UTCSP Research Update December 15, 2025
Authors: James JH Im, Will Kingston
https://lnkd.in/efeEwD_K
🔹 Internet-delivered Cognitive-behavioral Intervention for Pain in Pediatric Acute Recurrent and Chronic Pancreatitis: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Tanja Gonska
https://lnkd.in/enbUr3Qk
🔹 Association Between Smoking and Opioid Requirement and Pain Intensity in the Early Postoperative Period: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Connor Brenna
https://lnkd.in/ej8XrmFn
🔹 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
https://lnkd.in/eRfYqtzd
🔹 The analgesic effects of novel fascial plane blocks compared with intrathecal morphine after Caesarean delivery
Authors: Faraj Abdallah
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
UTCSP Research Update, Dec 9, 2025
🔹 The use of tramadol for cancer-associated pain — a systematic review
Author: Ronald Chow
https://lnkd.in/ewEK3-3T
🔹 Empowering Pediatric Care with Virtual Reality to Alleviate Pain and Anxiety
Authors: Erin Temple, Charlene Chu
https://lnkd.in/eC_VQNZE
🔹 Cesarean Scar Niche and Pelvic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Meghan McGrattan, John Matelski, Chris Walsh, Ally Murji
https://lnkd.in/ebD6_-5v
🔹 Optimizing pain management in pediatric tonsillectomy: the role of NSAIDs
Authors: Sierra Cheng, Marina Englesakis, Darshan S., Naoko Niimi, Jason Hayes, Jason T. Maynes, Kazuyoshi Aoyama
https://lnkd.in/e-BVA4FE
🔹 A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Early Postoperative Pain Outcomes After Tonsillectomy in Children
Authors: Lara Navarro, Julia Mallen, Sophie O’Halloran, Clyde Matava, Sharon Cushing, Nikolaus L. Wolter, Conor McDonnell, Maisie Tsang
https://lnkd.in/e65mQpHa
🔹 The construct validity and responsiveness of measures of the predictability of intermittent knee pain in knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Gillian Hawker, Ian Stanaitis, Lauren King, Aileen Davis
https://lnkd.in/eE7PK5XH
UTCSP Research Update, Dec 3, 2025
Authors: Diego A. Ortega Moreno, Ibrahim Almulhim, Rodrigo Fellipe Rodrigues, Jerry C. Ku, Nicole Cancelliere, Thomas R. Marotta, Julian Spears, Adam A. Dmytriw, Vitor Mendes Pereira
https://lnkd.in/dnazMUCT
🔹 Consensus definitions of complex-to-manage and treatment-refractory psoriatic arthritis: a GRAPPA initiative
Authors: Vinod Chandran, Lihi Eder
https://lnkd.in/dPUryWPk
🔹 Consensus practice guidelines on sacroiliac joint complex pain from a multispecialty, international working group
Author: Anuj Bhatia
https://lnkd.in/dSsxHW_i
🔹 Nucleoplasty for cervical radicular pain due to disc herniation
Author: Michael Fehlings
https://lnkd.in/dzmB6K_J
Registration Open for the North American Pain School (NAPS)
The North American Pain School, or NAPS, brings together leading experts in the fields of pain research and management to provide a unique educational and networking experience for the next generation of basic science and clinical pain researchers.
Through numerous scientific presentations, workshops and networking activities, NAPS offers opportunities for scientific education, professional development, and connections with peers in a setting far removed from the lab and steeped in the character and culture of Quebec.
NAPS is open to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and clinician-scientists, enrolled on a full time basis in a pain research training program.
- Date of event: Sunday June 28-Friday July 3, 2026
- Location : Montebello, Canada
- Application start date: November 28, 2025
- Application deadline: January 31, 2026
- APPLY HERE : https://northamericanpainschool.com/registration/
University Health Network provides new therapy to treat chronic pain
University Health Network provides new therapy to treat chronic pain
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.