UTCSP Research Update II - November 2025
🔹 The analgesic efficacy of subacromial bursa block for arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Richard Brull, EM Yung, Tiffany Got, Tim Dwyer, Faraj Abdallah
https://lnkd.in/d3Xhdfst
🔹 Non-medical use of prescription opioids: use to experience subjective effects vs. other non-medical use among adults in Ontario, Canada from 2020 to 2024
Authors: Yeshambel Nigatu, Samantha Wells, Leslie Buckley, Lena Quilty, Nikki Bozinoff, Farihah Ali, Sameer Imtiaz, Hayley Hamilton
https://lnkd.in/dSeen3Fm
🔹 Opioid Initiation in Older Patients with Chronic Pain Who Received Authorized Cannabis Prescription
Author: John Hanlon
https://lnkd.in/d9bQcps3
Announcing the UTCSP Annual Scientific Meeting — Wednesday, February 11, 2026 (Registration Now Open!)
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 - for detailed schedule, please click here
| 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 |
UTCSP Research Update — November 2025
🔹 Microglia, sex, and pain: even more twists and turns ahead?
Authors: Mike Salter, Eder Gambeta
https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003670
🔹 Imaging-Based Approach to Venous-Origin Chronic Pelvic Pain
Authors: Andrew D. Brown, Tiffany Ni
https://doi.org/10.1177/08465371251336121
🔹 Prevalence and characteristics of chronic pain following mastectomy and breast reconstruction: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Author: Ammara Ghumman
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2025.08.034
🔹 Evaluation of Health Disparities in Outcomes of Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Author: Ronald M. Laxer
https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.2025-0313
🔹 Pain intensity and opioid consumption after temporary and permanent peripheral nerve stimulation: a 2-year multicenter analysis
Author: Anuj Bhatia
https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2024-105704
🔹 Just the Facts: Sphenopalatine ganglion block for acute migraine management in ED
Authors: Ming Li, Kenneth Williams, Scott McGilvray
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43678-025-01051-9
🔹 Characterizing patterns of sensory loss during labor epidural analgesia: a prospective study of breakthrough pain
Authors: L. Kordich, J.P. Ghiringhelli, R.B. George, K. Downey, X.Y. Ye, J.C.A. Carvalho
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijoa.2025.104753
🔹 Leveraging technologies to upskill primary care providers in person-centred pain care
Authors: Andrea Furlan, Chitra Lalloo, Jennifer Stinson
https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003715
🔹 Associations Between Pain and Substance Use Among Individuals Diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes or Generalized Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Callon M. Williams, Molly McCarthy, Michelle Flynn, Stephanie Buryk-Iggers, Dmitry Rozenberg, Max Rachinsky, Praveen Ganty, Laura Mcgillis, Nimish Mittal, P. Maxwell Slepian, Hance Clarke, Tania Di Renna, Joel Katz
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-025-10409-3
🔹 Sex Matters: Investigating the Influence of Presurgery Factors on Pain and Physical Function following Total Joint Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis
Authors: Anthony V Perruccio, Mohit Kapoor, J. Denise Power, Kala Sundararajan, Mayilee Canizares, J. Roderick Davey, Rajiv Gandhi, Khalid Syed, Christian Veillette, Nizar N. Mahomed, Y. Raja Rampersaud
https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.OA.25.00232
🔹 Spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery resulting in postdural puncture headache and intracranial subdural hematoma: a case report
Authors: P. Kyrychenko, W. Pfeifer
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijoa.2025.104739
🔹 Entangled bodies: Reimagining women’s chronic pain experience in the military through a new materialist perspective
Authors: Shelley Katherine O'Brien, Linna Tam-Seto
https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2024-0079
Trainee Opportunity: POR-Mitacs Fellowships
PASSERELLE and Mitacs invite undergraduate, college and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines to participate in this 3rd edition of the Patient-Oriented Research (POR)-Mitacs Fellowship Program.
Award: A fellowship stipends of up to $50,000 maximum that include a matching contribution from the selected partner organization and Mitacs. This also includes a $5,000 supplement from PASSERELLE in the form of reimbursement for participation in relevant capacity building activities (e.g. training, outreach or event, patient or public engagement activities). Fellowship term: The fellowship occurs over a one-year term (June 2026 to May 2027) and will include POR training, networking, mentorship, and an internship. Fellows must be available throughout the year to participate in PASSERELLE's capacity building activities. During this period, fellows will undertake an internship of at least six months with a partner company, non-profit organization, municipality or hospital, to broaden their skills and establish contacts. This internship can take place at any time during the duration of the fellowship, according to a deadline agreed between the educational institution and the chosen partner organization.
