Physicians & Staff 

OSU Multiple Sclerosis Center physicians are dedicated to providing patients with the latest treatment options so they can enjoy the highest quality of life. They are involved in conducting research to increase understanding of the disease, including causes of symptoms, and designing new treatments. For example, OSU Medical Center physician-scientists led the way in the clinical testing of the drug Modafinal, which helps relieve fatigue among those with MS. It is now the drug of choice worldwide to treat MS-related fatigue.

To make an appointment with one of our physicians, please call (614) 293-4964.

Kottil W. Rammohan, MD,
Director of the OSU Multiple Sclerosis Center
Professor of Neurology

Dr. Rammohan, named one of the “Best Doctors in America 2005,”  is board certified in: Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology (special competence in Neurology), and Neurorehabilitation.

Additional academic appointments at Ohio State include: associate professor, Department of Pathology; director, Special Function Laboratory, University Reference Laboratory; and division director, Clinical and Experimental Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology.

Dr. Rammohan’s clinical interests include: multiple sclerosis, neurorehabilitation, neuroimmunology, vasculitis and autoimmune CNS disorders. His research interests
include: multiple sclerosis, vasculitis and autoimmune CNS disorders.

D. Joanne Lynn, MD,
Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology

Dr. Lynn, named one of the “Best Doctors in America in 2005,” is board certified in Internal Medicine and  Neurology. She was recently awarded the 2007 Professor of the Year Award by the Ohio State University College of Medicine's Class of 2007. Dr. Lynn’s primary clinical and research interest is multiple sclerosis and her current research  involvement includes studies of disease modifying agents and of the effects of female hormones on the course of multiple sclerosis.  She is the director of medical student education in neurology for Ohio State University's College of Medicine and serves as the chair of the undergraduate education subcommittee for the American Academy of Neurology nationally.  She has earned numerous awards from the students including the Class of 2007 Integrated Program Teacher of the Year Award because of her commitment and leadership to the development of new doctors. Dr. Lynn was raised in Columbus and in keeping her expertise in the local area has helped to make The Ohio State University MS Center one of the premier MS centers in Ohio.

Michael K. Racke, MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology

An international leader in neurological sciences, Dr. Racke is a distinguished scholar known for his research in immunology and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Racke serves on the executive committee of the Multiple Sclerosis Cooperative Research Group. He also served on the scientific advisory committee of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

He has received the prestigious Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholarship from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Young Investigator in Multiple Sclerosis Award from the American Academy of Neurology Education and Research Foundation.

Board certified in Neurology, Dr. Racke’s clinical and research interests are neuroimmunology and multiple sclerosis, specifically studying disease pathogenesis and developing novel therapies. Read Dr. Racke Spotlight

Kathleen Hawker, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology

Dr. Hawker, a native of Canada, did her undergraduate training at the University of Western Ontario and then went on to receive her MD at McMaster University in Ontario. She completed her internship and internal medicine residency at the University of Toronto and McMaster University. After her neurology training at the University of Toronto, Dr. Hawker started in private practice and also at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Hawker immigrated to Texas in 2000, and eventually joined the Multiple Sclerosis program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas where she was involved in the National Multiple Sclerosis Training program. She moved to Ohio in 2005 and joined The Ohio State University in October of 2006. Her special interests are translation research correlating basic laboratory data to clinical treatments for MS. She has also been interested in treatments for primary progressive MS.

Aaron Boster, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology

Dr. Boster, a board-certified neurologist, is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Boster completed his neurology residency at the University of Michigan Hospital Systems and a two year fellowship in Clinical Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis at Wayne State University in Detroit.

He has conducted research in the use of intense immunosuppression in multiple sclerosis, the effects of ethnicity in pediatric multiple sclerosis, and clarifying multiple sclerosis diagnostic criteria. His work has been published in journals such Lancet, Neurology and Multiple Sclerosis and presented at several national and international meetings.

Dr. Boster’s clinical interests are multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, transverse
myelitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. His current research interests
involve novel therapies and multiple sclerosis clinical trials as well as exploring the
use of non-conventional and ultra-high field MRI in multiple sclerosis.

David Pitt, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Dr. Pitt, a native of Germany, graduated from the University of Marburg, Germany. He received extensive postdoctoral research training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York where he also completed a neurology residency and served as chief resident in his final year. He subsequently completed a three-year fellowship in neuroimmunology at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Pitt joined The Ohio State University Multiple Sclerosis Center in 2008.

In addition to seeing patients, Dr. Pitt focuses on laboratory research as related to neurodegenerative mechanisms in MS. In particular, he is interested in glutamate excitotoxicity, a pathway that leads to injury in both neurons and oligodendrocytes. In his projects, he utilizes animal (mouse) models of multiple sclerosis and of white matter injury as well as human brain tissue.

Other Members of our Healthcare Team Include:

All healthcare professionals at the OSU Multiple Sclerosis Center who are involved in the treatment of MS meet the criteria set by their professional organizations and all are certified or licensed by their respective organizations, including three Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurses.

Clinical Staff:
Michelle Calhoon, clinic manager
Tisha Day, medical secretary
Melissa Wilson-Alexander, RN, MSCN
Judy Lima, RN, BSN, MSCN
Leslie Moore, RN, BSN, MSCN
Tabitha Moore, MA
Ashley Powell, administrative assistant
Erin Smith, medical secretary

Research Staff:
Cathy Jackson, research assistant
Lisa Hafer, research associate 2
Jessi Fleck, coordinator clinical studies
Cindy Overholts, clinical research assistant