Founded in 2014 in Dubai Healthcare City, Diversified Integrated Sports Clinic (DISC) is a leading provider of integrative healthcare across the UAE and Kuwait. DISC offers personalized rehabilitation, wellness, and preventative care using advanced technologies and multidisciplinary expertise.
Through holistic and AI-supported approaches, the clinic helps patients prevent injuries, enhance longevity, and achieve lasting well-being.
VISION
To advance integrative, patient-centered care that empowers individuals to live healthier, longer lives.
MISSION
To provide accessible, evidence-based treatments through collaboration, innovation, and personalized wellness support.
The Azm MS Trainer Development Program part of the MS Living portfolio at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), was delivered in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, engaging 10 personal trainers (PT) in each emirate.
Led by DISC, the REPs-certified workshop was locally developed to equip UAE-based trainers with the skills and knowledge needed to work safely and effectively with people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic conditions.
The training covered key rehabilitation principles, specialized MS-focused exercise techniques, and post-injury and post-relapse considerations, along with practical, hands-on application to help trainers build confidence in supporting movement, strength, and overall functional well-being for people living with MS.
OBJECTIVES
Upskill locally based personal trainers, physiotherapists, and strength and conditioning coaches to safely train and support people living with MS.
Build a network of informed trainers who can assist with strengthening, recovery, and functional movement for people with MS.
Ensure people living with MS have access to qualified professionals who understand MS-specific considerations, including relapse recovery and neurological limitations.
KEY OUTCOMES
The program significantly boosted trainer confidence in supporting clients, adapting exercises, and understanding MS symptoms, while equipping certified trainers with the practical skillset to safely assess needs and deliver appropriate, guided support for people living with MS in the UAE.
The initiative also strengthened their ability to implement modified training programs and established stronger links between NMSS and UAE fitness professionals, paving the way for future collaborations and referrals.
“Trainers are usually prepared to work with the general population — but the general population includes people from many different backgrounds, including those living with chronic conditions that aren’t always well understood. We see how important it is for trainers to have the right knowledge and tools, especially since they’re often the first people someone turns to when trying to improve their lifestyle.
In this workshop, we focused on helping trainers understand the different types of MS, how to tailor a program to each individual, and how to safely progress or regress exercises. They’re learning not just about MS itself, but about how to support people living with it in a functional, safe, and meaningful way.”
ELSA EL SANGARI, INSTRUCTOR & PHYSIOTHERAPIST
“The day after our first session, a client who had just been diagnosed and is now living with MS came to me. Taking this course gave me the knowledge I needed to work better with her condition. That’s why we need to learn about different conditions so that we can properly support the people living with them.
It’s been great so far. She has progressed a lot since we started training together, and I have learned a lot about her and her condition. We’ve also become great friends.”
MAGGIE CHEN, CERTIFIED TRAINER
KEY LEARNINGS
RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
• Successful follow-up through consistent calls and emails ensured high participant commitment.
• Utilizing targeted connections (PTs interested in working with MS/chronic conditions) led to a highly engaged and relevant cohort.
CONTENT DELIVERY & FACILITATION
• Instructors’ flexibility and ability to quickly understand the participants’ needs allowed for effective adaptation of the content.
• Group activities and practical application were highly effective in helping the trainers digest and apply the content.
• Gathered direct participant feedback (in-person form & verbal) for immediate use in future refinement and scaling of the program.
ENHANCEMENT STRATEGIES
RECRUITMENT & STANDARDIZATION
• Require trainers to be REPs certified prior to application to maintain quality and streamline the NMSS review process.
• Develop a wider recruitment plan to gauge the interest from PTs in other Emirates and review content applicability for non-PT professionals (yoga/Pilates).
LOGISTICS & RESOURCE ACCESS
Confirm if recruited PTs can offer the complimentary sessions at their existing work sites to improve client access.
POST-PROGRAM ENGAGEMENT & TRACKING
• Find ways to further encourage the certified PTs to join the official NMSS Directory.
• Establish a formal follow-up process to track the number of free sessions provided by each PT, if they have received any clients living with MS post-certification.
NEXT STEPS
PROGRAM EXPANSION
Broaden recruitment efforts to attract a diverse and specialized pool of practitioners, including Physiotherapists and other chronic-illness–focused wellness experts, beyond traditional Personal Trainers.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Preserve small-group cohorts (maximum 10 per group) to ensure the consistently high quality of instruction, personalized feedback, and effective hands-on learning.
ACCESS AND INTEGRATION
Integrate all certified trainers into the official NMSS Directory and MS Helpline referral system. This step is critical to improving client access and streamlining specialized support for people living with MS.
CURRICULUM REFINEMENT
Enhance and tailor the course content to better serve the varying specializations of participants and meet the evolving needs of the MS community across different Emirates.
NATIONAL OUTREACH
Strategically expand our reach across all Emirates by strengthening targeted communication and establishing partnerships with on-ground networks to engage trainers beyond the current Abu Dhabi and Dubai cohorts.
SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT
Activate certified trainers in future NMSS wellbeing and outreach initiatives. This will reinforce their learning, ensure continuous community involvement, and foster a stronger, proactive MS-supportive network.
