Chronic pain affects more than 50 million adults in the U.S.

Understanding and treating pain involves integrating disparate areas of science, humanities, policy, health care and more. However, institutions for higher learning and health gravitate to silos and fragmentation. UC Davis is breaking down those silos and tapping into expertise that exists at both the Sacramento and Davis campuses to address pain.

That’s the goal of the Advancing Pain Relief Virtual Symposium on March 3. From 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., scholars will showcase their diverse work that is currently being conducted in disparate areas of our university that directly and indirectly inform and advance our understanding and treatment of pain.

“Pain encroaches into every aspect of life and is part of every college, school and center within a university,” said Scott Fishman, director for the Center for Advancing Pain Relief (CAPR). “Fragmentation has impaired our ability to advance pain relief and we can increase our effectiveness for those who suffer when we pool together our talents and work collaboratively.”

At this half-day event, scholars from across UC Davis, including the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, the School of Law and the Colleges of Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Engineering, and Letters and Science. From panel presentations to lightening talk sessions, the topics present the wide range of advancements in medication and treatment of pain.

Topics include:

• Analyzing the language of California opioid policies
• Facial recognition to identify pain in animals
• Osteoarthritis, pain and mindfulness for pain reduction
• Museum visits to reduce social disconnection and pain
• The tension between religious beliefs and patient care
• Using simulation for medication-assisted treatment training

The event is free. For questions or to register, please contact Christy Chung at lachung@ucdavis.edu. With this event, the center also launches the Center for Advancing Pain Relief Seed Grant Program, which provides three or more $25,000 grants to fund  a year of research and a position paper.

The Center for Advancing Pain Relief is a first-of-its-kind center for education, research, clinical care and policy, committed to breaking down silos that impede progress toward safer and more effective pain relief. By creating a network of faculty researchers, educators, clinicians and policymakers, center leaders develop personalized, integrated and comprehensive pain management therapies, reach national consensus and provide policy guidance for California and beyond.