utcspdev, Author at U of T Centre for the Study of Pain

SEMINAR: Chronic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury: Challenges and Management

The Faculty of Pharmacy is hosting: Innovations in Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar to be held on THURSDAY, March 5, 2026, at 10:00 am in PB-850.

Seminar Presenter: Dr. Eva Widerstrom-Noga, Professor of Neurological Surgery, Rehabilitation Medicine, and the Principal Investigator of the Clinical Pain Research Laboratory of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis

Seminar Title: Chronic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury: Challenges and Management

Hosted by: Dr. Sara Guilcher

Dr. Widerstrom-Noga, DDS, PhD, is a Professor of Neurological Surgery, Rehabilitation Medicine, and the Principal Investigator of the Clinical Pain Research Laboratory of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Her work primarily concerns the extremely complex problem of persistent neuropathic pain after neurotrauma. Dr. Widerstrom-Noga’s educational background is in cross-disciplinary pain research (pain physiology and pain psychology) and in the clinical management of chronic pain.

Dr. Widerstrom-Noga has performed human pain research for more than three decades and in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) for over 29 years. Her interests are influenced by her clinical background and interest in elucidating the underlying mechanisms of human pain and the cognitions and behaviors that determine the impact of pain. Dr. Widerstrom-Noga has used highly innovative methods including magnetic resonance spectroscopy to elucidate brain mechanisms and adapted outcome measures used in other chronic pain populations to people with SCI. She has also been instrumental in developing, presenting, and promoting the International SCI Pain Data Sets and the NINDS CDEs for SCI and Pain. She serves as the Chair or as a member in both National and International efforts to standardize pain outcome measures and pain classification, and clinical guidelines related to pain management.

Dr. Widerstrom-Noga has a strong interest in the perspectives of SCI stakeholders because these can significantly influence both the experience and management of pain. These perspectives have guided her recent research regarding multimodal non-pharmacological pain treatment approaches and pain education using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Dr. Widerstrom-Noga’s laboratory investigates the effects of pain education and various neuromodulatory methods such as exercise, bodily illusions and tDSC. She has extensive interdisciplinary and translational clinical pain research experience in persons with neurotrauma, including the use of a wide spectrum of pain outcome measurements and pain phenotyping.

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UTCSP Research Update February 8, 2026

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Authors: Praveen K. Ganty, Dorothy Wong, Hance A. Clarke
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🔹 Evaluating the Statistical Robustness of Randomized Controlled Trials of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Pain through the Use of Fragility Index
Authors: Faraj W. Abdallah
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🔹 Preoperative anxiety is associated with postoperative cardiovascular events, extubation delay, and pain in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A prospective observational study
Authors: Malcolm Koo
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🔹 Functional changes in health during and after pregnancy in people with spinal cord injury — an international cohort study
Authors: Claire Mazzia, Anne Berndl
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41646511/

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UTCSP Research Update February 1, 2026

🔹 Progress in mechanisms and therapy for fibromyalgia
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🔹 Brain-immune correlates of quality of life in adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain
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🔹 Pain as a Driver of Myocardial Injury in Hip Fracture Patients: A HIP ATTACK Trial Secondary Analysis
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🔹 Item Reduction and Scoring of the Pediatric PainSCAN©: A Screening Tool for Pediatric Neuropathic Pain and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
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🔹 Individual differences in conditioned pain modulation are associated with alpha oscillations
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UTCSP Research Update January 25, 2026

🔹 Inflammation and pain as interconnected targets in axial spondyloarthritis
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🔹 Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Managing Sickle Cell Crisis Pain: A Qualitative Study on Adolescents' and Caregivers' Experiences
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🔹 Surgical Management Results in Lasting Pain Relief in Patients with Ischiofemoral Impingement Refractory to Nonoperative Treatment: A Systematic Review
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Pain Resources

Please see the list of helpful resources below:

WEBSITES

www.Kidsinpain.ca

LINKS TO RESOURCES

Acknowledging Gender and Sex: Online course on improving the health and wellbeing of transgender people, offered by the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health https://prevention.ucsf.edu/transhealth/education/acknowledging-gender-sex
LGBTQ Training for Medical Providers: Online workshops and trainings on providing competent care for the LGBTQ community. https://lgbtq.ucsf.edu/education-training
Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO): education courses and training https://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/education-training/
Trans PULSE Canada is a national community-based survey of the health and well-being of trans and non-binary people in Canada. https://transpulsecanada.ca/results/report-1/
Trans Care BC https://www.transcarebc.ca/education-centre
Trans and Gender Diverse ECHO https://camh.echoontario.ca/programs-tgdh/
McMaster University- https://transeducation.ca/

