On July 24, 2024, the world lost an extraordinary woman. June Halper was a pioneer in the comprehensive care movement for multiple sclerosis (MS) and an esteemed leader and advocate in the field. She was the Chief Executive Officer and founding member of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and the International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses (IOMSN), actively working with both these organizations until her final days.
June was born on June 22, 1938, in the Bronx, NY, and later moved to Fair Lawn, NJ in 1968. Like many women of her time, she married her husband Morris Halper at a young age and started a family. Her three children (Michael, Matthew, and Julie) were the focus of her life, and she valued her family time above everything. Once her children started school, June decided to combine being a loving and devoted mother with a career and went back to school herself. Although she contemplated going to medical school, her heart directed her to nursing school. After becoming a registered nurse (RN) at Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ in 1976, she went on to achieve a bachelor’s degree at Felician College in Lodi, NJ in 1981. Her desire for higher education continued when she obtained a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ in 1983, graduating summa cum laude. Throughout her career she was always able to prioritize her family while attaining major accomplishments in her professional life.
During her MSN program she completed an internship with the Multiple Sclerosis Society and discovered her passion for MS care. She became a co-founder of the MS Center at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ in 1985, where she worked as both a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and the Executive Director. In 2008 she took on full-time roles with the CMSC and IOMSN, and her continued involvement in both these organizations helped shape specialized MS care delivery.
