Library
APS Bulletin • Volume 19, Number 1, 2009
Past President Perspectives
John L. Reeves, II, PhD ABPP, Department Editor
An Interview with Peter Vicente, PhD, APS President, 1993-1994
Brenda Moss Feinberg, ELS
Q: How did you get into the field of pain, and who has influenced you the most?
When I entered this field, there was limited understanding of how you could help the chronic pain population through the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation. These patients were problematic to the medical system and were unduly suffering.
While serving on the faculty of the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University in Columbus, I became aware of the interdisciplinary study and treatment of pain at the University of Washington in Seattle. As director of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology, I contacted Bill Fordyce, PhD, and invited him to be a visiting speaker at the college.
 Peter Vicente, PhD (left), and B. Berthold Wolff, PhD (right) |
Dr. Fordyce’s visit was instrumental in persuading our Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department Chair, Ernie Johnson, MD, to affirm developing and implementing an inpatient/outpatient treatment program. The achievements of this program led to a decades-long career in developing and directing rehabilitation-based comprehensive pain programs in the public and private sectors.
Besides Drs. Fordyce and Johnson, people who have most influenced my development are John Liebeskind, PhD, John Loeser, MD, Richard Sternbach, PhD, Bob Addison, MD, John Bonica, MD, and Hugh Rosomoff, MD. These are my progenitors as a professional and clinician. Other APS members instrumental throughout my career are Corey Fox, PhD, Steve Sanders, PhD, Norman Harden, MD, Richard Chapman, PhD, Michael Ashburn, MD MPH, James Campbell, MD, Peter Wilson, MD, Richard Payne, MD, and John Reeves, II, PhD. In all, I have been and continue to be enriched by my APS friendships, garnered through meeting attendance and service on committees.
Q: What are you doing now?
I am in the clinical private practice of behavioral medicine, working with physical medicine/rehabilitation and occupational medicine physicians. The patient population is almost exclusively worker’s compensation patients, who present with complex and comprehensive medical/rehabilitation treatment issues.
Q: What do you view as the most significant contribution to the field of pain?
A series of contributions are important, beginning with the conceptual frameworks of Ronald Melzack, MD, and Patrick Wall, DM FRS; the interdisciplinary study and treatment of pain by Drs. Bonica, Fordyce, and Loeser; the renewed focus on narrative medicine; the implementation of translational research and practice; and the frontiers of molecular medicine.
 Hugh Rosomoff, MD (left), and Peter Vicente, PhD (right) |
However, the overriding importance in the investigation and treatment of pain will be the societal recognition and adoption of the IASP definition of pain, as found in Classification of Chronic Pain: Descriptions of Chronic Pain Syndromes and Definitions of Pain Terms, Second Edition: “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” This definition establishes that pain is always subjective and that given the subjective report, there is usually no way to distinguish the experience from that due to tissue damage. The consequences of such a focused consensus by and on clinicians, researchers, physicians, and policymakers would markedly benefit all. The organized implementation of such change is inherent in the mission of APS and its members.
Q: How do you view current U.S. pain treatment and the overall current state of pain management?
Pain treatment and management in the United States are characterized by unrealized excellence due to deficiencies in the current educational and health delivery systems. These inadequacies are perpetuated by socioeconomic conditions that reward inadequate patient outcomes and do not support essential research. I am optimistic that the recent changes in our national political climate will lead to necessary healthcare reform by incorporating universal health coverage and information technologies. This paradigm shift also needs to integrate the national health care system with federal and state disability compensation systems. This necessary shift in our orientation should lead to cost efficiency outcomes for our patients and fellow citizens. The rediscovery of the inherent value of social justice needs to underlie this shift.
Q: How has your APS membership influenced your practice over the years?
The collegial multidisciplinary excellence of scientists, practitioners, and policymakers distinguishes APS from other pain-focused national and international organizations. The qualities of curiosity, commitment, and concern for patients and the profession are ubiquitous among the APS membership. APS provides opportunities for acquiring and enhancing professional and personal skills through varied informational media and participation on committees. I trust that my fellow members use such opportunities to enhance professional, personal, and societal development.
