Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, to deliver FAER-Helrich Lecture: From Pain's Enigma to Clinical Transformation
His role in the discovery of CNS mechanisms of human pain and development of objective pain biomarkers.
SPE25.FAER-Helrich Research Lecture: From Pain’s Enigma to Clinical Transformation: Unraveling Mechanisms, Forging Biomarkers, and Empowering Clinicians and Patients
9:45-10:45 a.m. | Saturday, October 19
Room 123
The numbers are staggering: More than 50 million Americans experience chronic pain, and around 20 million suffer from high-impact pain that restricts activities of daily living. The cost on the health care system is equally staggering – an estimated half a trillion dollars per year.
In tomorrow’s 24th Annual "FAER-Helrich Research Lecture: From Pain's Enigma to Clinical Transformation: Unraveling Mechanisms, Forging Biomarkers, and Empowering Clinicians and Patients,” Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, will describe his role in the discovery of CNS mechanisms of human pain and development of objective pain biomarkers.
Dr. Mackey has contributed immensely to the field of pain medicine as a researcher, mentor, and pioneer in clinically useful advancements in pain treatment. He was instrumental in the use of fMRI to explore the spinal cord and brain circuitry responsible for studying the uniquely subjective experience of pain. Dr. Mackey developed an open-source learning health system called CHOIR, which has been put to use by institutions in the United States and Canada. CHOIR has helped to optimize the care of hundreds of thousands of chronic pain patients through a more robust data-driven approach. Currently, Dr. Mackey is integrating his biomarker work into CHOIR, combining it with artificial intelligence predictive analytics to advance precision pain medicine.
Sean Mackey serves as the Redlich Professor, Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine, and Vice Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University. His research career was ignited through his association with the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER). Dr. Mackey’s first grant was a FAER Mentored Research Training Grant, and since then he has maintained an unbroken commitment to research and training the next generation of anesthesiologist-scientists. He directs an NIH T32 postdoctoral training program focused on pain and has held an NIH K24 award for 14 years.
Numerous organizations have recognized Dr. Mackey for his contributions to pain research. Notably, under his leadership, the Stanford Pain Management Center has been designated a Center of Excellence two times by the American Pain Society. He is a past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) and has served on a number of National Academy of Medicine committees and workshops. His awards include the American Pain Society Wilbert E. Fordyce Clinical Investigator Award, the AAPM Founders Award, the AAPM Distinguished Service Award, and the NIH Director's Award for his efforts in developing the U.S. National Pain Strategy.
Dr. Mackey’s FAER-Helrich Lecture is certainly going to be a highlight of ANESTHESIOLOGY 2024, but it’s just one of several engaging sessions the foundation is bringing you this year. Check out all the events FAER has planned for 2024.
