Pain is the principal reason why people seek medical attention. It is estimated that more than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and that each year another 25 million Americans experience acute pain as a result of injury or surgery. There has been a focus on pain research at The University of Iowa for well over two decades. Events set in motion several years ago led to formation of The University of Iowa Pain Research Program, which includes faculty members from several collegiate departments (Anesthesia, Medicine, Neurosurgery, Pharmacology and Physical Therapy) and the division of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy. Research focuses on mechanisms by which peripheral insults (e.g., nerve injury, skin incision, cardiac ischemia, and inflammation) bring about persistent changes in the pharmacology and physiology of afferent pain transmission and modulatory pathways. Significantly, members of the Pain Research Program include both basic and clinical scientists and their trainees. The Pain Research Program is structured. Faculty organize and teach a graduate course in “Mechanisms in Pain Transmission” and also meet weekly to discuss the literature (71:235 – Topics in Pain and Analgesia). In addition, the group and their trainees meet biweekly to discuss research work-in-progress: a highly interactive, supportive forum that has lead to multiple collaborative research efforts and is an invaluable educational opportunity for trainees. The laboratories are well funded and the individuals in the Pain Research Program are experienced trainers.

• Pain Perception Research and Training Program Mentors