Tim Coetzee, Ph.D., serves as the National MS Society’s Chief Advocacy, Services and Science Officer. In this capacity, he leads the Society’s work in the areas of state and federal advocacy, delivery of educational and support programs for people with MS, healthcare professional engagement and training, as well as the Society's global research programs. He also serves as the scientific staff lead for the International Progressive MS Alliance. Most recently, he served as the President of Fast Forward, a venture philanthropy of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society where he was responsible for strategic funding of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies as well as partnerships with the financial and business communities. Prior to Fast Forward, he led the Society's global research initiatives on nervous system repair and protection in multiple sclerosis as well as the Society’s fellowship and faculty award programs. He is a member of the Society’s CEO Leadership team, the International Progressive MS Alliance’s Scientific Steering Committee and the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS. In addition, Tim serves on the National Academy of Medicine’s Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders, and co-chairs the National Academy of Medicine’s Forum on Regenerative Medicine. Prior to joining the Society, Tim held a faculty appointment at the University of Connecticut Health Sciences Center where he conduced research into the structure and function of myelin. Tim received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Albany Medical College in 1993 and has since been involved in the field of multiple sclerosis research. He has been with the National MS Society since the fall of 2000.