Board of Directors


Officers:

PRESIDENT - JOHN FARRAR
John T. Farrar, MD, PhD. is a Professor of Epidemiology (primary), Neurology (secondary), and Anesthesia (secondary) at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) at the University of Pennsylvania.  He received his MD from the University of Rochester, and MSCE and PhD in pharmacoepidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.  He has been a funded investigator in clinical research for over 25 years with a major focus on studies of the efficacy of pain therapeutics and design of pain clinical trials. As a neurologist and a pharmacoepidemiologist, he has been involved in numerous studies including randomized trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and methodologic studies of pain and associated symptoms, making important contributions to the measurement, analysis, and interpretation of pain related studies.  At the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, he has co-directed the Biostatistical Analysis Center and for 15 years the Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) program, a two-year masters program focused on training 25-30 fellows per year to launch their careers as independently funded scientists in clinical research.  In his mentoring role he has worked with a diverse group of more than 25 fellows, been primary mentor on several career development awards and teaches courses in health measurement, clinical trials, and grant writing.  He currently is a member of multiple Special Interest Groups in the IASP and was previously the co-Director of the Pain Measurement SIG for the APS as well as a member of the APS board.

DISCLOSURES: Vertex Pharam (consulting fees)

 

PRESIDENT-ELECT- BUREL GOODIN
Dr. Burel Goodin, PhD, is a tenured Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology within the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). Before joining WUSTL in 2023, Dr. Goodin spent 11 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where they rose to the rank of Professor of Psychology and co-directed the Center for Addiction Pain Prevention & Intervention (CAPPI). Dr. Goodin is nationally and internationally recognized as an expert in translational pain science, with broad expertise ranging from clinical psychology to behavioral neuroscience and a notable record of both building and leading transdisciplinary research teams. Currently serving as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) on four R01 awards, as well as the site PI for an R37 MERIT award, and co-investigator on an R01 and an NIH HEAL Initiative Other Transactions Authority (OTA) award, Dr. Goodin's scientific expertise is centrally related to disparities in the pain experience and pain management based upon minority status. They have published extensively on psychological aspects of chronic pain outcomes, with recent work examining environmental conditions and contexts influencing pain. Dr. Goodin is a leading expert in the application of social neuroscience frameworks to understand the mechanisms driving pain disparities, particularly focusing on older African American/Black populations. Continually funded by NIH since 2010, serving as a member on the NIH/NIDA Career Development Education and Training (CDET) study section, and having published over 125 peer-reviewed publications with nearly 5,500 citations per Google Scholar, Dr. Goodin's career is defined by bringing together investigators from different disciplines to address scientific problems requiring innovative translational research perspectives.

DISCLOSURE:

TREASURER - YENISEL CRUZ-ALMEIDA 
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida MSPH, Ph.D. was born in La Habana, Cuba. She completed a B.Sc. degree in Microbiology & Cell Science in 2001. In 2004 she completed her master’s degree in Epidemiology & Public Health with a concentration in Biostatistics, and in 2011, her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami MILLER School of Medicine. As a postdoc, she focused on pain phenotyping including investigating age and pain-related biomarkers of immune function and training in Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Florida. Yenisel is currently a tenured Associate Professor in the Departments of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology and Neuroscience in the Colleges of Dentistry & Medicine. Dr Cruz-Almeida also serves as the Associate Director of the UF Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence and the Core Leader of the Pilot & Exploratory Studies Core of the UF Older American Independence Calude D. Pepper Center. She is the Course Director of various pain (Neurobiology of Pain, Science and Clinical Management of Dental Pain), and translational research (Clinical Translational Sciences Journal Club) courses. She is a member of the executive committee of the North American Pain School (2022-2025),  the Chair of the NIH Center for Scientific Review Neurobiology of Pain & Itch Study Section (2023-2025), and serves on the leadership of the “Pain In Older Persons SIG of the  International Association for the Study of Pain (2022-present).

DISCLOSURES: Journal of Pain (Associate Editor)

SECRETARY - CLAUDIA CAMPBELL 
Dr. Claudia Campbell, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with a laboratory boasting a strong history of NIH-supported work in the neurophysiological assessment of pain responses and their interaction with psychosocial processes. Maintaining a robust multidisciplinary membership within the society is of great importance to Dr. Campbell. They hold an NIH K24 grant dedicated to mentoring future leaders in the pain field and recognize the vital role of the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) in their development. Having joined the society's predecessor, APS, as a graduate student, Dr. Campbell understands the impact societies have on facilitating the careers of young investigators. They attended every meeting from 2002-2019, contributing to various committees and serving as a board member in the last several years before its dissolution. Dr. Campbell thoroughly enjoyed their time on the board and is eager to take on the role of secretary in the USASP board. They aim to actively collaborate with energetic and invested leaders to guide the society, brainstorm and implement strategies for continuous innovation and improvement, and manage record-keeping and meeting minutes in conjunction with the society's administration. Dr. Campbell believes they are well-suited to represent the needs of USASP members and the interests of individuals in the pain community who benefit from the society's initiatives.

