Max Slepian

Dr. Max Slepian, Ph.D. (2019; Ohio University), CPsych is a staff psychologist and Clinician Investigator at Toronto General Hospital and an Assistant Professor (status only) in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Toronto. He provides clinical care and conducts research in the Transitional Pain Service and the GoodHope Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic. Dr. Slepian’s research explores psychological factors and psychophysiological mechanisms that can protect against the negative consequences of acute and chronic pain. In this work, Dr. Slepian and colleagues developed the Pain Resilience Scale, a 14-item measure that captures an individual’s ability to maintain behavioral engagement and regulate cognitions and emotions despite pain, which has been extensively validated in laboratory and clinical studies. Currently, Dr. Slepian continues to explore the role of pain resilience and other psychological factors in surgical settings and test novel biobehavioral interventions for pain management.

University:

University of Toronto

Principal Faculty:

Medicine

Principal Department/Program:

Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

Principal Hospital Appointment:

Clinical Psychologist, GoodHope Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic, Transitional Pain Service, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital; Clinician Investigator, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network

Key Publications:

1. Waisman, A., Kleiman, V., Slepian, P. M., Clarke, H., & Katz, J. (2022). Autobiographical memory predicts postsurgical pain up to 12 months after major surgery. Pain. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002645 2. Aternali, A., Slepian, P. M., Clarke, H., Ladha, K. S., Katznelson, R., McRae, K., … & Katz, J. (2022). Presurgical distress about bodily sensations predicts chronic postsurgical pain intensity and disability 6 months after cardiothoracic surgery. Pain. 163(1), 159-169. 3. Slepian, PM, Rhudy, JL., Clark, BC, France, CR. (2021). Transcranial direct current stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex alters emotional modulation of spinal nociception. The Journal of Pain, 22(5), 509-519. 4. Slepian, PM., Peng, M., Janmohamed, T., Kotteeswaran, Y., Manoo, V., … & Clarke, H. (2020). Engagement with Manage My Pain Mobile Health Application Among Patients at the Transitional Pain Service. Digital Health, 6, 2055207620962297. 5. Slepian, PM, Ankawi B, & France CR (2020) Longitudinal analysis supports a fear-avoidance model that incorporates pain resilience alongside pain catastrophizing. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 54(5), 335-345