Eligibility: Undergraduate, college and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in an eligible Canadian academic institution from all disciplines, interested in POR. Applications: Until February 13, 2026.
Awards Notice: About 12 weeks after the submission deadline.
Reframing Pain: Understanding the Role of Trauma in the Experience of Pain Symposium
Reframing Pain: Understanding the Role of Trauma in the Experience of Pain
UTCSP Symposium in partnership with the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI)
📅 Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
🕓 Time: 4:30 – 6:00 pm
📍 Location: Women’s College Hospital Auditorium
The University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain (UTCSP), in collaboration with the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI), is pleased to host a symposium exploring the intersection of trauma and pain.
This session will feature internationally recognized scholars presenting on the role of trauma in shaping the experience and management of pain:
Dr. Zina Trost - Where They Are: Inside the Development of a Stakeholder-driven, ER-based Virtual Reality Intervention Following Opioid Overdose
Dr. Christopher Eccleston - In defence of denial: interoception and chronic pain
Dr. Mark Lumley - Novel Psychological Treatments for "Chronic" Pain
This event is open to University of Toronto and TAHSN faculty members and pain clinicians. Please REGISTER HERE.
PAIN: Chronic suffering hiding in plain sight - New Article in healthing.ca
Chronic pain is real, even when it’s invisible.
For millions of Canadians, pain isn’t just temporary—it lasts months, years, or a lifetime. From fibromyalgia to chronic back pain, people live with challenges most of us can’t imagine. Every flare, every sleepless night, every limitation takes a toll on the body and mind.
Experts and patients alike are calling for better understanding, care, and validation of chronic pain. Read Karen Hawthorne’s article to hear their stories and learn how healthcare is evolving to support those who need it most.
Cannabis Care for Pharmacists Webinar - October 1st 12-1pm
Upcoming Webinar: Cannabis Care Tools & Strategies
Join us for an interdisciplinary panel discussion on cannabis use and evidence-based strategies for supporting patients who use cannabis.
Facilitator: Maria Zhang, Advanced Practice Clinical Leader (Pharmacy) at CAMH and Adjunct Lecturer at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.
This session builds on research by Drs. Laura Murphy and Beth Sproule, featuring the CFP-funded Cannabis Care Guide for Pharmacists and continuing professional development opportunities to enhance pharmacist confidence and patient care quality.
Organized by: Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy in partnership with Linda Prytula.
Trainee Welcome 2025
🤝 UTCSP Welcome Event
Please join us for our annual Welcome Event, where we bring together the entire pain community: researchers, clinicians, trainees, and partners. It is a chance to connect, celebrate achievements, and hear what is coming next. We hope to see you there.
Date: September 30, 2025
Location: Hart House Music Room (7 Hart House Circle)
Time: 4-6 pm
Please REGISTER HERE!
Pain Talk by Josep Roman Juan
Upcoming Talk: Structural Inequities and the Epidemiology of Pediatric Chronic Pain📅 November 12, 2025 | 5:00–6:00 PM | Location: University of Toronto MS3278 (Medical Sciences Building)
The Centre for the Study of Pain is pleased to host Dr. Josep Roman-Juan (University of Manchester) for a special lecture on how structural inequities shape the epidemiology of pediatric chronic pain—and what clinicians need to know.
Dr. Roman-Juan is the 2024 recipient of the prestigious John J. Bonica Trainee Fellowship from the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). His research adopts an international, intersectional, and transdisciplinary approach to uncover the early roots of chronic pain in childhood. By analyzing large-scale international datasets—including genetic, neuroimaging, interpersonal, cultural, and structural factors—his work seeks to build a comprehensive Bio-Psycho-Social-Structural Model of pediatric chronic pain.
This talk will highlight how innovative methodologies, including machine learning, can deepen our understanding of pain beyond traditional biomedical models—opening new possibilities for prevention and intervention.
Join us to hear how cutting-edge research is reframing pediatric chronic pain through a lens of equity, systems thinking, and clinical relevance.
Hitting the Pause Button on Pain
Can We Prevent Chronic Pain Before It Starts?
Chronic pain often develops after surgery or injury, but researchers are finding new ways to stop it before it takes hold. At the University of Toronto, clinicians are leading international trials testing treatments like lidocaine infusions during surgery and high-dose vitamin C supplements to reduce long-term pain. Other teams are exploring how the immune system’s early response influences recovery, pointing toward novel immunotherapies. Together, these innovations could transform pain care, reducing suffering, lowering reliance on opioids, and improving recovery for patients worldwide.