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APS Announces 2007 Achievement Awards Every year APS rewards excellence in the field of pain management by presenting awards for career achievement, pain scholarship, education and public service, advocacy on behalf of children, outstanding service to APS, and early career achievements. The 2007 recipients of the prestigious APS annual achievement awards will receive their awards in May 2007 at the annual scientific meeting in Washington, DC.
The 2007 Distinguished Service Award for outstanding and dedicated service to APS is awarded to Allen Lebovits, PhD, and Kathleen Sluka, PhD.
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Now!
The APS 26th
Annual Scientific Meeting will be a lively arena for interdisciplinary
exchange among pain scientists and healthcare professionals. In
the ever-expanding field of pain management, new trends, techniques,
therapies, and diagnostic procedures become available almost daily.
Knowledge of these is crucial for the practicing healthcare professional
when selecting the most efficacious treatment for the individual
patient. By attending and participating in the meeting, you will
be able to relate clinical insights presented to questions of basic
science, and to translate scientific innovations to your clinical
practice.
Paper and Poster Abstracts Have Been Selected for Presentation at the 2007 Meeting The Scientific Program Committee has made final decisions about the abstracts submitted for paper and/or poster presentation at the annual meeting. A complete list of primary authors will be available on the APS Web site at the end of December. Formal acceptance and rejection letters will be mailed to all primary authors later this month.
APS Met with NIH Pain Consortium Leaders As a follow up to last year’s inaugural meeting, Judy Paice, Dick Chapman, Ron Dubner, George Wilcox, Lonnie Zeltzer and Cathy Underwood met again with co-chairs of the NIH Pain Consortium (Drs. Larry Tabak, Story Landis and Patricia Grady) to discuss opportunities for communication and collaboration. The most recent data regarding NIH pain-related funding were presented, leading to discussion regarding strategies for building research efforts and funding. The Directors announced that the NIH Pain Consortium will hold its day-long pain symposium in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the APS annual scientific meeting.
News Highlights from The Journal of Pain
This study investigated 580 African American and 892 white workers’ compensation claimants for occupational low back pain. They were surveyed 21 months after claim settlement. Disability determination for low back pain has been problematic due to the need to accommodate a wide variety of cognitive-related or coping modifiers. Also, there is significant variability among health care providers in their approaches to the assessment and management of low back pain and dysfunction. The authors determined there were weak associations between claimant disability ratings and the post-settlement clinical and occupational status. African Americans were negatively associated with disability ratings and also with diagnosis, surgery, and medical costs. The disability ratings, however, correlated weakly with post-settlement status at 21-month follow-up. The association between race and disability ratings suggests that inequities occur in disability determination. The authors commented that this finding raises serious issues regarding the validity of current disability determination methods. Further, the evidence is clear that claimants with higher disability ratings fared better than claimants with lower ratings. This raises questions about the utility of such ratings for assessing claimants with low back pain. The authors believe their results show that the inequitable allocation of disability ratings reflects disparities in the management of these work-related injuries. The results also raise concerns about social justice in the management of occupational back pain, as well as the validity of associated determination processes.
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) affects up to 50% of all patients with diabetes. Alleviating neuropathic pain is difficult because of the lack of medications targeted to relieve this pain. As a result, inadequately treated neuropathic pain often results in anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. Understanding the multidimensional human burden of DPN, therefore, is essential for the development of satisfactory treatment approaches. In this article, the authors attempted to evaluate the psycho-social burden, current treatment patterns, healthcare utilization, and medication usage among a geographically and ethnically diverse sample of 265 DPN patients. The authors reported that the patients with DPN they evaluated were older and suffered from other chronic pain syndromes. A majority also had other chronic conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and nephropathy. Although they could not examine causal relations in this cross-sectional study, pain levels in the DPN patients were high and some 25% had doctor-diagnosed anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. Further, half of the subjects reported using NSAIDS, which are not effective against neuropathic pain, and fewer reported using medications specifically recommended for it. Pain levels among these patients were high and most said they were not satisfied with their pain management.
The objective of this study was to investigate whether men and women differ in their facial expressiveness of pain, and if sex modulates the relationship between self-report and facial pain responses when tonic experimental pain is applied. In previous studies, men and women have appeared to differ substantially in their emotional expressiveness, with women being more facially expressive. But in this research, the authors found that 20 male and 20 female subjects did not differ in their subjective responses to pain or their facial expressiveness. However, sex had a noticeable influence on the relationship between self-report and facial expression of pain, with women showing the stronger correlation. This suggests that facial responses to pain can be used to estimate the intensity of subjective pain in women better than in men. The authors concluded that in future studies sex should be considered an important modulating factor governing the relationship between self-report and nonverbal pain behaviors.
