Editor’s note: During the 2023 North American Pain School (NAPS), five pain researchers participated in the PRF-NAPS 2023 Correspondents program.  As we hear from our 2024 NAPS Correspondents, we’re taking a look back at some highlights of NAPS 2023 and some of the people who made them possible.   In this episode of the IASP-PRF Podcast, PRF Correspondent Lindsay Ejoh spoke with Frank Porreca – a dedicated pain researcher and one of top 10 most cited pharmacologists in the world. ...

During the 2024 North American Pain School (NAPS), five pain researchers participated in the PRF-NAPS 2024 Correspondents Program.  In this episode of the IASP-PRF Podcast, PRF Correspondent Jamie Moffa spoke with Jessica Merlin – a clinical pain researcher focusing on the intersection of chronic pain and opioid misuse/use disorder across populations and settings.  During their wide-ranging conversation, Merlin detailed her nonlinear career path, her beginnings in research in chronic pain...

During the 2024 North American Pain School (NAPS), five pain researchers participated in the PRF-NAPS 2024 Correspondents Program.  In this episode of the IASP-PRF Podcast, PRF Correspondent Marimée Godbout-Parent spoke with Melanie Noel – a child health and wellness researcher specializing in psychological mechanisms involved in pediatric pain.  During their wide-ranging conversation, Noel discussed the inspiration behind her pioneering pediatric pain research, the development of her...

During the 2024 North American Pain School (NAPS), five pain researchers participated in the PRF-NAPS 2024 Correspondents Program. In this episode of the IASP-PRF Podcast, PRF Correspondent Madelene Ho spoke with Calia Torres – a passionate pain researcher and former NAPSter. In their thought-provoking conversation, Torres discussed her academic background, her transition from the role of trainee to mentor, and her current research about economic and cultural disparities in pain care –...

Editor’s note: During the International Symposium on Pediatric Pain 2023 (ISPP), five pain researchers participated in the PRF-ISPP 2023 Correspondents Program – made possible by generous contributions from Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP) and the Centre for Pediatric Pain Research (CPPR). As we prepare for ISPP 2025 – taking place 17-20 June 2025 in Glasgow, UK – we’re taking a look back at some highlights of ISPP 2023, and some of the people who made them possible.    In this episode of...

Editor’s note: During the 2023 North American Pain School (NAPS), five pain researchers participated in the PRF-NAPS 2023 Correspondents program.  As we prepare to hear from our 2024 NAPS Correspondents, we’re taking a look back at some highlights of NAPS 2023 and some of the people who made them possible.   In this episode of the IASP-PRF Podcast, PRF correspondent Taylor ­­­Yeater spoke with Keith Meldrum – a dedicated pain advocate and one of two patient partners invited to attend NAPS...

Editor’s note: In 2024, IASP is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, culminating at the IASP 2024 World Congress on Pain. To highlight this milestone, IASP is reflecting on its history and the advances and contributions made by its members over the past 50 years. Throughout the remainder of 2024, Pain Research Forum will be providing a series of podcasts featuring senior leaders in the field who have made major contributions to pain research and management, including those with major roles at...

Editor’s note: In 2024, IASP is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, culminating at the IASP 2024 World Congress on Pain. To highlight this milestone, IASP is reflecting on its history and the advances and contributions made by its members over the past 50 years. Throughout the remainder of 2024, Pain Research Forum will be providing a series of podcasts featuring senior leaders in the field who have made major contributions to pain research and management, including those with major roles at...

Editor’s note: In 2024, IASP is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, culminating at the IASP 2024 World Congress on Pain. To highlight this milestone, IASP is reflecting on its history and the advances and contributions made by its members over the past 50 years. Throughout the remainder of 2024, Pain Research Forum will be providing a series of podcasts featuring senior leaders in the field who have made major contributions to pain research and management, including those with major roles at...

On 23 August 2023, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity published the article, “Beyond Biopsychosocial: The Keystone Mechanism Theory of Pain.” In this article, researchers from the United Kingdom and Germany propose the keystone model of pain, which offers a practical balance between the expansive biopsychosocial model of pain and other reductive approaches by providing advantages for the transition from treating at the population level to that of individual people. In this episode of the...

This episode of the IASP-PRF Podcast highlights an emerging resource for adults and youths with the lived experience of pain called the Power Over Pain Portal. The Power Over Pain Portal works toward improving access to chronic pain care by providing access to free resources in a “one-stop shop,” including articles, videos, podcasts, courses, workshops, peer support, and even 24/7 one-on-one counseling – offered through Wellness Together Canada. While initiated and designed by a consortium of...

