For immediate release: May 1, 2014
Contact: Chuck Weber – 262.473.3018

News from the American Pain Society’s 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting

American Pain Society Presents 2014 Achievement Awards

TAMPA, May 1, 2014—The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, today announced the recipients of its prestigious achievement awards during the organization’s annual scientific meeting. APS rewards excellence in pain management with awards for career achievement, pain scholarship, education and public service, advocacy on behalf of children, outstanding service to APS, early career achievements and journalism.

2014 American Pain Society Achievement Award Recipients

Wilbert E. Fordyce Clinical Investigator Award

This APS award recognizes career achievement in clinical research and was presented to Mark P. Jensen, PhD. Dr. Jensen is professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Rehabilitative Medicine at the University of Washington. He has been awarded several research grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has authored or co-authored more than 350 articles book chapters. Dr. Jensen is the author of Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Management and currently serves as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Pain.

Frederick W.L. Kerr Basic Science Research Award

Honors individual excellence and achievements in clinical pain scholarship and is named in honor of an APS founder, Frederick W.L. Kerr. It is awarded this year to Michael J. Iadarola, PhD, senior research scientist, Department of Perioperative Medicine, NIH. Dr. Iadarola’s research has produced numerous discoveries in the mechanisms of pain transmission and control. His brain imaging studies have lead new research in novel gene therapy, including the role of TRPV1 in transducing pain signals and use of resiniferatoxin to delete TRPV1 sensitive neurons or nerve fibers for pain control.

Jeffrey Lawson Award

In recognition of the longstanding APS interest in promoting improved pain management in pediatric health care settings, the 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 Anna Taddio, PhD, associate professor of pharmacy, University of Toronto. Dr Taddio assembled a cross-Canada interdisciplinary team called Help Eliminate Pain in Kids (HELPinKIDS) in 2008 to study the uptake of pain management during medical procedures. As a result, HELPinKIDS has made has furthered knowledge in the management of pain during childhood vaccination.

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 Joanna Girard Katzman, MD, MSPH, associate professor of neurology and director of the University of New Mexico Pain Center. Dr. Katzman has trained more than 2,000 clinicians in the last 18 months in continuing medical education courses on pain and addiction. She also developed the ECHO Pain model of remote tele-mentoring for chronic pain and has published on this successful tool for health care professionals to gain self-efficacy and expertise expertis in caring for patients with chronic pain and addiction.

Distinguished Service Award

This award honors outstanding and dedicated service to APS. The 2014 recipient is David A. Williams, PhD, professor of anesthesiology, medicine, psychiatry and psychology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Williams is a clinician and researcher with publications in the fields of chronic illness management, outcomes measurement and mechanisms of pain perception and modulation. He has belonged to the American Pain Society since 1989 and has served on numerous committees and task forces. He has served on the APS Board of Directors since 2006 and currently serves as treasurer.

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 recipients are Dennis C. Turk, PhD and Robert H. Dworkin, PhD. Dr. Turk is professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington and a past president of the American Pain Society. He has contributed more than 550 publications and has authored or edited 21 volumes. Dr. Turk serves as editor-in-chief of the Clinical Journal of Pain and is co-chair of the Initiative on Methods, Measurement and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials with Phillip A. Pizzo, dean, Stanford University Medical School.

Dr. Dworkin is professor of anesthesiology, neurology, oncology and psychiatry at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He serves as an associate editor of Pain and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Pain and Current Pain and Headache Reports. Dr. Dworkin has been the principle investigator for large number of clinical trails for analgesic treatments and has conducted studies of risk factors for the development of different types of chronic pain. A major finding from his research is that patients with greater acute pain are more likely to develop chronic pain, which suggest that attenuating acute pain might prevent chronic pain.

John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award

This award recognizes early career achievement in pain scholarship. It is awarded to Claudia M. Campbell, PhD. Dr. Campbell is a clinical psychologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and her research is focused on biobehavioral aspects of acute and chronic pain. She studies individual differences and psychosocial factors on pain-related outcomes. he is involved in several studies that use quantitative sensory testing to assess the psychophysical processes involved in chronic pain conditions.

Kathleen M. Foley Journalist Award

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. Judy Foreman is this year’s recipient for her book, A Nation in Pain, published in 2014. In the book, she argues that lack of adequate pain control is one of the most urgent health problems in America, based on interviews with nearly 200 scientists and physicians, as well as countless patients, a few lawyers and a handful of government officials. Ms. Foreman is a nationally syndicated medical journalist and was a staff writer at The Boston Globe for 23 years. In 2000, she began writing her column freelance for The Globe, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, and many others, including foreign outlets through Featurewell, a syndicate.

About the American Pain Society

Based in Chicago, 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. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and others. For more information on APS, visitwww.americanpainsociety.org.