New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics Report The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) recently released the annual report on the nation's health, Health, United States, 2006, with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans with Special Feature on Pain. According to the report, one in four U.S. adults say they suffered a day-long bout of pain in the past month, and 1 in 10 say the pain lasted a year or more. Low back pain is among the most common complaints, along with migraine or severe headache, and joint pain, aching or stiffness. The knee is the joint that causes the most pain according to the report. Hospitalization rates for knee replacement procedures rose nearly 90% between 1992–1993 and 2003–2004, among those 65 and older. Some of the statistics include the following:
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Funding Opportunity for Research on Mind-Body Interactions and Health (R01) The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invites applications in support of research on mind-body interactions and health. A central goal of this program is to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation toward understanding the processes underlying mind-body interactions and health as well as toward the application of such basic knowledge to interventions and clinical practice in the promotion of health and the prevention or treatment of disease and disabilities. For more information, click here.
The APS Nominations Committee is currently reviewing the nominations for APS leadership positions. Members with e-mail addresses will receive electronic ballots after January 23. Members without e-mail will receive paper ballots.
APS is approaching its 30th anniversary with renewed vigor and commitment to its mission and vision. The initiatives of the strategic plan and “Dream No Small Dreams” Campaign have challenged and invigorated your leaders. The Board of Directors felt that this new energy should be reflected in a new look for the society. As 2007 begins, you’ll see a bold new look that not only affirms our multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach to treatment but also reflects our quest to transform the lives of people who live with pain. APS will strive to change the way all of our audiences, from patient to policy maker, view pain and pain management. You’ll see these changes not only in APS E-News but also on our Web site, in annual meeting materials, and in the rest of our communications. This will reinforce our goal of speaking with one strong unified voice to the world. Congratulations on the part you’ve played in helping to make APS what it is today! We look forward to another 30 years of success!
The initiatives of the year included the development and implementation of a new strategic plan and branding campaign for the society, the widely acclaimed Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio, and the creation of the first-ever national awards program to recognize excellence in pain management. The new strategic plan identifies APS as 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 envisions a world where pain prevention and relief are available to all people. Key strategic goals set forth in the plan include the following:
In May 2006,
the APS Annual Scientific Meeting convened in San Antonio’s
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center. Some 2,000 pain researchers and
pain care clinicians attended. In addition, 15 journalists covered
various scientific sessions during the conference. In another Decade of Pain Control and Research activity, APS awarded the 2006 Kathleen M. Foley Journalist Award for excellence in reporting on pain management to Jane Brody, personal health columnist for the New York Times. APS selected Brody for the award for her ongoing pain coverage in her weekly Times columns, Personal Health.
There has already been tremendous interest from pain programs across the U.S. There have been more than 400 hits to the COE Web page on the APS Web site and more than 200 visits to the COE application site. Several applications have already been submitted. Print media and health editors have also expressed great interest in the program. There are commitments from several highly regarded publications to publish the COE information. With these media commitments in place, it is expected that information about the COE will reach more than 400 organizations. APS created the COE Awards Program to help advance the quality of pain management in the United States by recognizing and rewarding excellence in quality clinical care. Any multidisciplinary program that provides direct patient care and is primarily focused on the treatment of pain is eligible to apply. Nominations will be accepted through January 19, 2007, and award recipients will be announced by the end of the first quarter of 2007. Applications must be submitted online.
APS is preparing for another busy year. Preparations are well under way for the 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting to be held in Washington, DC. In addition, another new APS clinical practice guideline on lower back pain will be published next year and there will be continued focus on securing passage of comprehensive pain care legislation. Have a happy holiday season and a healthy and successful 2007!
Reminder: Call for SIG Members Interested in Pain in the Elderly A group of interested APS members is organizing a special interest group (SIG) to focus on the unique aspects of the basic science, diagnosis, and clinical aspects of pain in an older population. William Schwab, MD PhD, chief of geriatrics for Ohio Permanente Medical Group, will chair the SIG. If you would like to participate in this SIG, please e-mail William.S.Schwab@kp.org or call him at 216/470-2733. Please contact Dr. Schwab again even if you have previously expressed interest in this SIG. Response to date has been limited (fewer than ten people) and Dr. Schwab is compiling a comprehensive list of interested persons.
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like to make a contribution to the APS Dream No Small Dreams Fund,
call the American Pain Society at 847/375-4715 to make a credit
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The
Wilbert E. Fordyce Clinical Investigator Award recognizes
career achievement in clinical research on pain and will be awarded
to Dr. Robert J. Gatchel, chair of the University
of Texas at Arlington Psychology Department. He is the author of
several publications including Comorbidity of Chronic Pain and
Mental Health Disorders: The Biopsychosocial Perspective (2004),
Clinical Health Psychology in the Primary Case Setting (2003), and
Psychophysiological Disorders: Past and Present Applications
(1993).
