MSCN, you alter your career goals and become a Neurology Nurse Practitioner.

As a "glass is half full" person, Stephanie says that her MS diagnosis has led to more positive experiences than negative ones. For one, it has made her even more driven and passionate about her career than she already had been. Stephanie channels her own personal experience as an MS patient into her clinical work, which, she feels, makes her a better and more empathetic nurse. She is honored to be a clinician who sees and cares for MS patients every day.

Stephanie also believes it is critical that people living with MS get involved in research and advocacy efforts. When people living with MS work closely with the scientific community, it benefits everyone and can potentially lead to more impactful solutions to the disease. In addition to her role as an MS Certified Nurse, Stephanie lends her professional talents to multiple organizations. She provides educational information and writes articles for the MS Hope Foundation, she is a nursing consultant and takes part in outreach programs for Can Do MS, and consults for the MS team on WebMD. Stephanie is also active in different facets of the National MS Society, where she serves on her region's Healthcare Advisory Committee (HAC) and Government Relations Committee (GRC), and she is also a District Activist Leader (DAL). Last, but certainly not least, Stephanie writes 1-2 articles every month for MultipleSclerosis.net touching on her personal experiences and sharing educational information about MS.

Thanks, in part, to all of the work that Stephanie has done for the MS community, she captured the attention of the MSRP and was invited to serve as a Consumer Peer Reviewer for FY15, an experience she has described as relevant and affirming. Stephanie reports that the consumer reviewers' opinions added value, were taken seriously, and were critical to the process.

Of the MS scientific community Stephanie says, "I am so inspired by how many intelligent, passionate people are working to find solutions. I feel confident that because of them we are closer than ever to figuring out what causes MS, finding better treatments, and even finding a cure."