Thank You for Five Years of Discovery, Commitment, and Exceptional Care
Message from Dr. Jiwon Oh, Medical Director and Waugh Family Chair in Multiple Sclerosis Research
It is a privilege to share this year’s BARLO MS Centre Impact Report with you as we approach an important milestone: five years of care, discovery, education, and support for people living with multiple sclerosis.
Since BARLO opened its doors in August 2021, the support and unwavering commitment from our donor community has turned an ambitious vision into a world-leading centre where patient care, science, innovation, and education all move together side by side.
Five years is a short time for a clinical research centre like BARLO. But in the life of a person living with MS, five years is a lifetime. Five years means navigating the uncertainty of symptoms, the shock of diagnosis, the search for treatment, and the fear of what may come next. Because of your generosity, those same five years also mean evidence-based care, trusted guidance, community, relief, and new hope.
From the beginning, BARLO was built with patient care, education, and scientific innovation as its foundation. We wanted patients facing MS to have access to leading neurologists and to education, emotional support, advanced imaging, rehabilitation, research, and practical help for life at home.
Advancing the Science of Multiple Sclerosis
With support from donors, BARLO researchers are advancing new ways to understand MS progression, repair damage, predict risk, and prevent disability. By combining advanced imaging, genetics, patient insight, and emerging treatments, they are tackling some of the field’s most urgent questions—all with the goal of stopping MS in its tracks.
Community, Compassion, and a Future Beyond MS
Living with MS can reshape a person’s life, but it does not have to define what comes next. The BARLO MS Centre shows how education, specialized care, practical support, and community can help people move forward with greater confidence—and inspire them to give back so that others facing MS feel supported, connected, and less alone.
Impact at a Glance
90,000
More than 90,000 Canadians live with MS, approximately one in every 400 people.
12
Nearly 12 Canadians are diagnosed with MS every day, or about 4,377 people each year.
43
The average age of MS diagnosis in Canada is 43.
75%
Approximately 75 per cent of Canadians living with MS are women.
1982
St. Michael’s opened its original MS clinic in 1982, establishing more than four decades of specialized MS care.
2021
The new BARLO MS Centre opened in August 2021, bringing MS care, research, and education together in one purpose-built facility.
30,000 square feet
The BARLO MS Centre is a 30,000-square-foot facility designed to bring coordinated MS care, research, and education together in one location.
$20 million
The Barford and Love families contributed a combined $20 million toward building BARLO and more than 400 donors contributed to the fundraising campaign.
12,000+
More than 12,000 patients are seen annually at the BARLO MS Centre.