Overview
To reduce treatment-related acute and chronic cancer pain, an interdisciplinary group of University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) faculty members formed a Center for Pain Studies in 2008. The Center conducts interdisciplinary basic, translational, and clinical pain studies through the use of shared resources within individual schools and departments on the UMB campus.
Pain associated with cancer treatment can be particularly debilitating, sometimes lasting long after treatment ends. This presents a problem of staggering proportions. There are nearly 11 million people in the U.S. with a history of cancer, and in 2008, more than 1.5 million new cases will be diagnosed. While cancer mortality rates are declining, survival increases the incidence of disease and treatment complications—including pain—that can severely decrease a patient’s quality of life and their ability to perform activities of daily living.
Center Executive Committee
- Susan G. Dorsey Director
- D. McGuire Administrative Core Associate Director
- Joel D. Greenspan Behavioral Core Director
- Richard Traub Biobehavioral Core Leader
- Christopher Ward Biobehavioral Core Leader
- Nicholas P. Ambulos Genetics Core Director
- Deborah Sherman Executive Committee Member
- Barbara Smith Executive Committee Member
- Ann Thomasson Executive Committee Member