This 16th episode of The Pain Beat highlights the work of a vibrant consortium of pain researchers working on a project known as Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS). A2CPS is focused on the identification of biomarkers to predict which patients will transition from acute to chronic pain, and which patients living with chronic pain can improve their quality of life with management (see related PRF news story). The Pain Beat invited several Primary Investigators from A2CPS to talk about...

Editor’s note: The North American Pain School (NAPS) took place 19-24 June 2022, in Montebello, Québec City, Canada. NAPS – an educational initiative of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), and presented by the Quebec Pain Research Network (QPRN) – brings together leading experts in pain research and management to provide trainees with scientific...

This 15th episode of The Pain Beat is the third and final of a three-part series discussing the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – awarded to David Julius, University of California, San Francisco, USA and Ardem Patapoutian, Scripps Research, California, USA – for their work on molecules important for somatosensation (see PRF related interview here, PRF related news story here, part one of this series here, and part two of this series here). In this episode, The Pain Beat spoke...

Editor’s note: For the past 21 years, September has been declared Pain Awareness Month in the United States. During this time, we reflect on the global burden of pain and assess ways to increase engagement, awareness, and advocacy regarding this issue. While September has concluded, we should continue to engage in these vital practices! For a unique perspective on the challenges of raising pain awareness, PRF spoke with Staja “Star” Booker, PhD, RN. Star is an Assistant Professor in the Pain...

This 14th episode of The Pain Beat is the second of a three-part series discussing the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – awarded to David Julius, University of California, San Francisco, USA and Ardem Patapoutian, Scripps Research, California, USA – for their work on molecules important for somatosensation (see PRF related interview here, PRF related news story here, and part one of this series here). In this episode, The Pain Beat spoke with Nobel Prize laureate Ardem...

This 13th episode of The Pain Beat is the first of a three-part series discussing the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – awarded to David Julius, University of California, San Francisco, USA and Ardem Patapoutian, Scripps Research, California, USA – for their work on molecules important for somatosensation (see PRF related interview here, and PRF related news story here). In this episode, The Pain Beat spoke with Nobel Prize laureate David Julius and Michael Caterina, Johns...

Editor’s note: On 2 August 2022, JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) published the article, “Effect of Graded Sensorimotor Retraining on Pain Intensity in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” This trial, which included 276 participants, sought to estimate the effect of a sensorimotor retraining intervention (RESOLVE) on pain intensity in people with chronic low back pain. In the podcast below, several of this study’s researchers speak with PRF...

Senior Manager’s note: Sarah D’Angelo is a passionate advocate for patient education and increasing empathy among caretakers, care providers, and the general public for chronic pain. She uses her skills as an artist, writer, and scientist as a way to bring visibility to the invisible and complex processes of pain. As a pain patient herself, she has first-hand experience with the difficulties of dealing with pain on a daily basis. She talks openly about some of her experiences and struggles in...

Senior Manager’s note: Emeralda Burke is a health researcher, patient advocate, and a person with lived experience. In 2013, she moved from Ireland to Toronto, Canada, after completing a degree in medicinal chemistry. One year later, she was struck as a pedestrian by a stolen car and now lives with chronic pain. She quickly realized how prevalent, underfunded, and underserviced chronic pain can be in Canada. Emeralda shifted to pain research with a special interest in patient education,...

For its eleventh episode, The Pain Beat brought together experts to discuss the biological evolution of nociceptors, their subtypes, and plasticity as part of the Gulf Coast Consortium’s #Pain2021 Webinar Series. These experts study nociceptors across a variety of animal models, including Drosophila, C. elegans, cephalopods, rodents, and humans. The discussion focused on how an evolutionary perspective brings novel insights into the role and function of nociceptors and if, why, and how...

Senior Manager’s note: Kirsty Bannister, PhD, is an Associate Professor at King’s College London, UK, and recently awarded the Patrick D. Wall Young Investigator Prize for Basic Science from the IASP. This prize recognizes an individual who has achieved a high level of independence as an outstanding scholar in the field of pain in basic science. Bannister focuses on bench-to-bedside pain research by conducting exploratory experiments that seek to define descending control pathways...

For its tenth episode, The Pain Beat brought together guests from a variety of career stages to share their experiences conducting pain and pain-related research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their discussion highlighted unique and shared experiences, how research priorities and strategies shifted in response to the pandemic, as well as ways in which colleagues found and offered support.     Podcast participants include: Theanne Griffith, PhD, University of California, Davis, US Kelly...