2015 Elizabeth Narcessian Award for Outstanding Educational Achievements in the Field of Pain

Scott M. Fishman, MD

Scott M. Fishman, MD, is professor and the Charles and Patricia Fullerton Endowed Chair of Pain Medicine, chief of the Division of Pain Medicine, and executive vice chair for the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of California, Davis. He was formerly medical director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Pain Center at Harvard Medical School. His medical degree is from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, with formal clinical training in internal medicine from Greenwich/Yale University School of Medicine and in psychiatry from Massachusetts General/Harvard Medical School. He completed a pain medicine fellowship training through the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Fishman has received board certification in internal medicine (American Board of Internal Medicine from 1995-2005), psychiatry (American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry), pain medicine (American Board of Pain Medicine), and palliative medicine (American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine).

Dr. Fishman lectures on all aspects of pain control including preventing prescription drug abuse. He has authored The War on Pain (HarperCollins), Listening to Pain (Oxford University Press), Responsible Opioid Prescribing (Federation of State Medical Boards), and coauthored Spinal Cord Stimulation: Implantation Techniques (Oxford University Press). He has also coedited Bonica’s Management of Pain, 4th edition (Lippincott), The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Pain Management, 2nd edition (Lippincott), and Essentials of Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia (Elsevier). Dr. Fishman has authored many peer-reviewed articles in medical journals, book chapters, and other scholarly reviews. He is senior editor of The Journal of Pain Medicine and serves on the editorial boards of other medical journals.

Dr. Fishman is past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, past chairman of the board of directors of the American Pain Foundation, and previously served on the board of directors for the American Pain Society. He advocates for the safe use of pain medicines with consumers and lawmakers.

Dr. Fishman has been honored with the University of California, Davis Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring, the John and Emma Bonica Award for Public Service from the American Pain Society, the American Academy of Pain Medicine/Phillip Lippe Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Social and Political Aspect of Pain Medicine, Ambassador of the Year by the National Pain Foundation, The Head & Heart Award from the American Academy of Pain Management, the Josephina Magno Award for Excellence in Education and Leadership from the Capitol Hospice in Washington, DC, the Public Service Award from the American Academy of Pain Medicine, The Distinguished Service Award from the Federation of State Medical Boards, and the UC Davis Faculty Senate Public Service Award.

The Elizabeth Narcessian Award was named in memory of Elizabeth Narcessian, MD, a noted educator on the appropriate use of opioids, patient assessment, and approaches to rehabilitation of patients devastated by chronic pain. The award recognizes outstanding contributions highlighting dedication or innovation in education in the field of pain.