DISCLOSURES: 

 


Directors:

Monica Gremillion, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist who collaborates within interdisciplinary pain treatment teams in both outpatient clinics and intensive pain treatment programs. Committed to enhancing the health and quality of life for patients with chronic pain, Dr. Gremillion's clinical work and research prioritize elevating patient voices and fostering partnerships in pain care. Their clinical research specifically targets reducing perceptions of pain dismissal. Alongside their clinical practice, Dr. Gremillion serves as the Associate Director of the Pediatric Psychology Practicum Program, where they oversee the training of graduate-level psychology students, provide supervision, contribute to curriculum development for didactics, and lead program evaluation efforts. They have spearheaded a workgroup dedicated to developing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative for psychology residents, with the goal of integrating awareness of individual and cultural differences into professional settings. Dr. Gremillion finds mentoring trainees to be profoundly rewarding within the realm of academic medicine, recognizing its importance in cultivating a new generation of pain scholars.

DISCLOSURES:  

Andrea Nackley, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology’s Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM) at Duke University School of Medicine. She is Director of the Translational Pain Research Laboratory, where her program marries pain neurobiology, behavioral pharmacology, and molecular genetics in mouse and man to to better understand mechanisms of and identify treatments for chronic ‘primary’ overlapping pain conditions. Her lab was the first to demonstrate a critical role for peripheral adrenergic receptor beta-3 in the development of chronic pain and neuroinflammation, which remains a primary research focus. In recognition of her research and scholarly activity in the pain field, Dr. Nackley received the John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award in 2010 from the American Pain Society. She has remained actively engaged in the pain community, serving as Co-Chair of the American Pain Society’s Genetics and Pain Special Interest Group, Member of the Nominating Committee, and Chair of the Early Career Forum. She is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Pain Research and Member of the USASP Board of Directors. In her role on the Board of Directors, she will work to emphasize translational aspects of basic science research and education as well as to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in line with the vision of the USASP.

DISCLOSURES: None

Rachel Zoffness, Ph.D. is a pain psychologist, medical educator, and leader in the field of pain education. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF, a Visiting Professor at Stanford, and a Mayday Fellow. Dr. Zoffness is the author of The Pain Management Workbook, a treatment protocol for adults and healthcare providers, and The Chronic Pain and Illness Workbook for Teens, the first pain workbook for kids. She has served on the boards of the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain, The American Association of Pain Psychology, and the Society of Pediatric Pain Medicine, and consults on the development of integrative pain programs around the world. A passionate pain educator, her pain science podcast episodes have over 5 million downloads. Dr. Zoffness was trained at Brown, Columbia, UCSD, NYU, and Mt. Sinai Hospital.

DISCLOSURES: None

Ericka Merriwether, P.T., D.P.T., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Physical Therapy and Medicine and is the Director of the Inclusive and Translational Research in Pain Laboratory (I-TRIP) at New York University. The goal of her research is to identify targets for culturally responsive, multimodal interventions for chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain in adults with a diversity of body sizes and phenotypes. To achieve this goal, Dr. Merriwether's current projects focus on identifying key biopsychosocial and socioecological drivers of pain variability,  and how these candidate drivers of pain variability respond to weight change. This highly interdisciplinary work employs a variety of clinical and translational research methodologies. Also, Dr. Merriwether is a proud native of Chicago’s Austin Community on the city’s West side, and is the mother of two amazing children.

Dr. Merriwether earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She went on to earn her DPT from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, and her PhD in Movement Science from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Merriwether completed postdoctoral fellowship in pain neuroscience in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Iowa prior to her current faculty appointment. Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Physical Therapy, and most recently, the NYU CoHRR. Dr. Merriwether has several publications in pain and rehabilitation journals, and currently serves as an Editorial Board member for the Journal of Pain, Frontiers in Pain Research, and the Neurobiology of Pain. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP), has served as an Early Career Reviewer for the Neurobiology of Pain and Itch Study Section at NIH, and is an executive member of the Anti-racism CoaliTION in Pain Research (ACTION-PR). 

DISCLOSURES: None 

Dr. Janiece Taylor, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University in the School of Nursing. She draws the foundation for her commitment and passion for pain research from personal, clinical, and professional experiences. Witnessing the enduring struggle of her mother and grandmother with chronic debilitating pain in her early life left a profound impact. As a bedside nurse, Dr. Taylor formed intimate connections with patients navigating varying degrees of undermanaged pain. Her role as a researcher provided opportunities to listen and collaborate with participants, gaining insight into the exhaustive impact pain had on their overall quality of life. Each of these encounters fuels Dr. Taylor's unwavering dedication and aspiration to enhance pain outcomes for marginalized groups, particularly middle-aged and older adults from underrepresented backgrounds such as African Americans and individuals with disabilities. Consequently, her career and research mission are centered on addressing the historical inequities faced by these groups concerning pain-related outcomes.

