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American Pain Society
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| For immediate release May 19, 2011 |
Contact: Chuck Weber (847) 705-1802 |
AUSTIN, May 19, 2011 – The American Pain Society (APS), www.ampainsoc.org, today announced the recipients of its prestigious achievement awards during the organization’s annual scientific meeting.
APS rewards excellence in the field of pain management by presenting six separate awards for career achievement, pain scholarship, education and public service, advocacy on behalf of children, outstanding service to APS, and early career achievements.
“Through its achievement awards, the American Pain Society pays tribute to those who excel in improving the understanding of pain management among health care professionals and the general public,” said APS President Seddon Savage, MD, associate professor of anesthesiology, Dartmouth Medical School and adjunct faculty director, Dartmouth Center on Addiction Recovery and Education. “We congratulate these individuals and deeply appreciate their dedication and service on behalf of those with chronic and acute pain.”
The Wilbert E. Fordyce Clinical Investigator Award recognizes career achievement in clinical research and is awarded to Michael Rowbotham, MD, professor, University of California San Francisco, Pain Clinical Research Center. Dr. Rowbotham is internationally known for his novel clinical research in pain mechanisms and developing new therapies. He serves as scientific director of the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute and is the author of more than 50 original scientific papers. His work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, PAIN, Neurology and Annals of Neurology. Some of his current research interests include mechanisms and management of chronic neuropathic pain, opioid analgesic tolerance and therapeutic strategies for drug abuse.
The Frederick W.L. Kerr Basic Science Research Award honors individual excellence and achievements in clinical pain scholarship and is named in honor of the founder of APS, Frederick W.L. Kerr. It is awarded this year to Arthur DeWitt Craig, Jr., PhD, Atkinson Research Chair, Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Dr. Craig is a functional neuroanatomist who uses anatomical, physiological, psychophysical and imaging methods to study how feelings from the body are represented in the brain. His functional imaging studies have shown that a homeostatic sensory pathway could provide a neural basis for subjective awareness of all feelings. Dr. Craig received the Kenneth Craik Award in Experimental Psychology from Cambridge University in 2002.
In recognition of the longstanding APS interest in promoting improved pain management in pediatric health care settings, the Jeffrey Lawson Award recognizes advocacy efforts to improve pain management in children. It was established in 1996 in memory of Jeffrey Lawson and in recognition of his mother, Jill, for her efforts to end the practice of performing surgery and other procedures on children without anesthesia. This year's recipient is Steven Weisman, M.D. Dr. Weisman holds the Jane B. Petit Chair in Pain Management at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and is professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. His clinical and research interests focus on post-operative pain management in children and the psychological/social effects of chronic pain in children. Also, he is studying the impact of chronic pain on families, treatment with yoga and mindfulness medication and the interrelationship of obesity and chronic pain.
The Elizabeth Narcessian Award recognizes outstanding educational achievements in pain management. Dr. Narcessian was an educator known for her lifelong interests in the appropriate use of opioids, patient assessment and approaches to rehabilitating patients with chronic pain. The awardee is Daniel Carr, M.D. Dr. Carr is the Saltonstall Professor of Pain Research in the Department of Anesthesia at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. This is his third achievement award from APS. Dr. Carr is known internationally for his contributions to pain research and education, evidence-based pain medicine and the social and political aspects of pain relief. He co-chaired and drafted major portions of the first U.S. Federal Clinical Practice Guidelines on Acute and Cancer Pain Management, has advised numerous medical companies, and holds patents for analgesics.
The Distinguished Service Award for outstanding and dedicated service to APS is awarded to Judith Paice, PhD, RN, director of the Cancer Pain Program in the Hematology/Oncology division and research professor of medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Dr. Paice is a former president and board member of APS, chaired several committees, and currently serves as secretary of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Dr. Paice concentrates on pain relief associated with cancer and HIV-related disease and her current research interests include chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. She has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific manuscripts, abstracts and book chapters and has traveled extensively throughout Asia to educate health care professional on cancer pain relief and palliative care.
The John and Emma Bonica Public Service Award pays tribute to this couple for their leadership in the pain-treatment movement. It recognizes contributions by an individual or organization through public education, public service or other vehicles to communicate information about pain. The 2011 recipient is Ronald Dubner, DDS, PhD, professor, Department of Neural and Pain Sciences at the University of Maryland Dental School. Dr. Dubner is past president and Board member of APS and previously won the APS Kerr Award for scientific excellence. He also held leadership positions with the International Association for the Study of Pain. Dr. Dubner has authored more than 280 articles in journals and books, co-authored one book and co-edited nine. His current research interests focus on molecular, neurochemical and physiological changes in the peripheral and central nervous systems following tissue and nerve injury.
To recognize early career achievement in pain scholarship, APS created the John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award. It is awarded to Theodore Price, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology, Dr. Price’s work is centered on understanding how the peripheral and central nervous systems are sensitized in chronic pain conditions. He received his first grant as a principle investigator from APS, which enabled him to pursue research in fragile X syndrome.
The Kathleen M. Foley Journalist Award recognizes excellence in reporting pain-related topics. The award is designed to honor the work of journalists whose coverage of events, scientific discoveries, patient care, issues and policies contribute to furthering public awareness and understanding of pain and pain-related issues. Alice Park, Claire Suddath and John Cloud of TIME magazine are the recipients. The team collaborated on a cover story titles “Understanding Pain,” which featured three articles covering new ways to treat pain, living with pain that won’t go away, and how alternative treatments can ease pain. In a letter to the editor, APS Seddon Savage praised the TIME reporters’ work: “The three companion articles deserve high praise for their excellent and long-awaited reporting that chronic pain is not merely a symptom but a disease in itself, one that doctors have only recently come to recognize,” and for relating some of the more promising research that is improving our understanding of complex genetic and neurological mechanisms that may govern pain syndromes”
Based in Glenview, Ill., the American Pain Society (APS) is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. APS was founded in 1978 with 510 charter members. From the outset, the group was conceived as a multidisciplinary organization. APS has enjoyed solid growth since its early days and today has approximately 3,200 members. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and more.
