Mission Statement 

The Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis is dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure of MS.  Funding research is the core focus of the Foundation and significant strides have been made to find the cause and the cure of this devastating disease.  All funds raised through our Race to Erase MS event support The Nancy Davis Center Without Walls program, a selected network of the nation's top seven MS research centers.  This nationwide collaboration of physicians, scientists and clinicians are on the cutting-edge of innovative research programs and therapeutic approaches to eradicate MS.  It is the hope of the Foundation that in addition to combating MS through research in a clinical environment, an increased awareness will be created by educating the public about this mystifying disease.   

Center Without Walls Program

The Nancy Davis Center Without Walls (CWW) program has provided support that has permitted the medical community to link together multidisciplinary scientific programs and expertise across the country to advance the understanding of the cause of MS and to develop new treatments. The Center is a break-through success because of the vision, insight and flexibility of these extraordinary doctors. The Center's theme is simple; communication - doctors working together toward a mutual goal. When this goal is reached, all will share in the victory.  The Center’s network of the top seven MS institutions that have established leading, innovative research programs include UCSF, Harvard, Yale, USC, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins and Oregon Health Sciences University.  

The Center constantly strives to strengthen this revolutionary concept with new approaches to finding the brightest minds in this field. The Center’s Scientific Advisory Board, spearheaded by Dr. George Eisenbarth at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, reviews proposals and grants, submitted in standard NIH format.  In addition to the regular use of high-technology communication tools, researchers of CWW come together to share scientific accomplishments through monthly telephone conference calls, standard scientific advisory meetings and MS symposiums held four times a year.  

In research supported by the RACE, truly revolutionary breakthroughs in genetics and immunology have been made possible at the CWW. These breakthroughs create the potential for the development of more effective drugs against MS and give promise for a cure in the near future.

Center Without Walls Grant Recipients

Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard

Howard Weiner, M.D.

Johns Hopkins Hospital

Peter A. Calabresi, MD

The Mellen Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Richard Rudick, M.D.

Oregon Health Sciences University

Dennis N. Bourdette, M.D.

University of California, San Francisco

Stephen Hauser, M.D.

University of Southern California

Leslie Weiner, M.D.

Yale University School of Medicine

Stephen G. Waxman, M.D., Ph.D.