2000 - 2009
2001
IASP Awards First Collaborative Research Grants
In 2001, the IASP Council awarded the first Collaborative Research Grants to facilitate research between members in different countries. The grants were awarded to:
- Earl Carstens (USA) and Yves Boucher (France) for their project “Interactions Between Taste and Trigeminal Pain Pathways in the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract of Rats”
- Kaj Fried (Sweden) and Marshall Devor (Israel) for their project “Sodium Channel Subtype Expression in Sensory Ganglion
2001
European Federation of IASP Chapters (EFIC) Launches European Week Against Pain
In October 2001, at the European Parliament in Brussels, EFIC launched the first European Week Against Pain and proclaimed a declaration on chronic pain as a major health problem and disease in its own right.
2002
Tenth World Congress on Pain – San Diego
In 2002, IASP held the tenth World Congress on Pain in San Diego, USA. It was the largest up to this point in IASP’s history, hosting more than 6,000 attendees from 96 countries.
At this World Congress, IASP was presented with a $20,000 check from the S.P. Hersh/MICC Educational Fund to establish a lecture honoring former IASP President John D. Loeser. This first John D. Loeser lecture was given during the eleventh World Congress on Pain.
2004
Start of the IASP Global Year Initiative
In 2004, IASP officially joined EFIC in publicly advocating against pain with the Global Day Against Pain. Designed to coincide with the start of EFIC’s European Week Against Pain, IASP invited Chapters to hold their own public events, while IASP held an event in conjunction with the World Health Organization in Geneva. The theme was The Relief of Pain Should be a Human Right, and the one-day program garnered media coverage worldwide.
This event would lead to the first IASP Global Year initiative in 2005 with the Global Year Against Pain in Children.
2005
Eleventh World Congress on Pain - Sydney
In 2005, IASP held the eleventh World Congress on Pain in Sydney, Australia. There were more than 4,800 attendees from 90 countries, and 1,800 submitted abstracts.
2005
Louisa Jones Retires From IASP
In 2005, at the eleventh World Congress on Pain, Louisa Jones retired from her job as Executive Secretary of IASP. She had been part of IASP from the very beginning and managed the business of the association, often single-handedly, throughout the turbulent years at the beginning of IASP. She gave more than 30 years of service to IASP and finished her contributions by writing First Steps: The Early Years of IASP 1973-1984.
2005
First John D. Loeser Distinguished Lecture Award
In 2005, at the eleventh World Congress on Pain in Sydney, Rita Charon (USA) received the first John D. Loeser Prize for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the Clinical Science of Pain. This prize, honoring John Loeser for his contributions to pain education and research, continues to be awarded every two years in recognition of work that enhances the understanding of human pain and suffering in broad ways that combine insights from various disciplines.
2005
IASP Awards the First Developing Countries Project: Initiative for Improving Pain Education Grant
In 2005, IASP awarded the first Developing Countries Project: Initiative for Improving Pain Education. This grant provides support to improve pain education and practice in developing countries. The first recipients were:
- Lilian Hennemann, Peter Spiegel, Tereza Cristina, Lourenco Silva, Ricardo Joaquim da Cunha Junior, Luiz Augusto Rodrigues de Aqunio, and Gisele Cazale Bonioli (Brazil)
- Ana Luisa Muñoz, Miguel Fodor, Renato Verdugo, Carlo Paolinelli and Carlos Paeile (Chile)
- Benjamin Dominguez Trejo, J. Rafael Hernandez Santos, Yolanda Olvera Lopez, Consuelo Hernandez Troncoso, and Irma Zaldivar Martinez (Mexico)
2005
IASP Awards the First Excellence in Pain Research and Management in Developing Countries Award
In 2005, IASP presented the first Award for Excellence in Pain Research and Management in Developing Countries. This award is presented to an individual or a team that has achieved an outstanding level of excellence in pain-related programs in a developing country. The first recipients were: Sergio Ferreira, Carlos A. Parada, Daniela Sachs, Cristiane Villarreal, and Thiago M. Cunha from Brazil.
2008
Twelfth World Congress on Pain - Glasgow
In 2008, IASP hosted the twelfth World Congress on Pain in Glasgow. More than 6,200 people attended, setting a record for the world’s largest pain meeting. This World Congress on Pain marked the beginning of holding the meeting every two years rather than every three, with the next World Congress on Pain taking place in 2010.
2009
IASP Releases Updated Logo
In 2009, IASP made its first foray into social media by creating a Twitter account. Since then, IASP has developed a social media presence across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram and has 115,049 active followers as of 2023.
2009
IASP Releases Updated Logo
In 2009, the IASP Council approved a new logo for the association with a more modern design, although it still featured a globe. The updated logo coincided with a new design for PAIN; both changes represented the culmination of work throughout this decade.
Much of the early 2000s was focused on developing IASP into the modern association we know today. The website was further developed and began to be a more interactive member space than the static site originally launched in 1996. Chapters and communications were consolidated to make working with the IASP Council easier, and Council members began attending Chapter meetings with regularity. Even the IASP newsletter developed from a simple, monochromatic, text-heavy design to a full-color production with pictures. The association in 2000 was a different entity than it was at the end of the decade, and the logo released in 2009 showcases IASP’s move into the 21st Century.