Annual Scientific Meeting 2026
Theme: Connecting Discovery, Education, and Impact in Pain Science
📅 Wednesday, February 11, 2026
📍 Hart House Music Room, University of Toronto
Join us for a full day of discovery, collaboration, and engagement at the UTCSP Annual Scientific Meeting. This year’s program brings together experts, emerging scholars, and community partners to explore interdisciplinary advances in pain science and their impact on clinical care, education, and health equity.
The meeting features two internationally recognized keynote speakers, interactive trainee sessions, local research spotlights, and leadership perspectives that bridge basic, translational, and community-oriented approaches to pain.
Keynote — Dr. Burel Goodin
Professor of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
President, U.S. Association for the Study of Pain (USASP)
Talk: “Harnessing Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors for Better Chronic Pain Management.”
Dr. Goodin integrates mechanistic pain science with social-contextual frameworks to advance culturally competent, equitable approaches to chronic pain management.
Keynote — Dr. Sarah Nelson
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Attending Psychologist, Boston Children’s Hospital
Dr. Nelson’s research has reshaped the understanding of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, and neurobiological pathways in pediatric chronic pain. Her work informs trauma-informed care, mind-body intervention science, and disparities affecting minoritized youth in pain settings.
🎤 Trainee Data Blitz Sessions
Calling all trainees!
Apply now to showcase your work with a short talk, receive personalized professional-development coaching, and compete for prizes to support your conference travel. Don’t miss this opportunity to build your CV and elevate your presentation skills. UTCSP welcomes submissions for two fast-paced Trainee Data Blitz sessions. Each 8-minute talk will aim to highlight innovative, emerging work across the pain research continuum. These sessions are designed to foster visibility, mentorship, and collaboration for early-career investigators.
🔗 Trainee Data Blitz Application
Program Highlights
| Time | Session | Details |
| 8:30–9:00 | Registration & Welcome Coffee | Networking in the Hart House Music Room |
| 9:15–10:00 | Keynote #1 – Dr. Goodin | Healthy lifestyle behaviors & pain |
| 10:00–10:30 | Data Blitz #1 | Trainee lightning talks |
| 11:00–12:15 | Local Speaker + Leadership Panel | Mariana Bueno Massieh Moayedi, Karen Davis, Sara Guilcher, Tania Di Renna, Rachael Bosma |
| 1:00–1:45 | Keynote #2 – Dr. Nelson | Stress, trauma & pediatric pain |
| 1:45–2:15 | Data Blitz #2 | Trainee lightning talks |
| 2:45–3:45 | Local Research + CPS SafeOp | Nader Ghasemlou; Hance Clarke |