The
Frederick W.L. Kerr Basic Science Research Award
honors individual excellence and achievements in clinical pain scholarship
and will be awarded to George Wilcox, PhD. For
more than 30 years, Dr. Wilcox has contributed to furthering the
understanding of the basic science of pain with the pioneering of
several high-impact directions: He introduced the technique of direct
lumbar puncture in mice, was among the first to study the role of
nitric oxide synthase in spinal nociceptive transmission and distinguish
it from that of glutamate acting at NMDA receptors, has led a long
series of studies of spinal adrenergic antinociception and interactions
between alpha-2 adrenergic and opioid agonists, and developed a
model of bone cancer pain in mouse femur. During his 27 years at
the University of Minnesota he has trained 36 undergraduate students,
12 doctoral students, and 13 postdoctoral fellows. Many of his students
have made a lasting impact on the field of pain research and treatment.
In
recognition of the longstanding APS interest in promoting improved
pain management in pediatric health care settings, the Jeffrey
Lawson Award recognizes advocacy efforts to improve pain
management in children. This year's recipient is Leora Kuttner,
PhD, who is internationally known for her work in pediatric
pain management. She is a professor of pediatrics at the University
of British Columbia and a clinical psychologist. Her work on the
treatment of psychological distress and fear in young children with
cancer has established a bridge between professionals, parents,
and children for acknowledging and effectively responding to the
reality of pain and suffering associated with pediatric illness.
She has produced several award-winning documentaries including No
Fears, No Tears: Children with Cancer Coping with Pain and
No Fears, No Tears: 13 Years Later.
The
Elizabeth Narcessian Award recognizes outstanding
educational achievements in pain management. The award will be presented
to Marion Good, PhD RN FAAN, a professor of nursing
at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve
University. She is one of the country's leading researchers and
educators of nonpharmacologic methods to reduce postoperative pain.
She has a strong program of research in pain management, has been
a prolific author in highly respected medical and nursing journals
(including Nursing Research, Pain, and Biological Research
for Nursing), has trained and mentored the next generation
of nurse educators, and is helping to change the way pain is managed.
Her pain research has directly led to the development of a theory
of a balance between analgesia and side effects: a theory of acute
pain management that prescribes nonpharmacological interventions
in addition to medication, patient teaching, and attentive nursing
care to achieve a balance between analgesia and side effects. Her
contributions to pain education have received media attention, helping
to advance awareness of pain.
Dr.
Lebovits is associate professor of anesthesiology and psychiatry
at New York University Medical Center. He has been a member of APS
since 1987, and has made many contributions to the organization
since joining. One of his most significant contributions is serving
as APS E-News Editor since the publication's inception
in 2003. His work on APS E-News is well integrated with
his role as a member of the APS Web Committee (since 1999). Recently
he was also on the Nominating Committee as well as the APS Association
Management Center (AMC) Evaluation Task Force. He was a founding
member of the Ethics Committee and has continued to serve on that
committee for many years. He was also the founder and chair of the
Ethics Special Interest Group.
Dr.
Sluka is a professor at the University of Iowa. She has
been a member of APS since 1990, and has considerable expertise
in both clinical and basic science. She has made numerous contributions
to APS since joining, including serving two terms on the APS Scientific
Program Committee (1998; 2005-2006), serving as co-chair of the
Basic Science Special Interest Group (2004-2007), and representing
APS as the liaison to International Association for the Study of
Pain. In 2006, she was appointed to The Journal of Pain Editorial
Board.
The
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 2007 recipient is Christina
Spellman, PhD, Mayday Fund Executive Director. The Mayday
Fund is dedicated to alleviating the incidence, degree, and consequence
of human physical pain. Dr. Spellman's work helps build support
for pain programs and advance public policy debates for the medical
care of pain.
To
recognize early career achievement in pain scholarship, APS created
the John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award.
It will be awarded to Bryan Hains, PhD. Dr.
Hains received a doctoral degree in neuroscience from the University
of Texas Medical Branch. He is an assistant professor in the Yale
Department of Neurology. He combines interests in the neurobiology
of the spinal cord and the basic pathobiology of spinal cord and
nerve injury with an interest in mechanisms of chronic pain, and
he has made several important contributions in all of these areas.
Recently, his lab is investigating signaling mechanisms in neuroimmune
interactions, as well as abnormal sodium channel expression, in
post-SCI neuronal hyperexcitability and pain.
May
2–5, 2007
The
following highlights summarize selected articles from the December
2006 issue (volume 7, number 12).
For
the American Pain Society, the year 2006 was highlighted by many
initiatives. “This was a very productive, almost exhausting
year for APS, not only for our 2006 achievements but in the foundation
we have set for the future,” said APS President Judith Paice,
PhD RN. “Strategic planning was the major priority for the
Board of Directors, and they have provided a clear vision of our
mission for the future.” 
Make
a donation to the APS Dream No Small Dreams Fund before the end
of the year. Your gift may be tax deductible; please consult your
tax advisor. Thank you for your support!  |
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