OTHER

Government of Canada. (2021, March). Canadian Pain Task Force report: An action plan for pain in Canada [Report]. Health Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/canadian-pain-task-force/report-2021.html
Cragg, A., Hau, J. P., Woo, S. A., Kitchen, S. A., Liu, C., Doyle-Waters, M. M., & Hohl, C. M. (2019). Risk Factors for Misuse of Prescribed Opioids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Annals of emergency medicine, 74(5), 634–646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.04.019
Wang, L., Hong, P. J., Jiang, W., Rehman, Y., Hong, B. Y., Couban, R. J., Wang, C., Hayes, C. J., Juurlink, D. N., & Busse, J. W. (2023). Predictors of fatal and nonfatal overdose after prescription of opioids for chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal, 195(41), E1399–E1411. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.230459
Racine M. (2018). Chronic pain and suicide risk: A comprehensive review. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 87(Pt B), 269–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.08.020
Joseph, M., Holden, L. & Kroneberg, S. (2025) A parent support model for intensive pediatric chronic pain rehabilitation. Pediatric Pain Letter, 27(1). https://pediatric-pain-letter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/holden271.pdf
Recent systematic review on risk factors for prescribed opioid misuse (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.04.019) and predictors of fatal and nonfatal overdose after prescription of opioids for chronic pain: (https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.230459)
clinical guidelines from the DeGroot National Pain centre: https://npc.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/guidelines/

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UTCSP Research Update January 18, 2026

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🔹 Epidemiology and Risk Factors of Wrist Pain and Injury in Adolescent Artistic Gymnasts: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
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🔹 Vulvodynia (chronic vulval pain)
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🔹 Causal evidence linking chronic pain genetics to late-onset asthma via the nervous system
Authors: Peter H. Her
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41547614/

🔹 Causality in Perioperative Acute Pain Research
Authors: Karim S. Ladha
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41552897/

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🔹 Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) or Opioid Analgesia Added to Ibuprofen for Children's Musculoskeletal Injury: Two Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Anna Heath, Petros Pechlivanoglou, Martin Offringa
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41505155/

🔹 Dissection Study of the Innervation of the Anterior Elbow Joint: Laying the Anatomical Foundation for Minimally Invasive Pain Relief Procedures to Treat Elbow Joint Pain
Authors: Denise M. J. Arnold, Emily S. Ho, Sharon Switzer-McIntyre, Catherine E. Amara, Anne M. R. Agur
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🔹 Clinical pain increased with older brain age, yet placebo effects were preserved
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🔹 Enhancing infant pain assessment and treatment: investigating barriers, facilitators, and implementation outcomes with the ImPaC Resource
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🔹 The analgesic efficacy of subacromial bursa block for arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis
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🔹 Pain control and opioid use as a function of workflow in MRI-guided interstitial cervix brachytherapy
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🔹 Unused Opioids Following Palliative Care for Children at Home: A Missed Opportunity for Opioid Stewardship?
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🔹 Prevalence and factors associated with pain-related disabilities among Inuit in Canada in 2017: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, Amanda J. Sheppard
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🔹 Biologically Effective Dose and Dose Rate in Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jane Jomy, Radha Sharma, Sanchit Kaushal, Dana Keilty, David Shultz, Mojgan Hodaie, Suneil K. Kalia
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🔹 Intravenous methadone for pain management in cardiac surgery: a randomised controlled trial with plasma concentration analysis
Authors: Veronica Ka Wai Lai
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🔹 Standardising the Collection of Socio-Demographic Data in Pain Research
Authors: Vina Mohabir
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UTCSP Research Update January 1, 2026

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🔹 Can Social Function Improve in Older Patients Undergoing Multi-Level Spinal Deformity Surgery?
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UTCSP Research Update December 15, 2025

🔹 Headache After Stroke: An Update for the Clinician
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https://lnkd.in/efeEwD_K

🔹 Internet-delivered Cognitive-behavioral Intervention for Pain in Pediatric Acute Recurrent and Chronic Pancreatitis: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
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https://lnkd.in/enbUr3Qk

🔹 Association Between Smoking and Opioid Requirement and Pain Intensity in the Early Postoperative Period: A Meta-Analysis
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🔹 Buccal fat applied to transoral robotic lateral oropharyngectomy defects to lessen radical tonsillectomy pain (BOLT): study protocol for a single-centre, phase II, parallel, randomised controlled trial
Authors: Christopher MKL Yao, Michael Xie, John de Almeida, David Goldstein, Rosemary Martino, Yi Fan Liu, Brittany Allen, Wei Xu, Katrina Hueniken
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🔹 The analgesic effects of novel fascial plane blocks compared with intrathecal morphine after Caesarean delivery
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https://lnkd.in/e8qhjYFV

🔹 The Use of Upper Extremity Tourniquets in Hand Surgery: Does Tourniquet Location Make a Difference? A Scoping Review
Authors: Matthew McRae
https://lnkd.in/eDmWZeU7

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