Pain expert Scott Fishman joins NIH committee at invitation of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra

Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee tasked with enhancing research into pain treatment efforts

(SACRAMENTO)

A top expert in pain medicine at UC Davis Health has been appointed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC).

Scott Fishman, the Charles & Patricia Fullerton Endowed Chair in Pain Medicine, was selected by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to serve on the federal advisory committee.

A middle-aged man in glasses and wearing a white physician coat stands with his arms crossed in front of some medical equipment.

Pain expert Scott Fishman joins the NIH Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee.

The IPRCC was created by the HHS to enhance pain research efforts and promote collaboration across the government. One of its key goals is to advance the fundamental understanding of pain and improve pain-related treatment strategies.

“As an international expert in safe pain management, education and research, we’re delighted that Dr. Fishman will lend his expertise to this prestigious NIH committee,” said Susan Murin, interim dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. “We hope the committee’s work will further research and treatments that improve the lives of millions of Americans suffering from chronic pain.”

According to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 20% of adults in the U.S. experience chronic pain, and nearly 7% experience high-impact chronic pain which limits their daily activities.

Fishman is an internationally recognized expert in pain management and the inaugural holder of the Jacquelyn S. Anderson Endowed Chair in Wellness at UC Davis. He advocates for the safe and effective use of pain treatments and has led national and international efforts to transform pain education.

Fishman is a professor of anesthesiology, executive vice chair for the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, director of the UC Davis Center for Advancing Pain Relief, and executive director of the Office of Wellness Education.