DISCLOSURES:  

Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, MD PhD received a medical degree from Centro Universitario de Occidente, Quetzaltenango (Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala) in 1999 and a Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience from Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Spain, in 2003. Currently, Dr. Romero-Sandoval is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC (U.S.). His laboratory explores neuroimmune interactions in surgical and neuropathic pain and neuropathies induced by trauma, diabetes, or chemotherapy. Additionally, Dr. Romero-Sandoval studies the endocannabinoid system in the context of pain, cannabis pharmacology, and how the cannabis market in the U.S. is shaped and could affect pain patients.

 DISCLOSURES: 

Anna Woodbury, MD, MSCR, C.Ac. founded the Division for Pain Management at the Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VAHCS) in Atlanta and currently serves as the Associate Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Anesthesiology at Emory University. She is double-board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and licensed to practice Acupuncture. She is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at Emory University School of Medicine and active in research at both Emory and VAHCS. She has been a member of the national Committee on Pain Medicine for the American Society of Anesthesiologists and has served on institutional and federal grant review committees including NIH and VA study sections. She has presented nationally and written book chapters, articles and clinical reviews on integrative medicine and neuromodulation, including applications for chronic pain management, anesthesia and neuroprotection. She has also edited a Pain Management Board Review book. Her clinical expertise and research interests include the use of non-pharmacologic therapies for the management of pain, and she has a specific interest in understanding and treating chronic widespread pain conditions with non-invasive brain stimulation. She is one of the original members of the USASP and was recently elected to its Board of Directors. She is also a Charter Member of the Vagus Nerve Society and serves as its Secretary.

 DISCLOSURES: Elsevier book royalties, Lumina Health royalties 

Katherine Martucci, PhD is Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology, Director of the Human Affect and Pain Neuroscience (HAPN) Lab, faculty member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and faculty member of the Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM) at Duke University. At Duke University, Dr Martucci’s lab uses a combination of neuroimaging techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain and cervical spinal cord, as well as sensory, behavioral, and psychological tests to study acute pain processing and chronic pain in humans. Dr Martucci received her BS, majoring in Physiology and Neurobiology, from the University of Connecticut, and her PhD in Neurobiology and Anatomy (with graduate mentor, Dr Robert Coghill; and dissertation committee chair, Dr James Eisenach) from Wake Forest School of Medicine. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr Sean Mackey at Stanford University. Collectively, Dr Martucci has over 15 years in neuroimaging and collaborative pain research. Her established research program on the neurophysiology of chronic pain and opioid use has been funded by the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS), a DREAM Innovation Grant, and multiple NIH NIDA awards (F31, K99/R00, R01). In addition to her role on the Board of Directors for USASP, Dr Martucci’s service to the field of pain research includes her roles as member of the Early Career Advisory Group and Membership Committee for the former American Pain Society (APS), member of the 2020 Global Year Task Force for the Prevention of Pain and the Digital Strategy and Content Working Group for the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), and member of the Nominations Committee, Diversity Inclusion and Anti-Racism in Pain SIG, Substance Use and Addiction SIG, and 2023 meeting local organizing committee for the USASP.
DISCLOSURES: None
 

Dr. Salvemini is William Beaumont Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Professor Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and Founding Director of the Institute for Translational Science at Saint Louis University. Dr Salvemini received her BSc in pharmacology from Kings College, London, and her PhD in pharmacology from the University of London. She pursued postdoctoral studies at the William Harvey Research Institute in London and Monsanto in the department of discovery pharmacology in St Louis. Before joining Saint Louis University, Dr Salvemini spent 15 years in the private sector where she led drug discovery and development efforts on novel analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Dr Salvemini’s research interests are in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in neuropathic pain states and the discovery of non-opioid therapeutics. She serves on numerous committees including NIH Study Sections (NIDA; NCI; NINDS) and the NIH/NINDS External Consultant Board for the Preclinical Screening Platform for Pain and boards including the United States Association for the Study of Pain.  She is founder of BioIntervene Inc, that is developing A3 adenosine receptor agonists for neuropathic pain and neuroinflammatory diseases and founder of the St Louis Translational Pain Research Forum. She has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles has been honored with several awards including the Novartis Award in Pharmacology, the Outstanding Scientist Award from the Saint Louis Academy of Science, the Pharmacia-ASPET Award in Experimental Therapeutics and the Mitchell B. Max Award for Neuropathic Painfrom the American Academy of Neurology.  Dr Salvemini is a Fellow of the Saint Louis Academy of Science, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, Fellow of Saint Louis University Research Institute and Fellow of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. She has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Health, the Department of Defence, foundations, and the private sector.

DISCLOSURES: Biointervene Inc.
Last Updated on Monday, June 24, 2024 01:11 PM