Editor’s note: This seminar is the latest event in a series of seminars launched in May 2020 to help keep the pain research community connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide all members of our community with virtual educational opportunities. The seminar series is supported by the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, US.
The IASP Pain Research Forum hosted an Ask Me Anything seminar with Allan Basbaum, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, US, on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, noon-1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (US)/5-6 p.m. GMT/6-7 p.m. CET. Howard Fields, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, US, moderated the discussion.
A recording of the event is now available on the IASP Pain Education Resource Center here.
About this event
Here is your chance to ask Dr. Allan Basbaum ANYTHING you want!
Maybe you’d like to hear Allan’s thoughts about the state of pain research – where is the field now, and where is it going? Perhaps you’re interested in Allan’s recent research, including transplantation of embryonic cortical inhibitory precursor cells into the spinal cord as an approach to treating pain, the role of DRG macrophages in neuropathic pain, the circuitry of itch, and cortical pain processing mechanisms uncovered using calcium imaging in awake mice, among many interests in Allan’s lab. Maybe you’d like to hear about what it was like for Allan to train with Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall, the discoveries he made earlier in his career, and how pain research has evolved since then. You can also ask Allan about building a career in pain research – what are the elements of success, and what are the pitfalls to avoid? Anything and everything is fair game – Allan will even welcome questions about his jazz piano playing and golf game! Join us on February 23, 2021, for what promises to be a stimulating and enlightening event with a pain research pioneer – and a lot of fun, too!
About Allan
Allan Basbaum, PhD, FRS, is a professor and chair of the Department of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, US. From 2003 to 2012, he served as the editor-in-chief of PAIN, the journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). He is a recipient of the Frederick W.L. Kerr Basic Science Research Award from the American Pain Society and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Prize for Distinguished Pain Research. Dr. Basbaum is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the US National Academy of Medicine (formerly called the Institute of Medicine), and the British Academy of Medical Science. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society in the UK. Dr. Basbaum’s research examines the mechanisms through which tissue and nerve injury produce changes in the peripheral and central nervous system, resulting in persistent pain. In parallel studies, his lab is examining the circuits through which pruritogens generate itch. His lab has now also turned its attention to cortical pain processing mechanisms, using calcium imaging in awake mice.
About Howard
Howard Fields, MD, PhD, received his MD and PhD in neuroscience at Stanford in 1965-1966. Following clinical training in neurology at Harvard Medical School in 1972, he joined the faculty of the University of California San Francisco, where he is currently professor of neurology and physiology emeritus. He was a founder of the UCSF pain management center and made major contributions to understanding and treating post-herpetic neuralgia, including demonstrating the effectiveness of opioids and topical lidocaine. In laboratory studies with Allan Basbaum, he discovered and elucidated a pain modulating neural circuit that engages endogenous opioids and is activated by opioid analgesics. Furthermore, with Jon Levine he discovered that placebo analgesia can be blocked by an opioid antagonist. He received numerous awards including the National Migraine Foundation Award, the Bristol-Myers Award for Pain Research, a Merit Award from NIH, the Kerr Award of the American Pain Society, and the Cotzias Award of the American Academy of Neurology. He also gave the Beecher Lecture and later the Adams Lecture at Harvard Medical School. In 1997, he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine and in 2010 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2018-19 he served as a member of the congressionally mandated pain management task force to develop guidelines for the treatment of chronic pain.
Join the conversation about the seminar on Twitter @PainResForum #PRFSeminar
We thank the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, US, for its support of the PRF seminar series.
