Editor’s note: This article is part of PRF’s featured content series “Investigating Virtual Reality for Pain Management: Past, Present, and Future,” which has been made possible thanks to a generous grant from the MAYDAY Fund.
Over the past two decades, the technology supporting virtual reality (VR) has significantly advanced, and its utility in healthcare settings has advanced along with it. In January 2020, Deirdre Logan and 15 other academics and clinicians, as well as industry and philanthropy partners, formed the Interdisciplinary Network on Virtual and Augmented Technologies for Pain management (INOVATE) consortium. This group aims to advance the field of VR for pediatric chronic pain rehabilitation.
During this episode of the Pain Research Forum Podcast, IASP’s Publications Manager, Renee Chasse, speaks with Dr. Deirdre Logan and fellow INOVATE member Dr. Sara Williams about their background working together in pediatric pain research, their experience with the consortium over the past 5 years, and how they envision the future of the field specific to therapeutic advances made possible by Extended Reality (XR).
Podcast participants include:
- Deirdre Logan, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Sara Williams, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Renee Chasse, PhD, International Association for the Study of Pain (host)
This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Deirdre Logan, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist in the Department of Anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and professor of psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. She serves as Director of Psychology Services for the Division of Pain Medicine at BCH and provides evaluation and treatment for children with complex chronic pain conditions, primarily in the outpatient setting. She is also very active in research and teaching. Deirdre’s research focuses on psychological aspects of pediatric chronic pain, with emphasis on the roles of school and family systems in the child’s pain experience. Currently, she is working on ways to use digital health technology, particularly augmented and virtual reality interventions, to advance the treatment of pediatric chronic pain conditions. Deirdre is the Editor of Pediatric Pain Letter and the current president-elect of the Pain in Childhood Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
Sara Williams, PhD, is a licensed clinical child psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with chronic health conditions and a clinical professor of anesthesiology in perioperative and pain medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Since 2023, Sara has also served as director of the Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program at Stanford. Recently, her research focus has been dedicated to implementation and evaluation of care innovations in intensive interdisciplinary pediatric pain rehabilitation. Sara has co-authored multiple research studies, chapters, and a book on the cognitive-behavioral treatment of chronic pain syndromes. She is inspired every day by the hope and optimism displayed by the children she works with and sees the power of dreaming in providing children with the motivation to overcome the biggest obstacles.
Additionally, consider joining Sara and Deirdre at the International Symposium on Pediatric Pain at their satellite meeting devoted to INOVATE!
Calling all XR researchers and clinicians!
Join an exciting opportunity to connect and collaborate at the INOVATE-Pain ISPP Satellite Meeting on XR in Pediatric Pain.
In conjunction with the 2025 International Symposium on Pediatric Pain (ISPP), the Interdisciplinary Network on Virtual and Augmented Technologies for Pain management (INOVATE-Pain) group invites you to this international event that will highlight innovations in XR for pain care in children and adolescents.
🗓 17 June 2025 | 🕐 1-4 PM | 📍 Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland
Program Highlights:
- INOVATE overview — who we are, what we do, how you can become involved.
- Panel Presentation with Audience Discussion: From inception to adoption — creating, evaluating, and implementing VR interventions for pediatric pain treatment.
- Keynote Speaker — Walter Greenleaf PhD (Stanford University Neuroscientist and Medical Tech Developer) on the future of VR for pain.
- Flash Talks on cutting edge topics in peds pain XR
📢 Reply ASAP to let us know you’ll be there!
Let’s shape the future of XR in pediatric pain together. Hope to see you there!
Renee Chasse, PhD, is the Publications Manager at IASP, based out of Hartford, Connecticut, USA. You can find her on X at @reneecphd and Bluesky at @reneecphd.bsky.social.