2014 Elizabeth Narcessian Award for Outstanding Educational Achievements in the Field of Pain
Joanna Girard Katzman, MD MSPH
Director, University of New Mexico Pain Center
Codirector, UNM Project ECHO Chronic Pain Program
Joanna Girard Katzman, MD MSPH, an associate professor in neurology, is the director of the University of New Mexico (UNM) Pain Center and the codirector of the UNM Project ECHO Chronic Pain Program, which have received the 2011 American Pain Society Clinical Centers of Excellence Award. Dr. Katzman graduated from Stanford University and Yale University School of Medicine. She completed her Neurology and Neurorehabilitation Fellowship training at the UCLA School of Medicine in Neurology. Dr. Katzman is the executive director of Pain Services at UNM Hospital.
As the UNM chief medical officer, Dr. Katzman is currently working with the Army’s Department of Defense to roll out Army Pain ECHO throughout the Regional Medical Commands worldwide.
Because of the rates of unintentional opioid overdose rates in New Mexico, Dr. Katzman currently resides on the New Mexico Governor’s Council for Prescription Drug Misuse and Overdose Prevention. She has trained more than 2,000 clinicians from New Mexico in the last 18 months in continuing medical education courses on “Pain and Addiction.”
She formally assisted the Veterans Affairs with ECHO Pain replication (SCAN-ECHO) and is presently working with the Indian Health Service’s National Center for Tele-Behavioral Health as they begin to replicate ECHO Pain and Addictions.
Dr. Katzman has served on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee for Gulf War and Health, Treating Chronic Multisymptom Illness and she is currently serving on a second IOM committee for Gulf War and Health Defining a Consensus Case Definition for Chronic Multisympton Illness. Prior to Dr. Katzman’s leadership role with the UNM Pain Center, she served as the deputy chief medi¬cal officer of the UNM Health System.
Dr. Katzman developed the ECHO Pain model of remote telementoring for chronic pain and has pub¬lished on this successful tool for healthcare professionals to gain self-efficacy and expertise in caring for patients with chronic pain and addiction. Dr. Katzman has also published on the ethics of treating chronic pain in the context of addiction and is currently working with her large interdisciplinary team at the UNM Pain Center to address the tremendous needs of the patients in New Mexico with co-occuring pain and addiction.
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 the rehabilitation of patients devastated by chronic pain. The award recognizes outstanding contributions highlighting dedication or innovation in education in the field of pain.
The 2014 Elizabeth Narcessian Award is supported by an unrestricted grant from Purdue Pharma L.P.
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.
