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Future Leaders in Pain Research

2009 Grant Recipient: Michelle Fortier, PhD

University of California-Irvine
Orange, CA
The Forgotten Patient: The Child with Cancer in Pain

Please state which institution you are currently conducting research.

University of California-Irvine School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care

How did receiving the Future Leaders in Pain Research Grant impact your career in pain research?

The grant allowed me to collect pilot data, which were used to submit a K07 application to the National Cancer Institute; to start a line of research in pediatric oncology with a focus on pain management, and to publish at least one peer-reviewed manuscript.

What is your current research focus? Briefly describe the importance of this work and how it advances the APS goals, mission, and your own personal development.

My current research focus is reduction of pain and symptoms and improvement of quality of life in children undergoing treatment for cancer. Pain in pediatric cancer patients is poorly managed, with the majority of children reported significant and distressing pain throughout cancer treatment. My goal of improving pain management in children with cancer is in concert with the APS mission of increasing knowledge of pain and impacting clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. Moreover, my research focus is consistent with my previous training in pediatric pain management and my career focus on empirically-based interventions to reduce pain and suffering in children in the medical setting.

Are you still an APS member? If yes, do you feel that it has been of value to your professional development?

Yes I am a member and yes, I see important value in membership. Being a member of APS connects me to leaders in the field, resources that are of value to both my research and clinical practice, and provides opportunities for dissemination of research, feedback regarding the nature and direction of my research and clinical work, and a network of professionals with similar goals and interests.