Why Choose UC Davis Division of Pain Medicine?
There are numerous reasons why you should choose the UC Davis Division of Pain Medicine to help resolve your ongoing discomfort, but our satisfied patients and clinical team of experts often highlight these distinctions:
Award-winning care
The UC Davis Pain Management Clinic is nationally recognized for its excellence and is staffed by award-winning clinicians who are leaders in their respective fields.
Patient-centered care
We prioritize patient education and empowerment, involving you in every step of your treatment process. You are the most important member of our multidisciplinary team.
Holistic approach
We appreciate that pain is more than just a sensation in your body — it has the potential to affect multiple aspects of your life. Our multimodal approach to care addresses not only your physical pain, but also its impacts on your life.
Our multidisciplinary expertise
At UC Davis, you benefit from a comprehensive, team-based approach that integrates various specialists from the fields of anesthesiology, physiatry, physical therapy, psychology, neurology, spine surgery social work, pharmacy and nursing.. This multidisciplinary strategy ensures a thorough and personalized treatment plan that addresses the full impact of your pain condition.
Cutting-edge research and treatments using advanced technology
As a leading academic health center, UC Davis is at the forefront of pain management research. This means patients have access to the latest, evidence-based treatments and innovations not available at other facilities.
When you choose UC Davis you’ll be under the care of exceptional clinicians applying the most advanced medical science, as well as compassionate support, with a deep sensitivity to your individual needs.
How We Became Who We Are
The UC Davis Pain Management Clinic was started by John Eisel, M.D., who in 1983 succeeded our first chairman, Hamilton Davis, M.D., as head of the UC Davis Department of Anesthesiology. The clinic began operations in a temporary building behind the hospital with capacity to see only a few patients each year.
John Eisel’s vision of developing an integrated, multidisciplinary pain medicine practice took more than 16 years to attain. Under the direction of a sequence of interim directors, the capacity of the pain medicine clinic grew, slowly but deliberately. In 1999, in recognition of the contributions of Hamilton Davis and John Eisel to the field of pain management, the department was renamed the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, before being partitioned into the Division of Anesthesiology and the Division of Pain Medicine. Scott Fishman. M.D., was hired as the first chief of the Pain Medicine Division, which subsequently expanded service to accommodate over 5,500 patient encounters a year. That number increased to 10,000 visits per year toward the end of Fishman’s 20-year tenure, during which the center was recognized with numerous center of excellence awards, as well as national and international recognition of individual faculty members.
In 2019 David Copenhaver, M.D., M.P.H., assumed the role of vice chair and chief, and began guiding the division through the pandemic and an unprecedented expansion of services. The division, which now serves more than 20,000 patients annually, has earned a remarkable track record for patient satisfaction while simultaneously expanding use of cutting-edge therapies. Our principal goals remain reduction of discomfort, improvement of function and restoration of quality of life.
Amid an environment in which robust collaborative research thrives, the Division of Pain Medicine continues to reimagine and redefine the educational content and strategy to train the next generation of pain medicine specialist leaders through the only accredited pain medicine training program in the region.
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National Recognition
The UC Davis Division of Pain Medicine has gained national prominence through prestigious recognition from leading professional health care organizations.
Our Cultural Humility
We embrace cultural humility, which means maintaining respect for the traditions and experiences of people from differing backgrounds in everything we do.