Research Opportunities

Turning tarantula venom into pain relief

Turning tarantula venom into pain relief

At the UC Davis Division of Pain Medicine, our research mission is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of all types of pain. These innovative programs offer new solutions to pain patients, in an effort to minimize human suffering in our patients today, and in the future. Our research includes programs in the following areas:

  1. Meso Blast Study
  2. SKK Clinical Trial
  3. Virtual Reality & Pain Medicine
  4. Stem Cells & Pain Management
  5. Neuromodulation
  6. Improving Cancer Pain Care
  7. Turn Tarantula Venom into Pain Relief

Publications (Peer reviewed)

2021 Publications:

  • Lee DW, Pritzlaff S, Jung MJ, Ghosh P, Hagedorn JM, Tate J, Scarfo K, Strand N, Chakravarthy K, Sayed D, Deer TR, Amirdelfan K. Latest Evidence-Based Application for Radiofrequency Neurotomy (LEARN): Best Practice Guidelines from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN). J Pain Res. 2021 Sep 8;14:2807-2831. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S325665. PMID: 34526815; PMCID: PMC8436449.
  • Sanghvi C, Su T, Yaksh TL, Copenhaver DJ, Klineberg EO, Jung MJ. Severe altered mentation due to cervicothoracic intrathecal pump after correction of cervical stenosis: a case report. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2021 Sep 6:rapm-2021-103041. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2021-103041. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34489354.
  • Singh N, DeMesa C, Pritzlaff S, Jung M, Green C. Implementation of Virtual Multiple Mini-Interviews for Fellowship Recruitment. Pain Med. 2021 Apr 19:pnab141. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnab141. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33871655.
  • Jung MJ, Pritzlaff SG. Peripheral Nerve Stimulation of Complex Upper Extremity Amputation Pain May Be Variable. A A Pract. 2021 Apr 1;15(4):e01441. doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000001441.
  • Jung MJ, Libaw JS, Manuel SP, Kathiriya IS, Srejic U, Gandhi S. Interactive anesthesiology educational program improves wellness for anesthesiologists and their children. J Clin Anesth. 2021 Jun;70:110192. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2021.110192. Epub 2021 Feb 6.

2020 Publications:

  • Servis M, Fishman SM, Wallace MS, Henry SG, Ziedonis D, Ciccarone D, Knight KR, Shoptaw S, Dowling P, Suchard JR, Shah S, Singh N, Cedarquist LC, Alem N, Copenhaver DJ, Westervelt M, Willis BC. Responding to the Opioid Epidemic: Educational Competencies for Pain and Substance Use Disorder from the Medical Schools of the University of California. Pain Med. 2020 Dec 14:pnaa399. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnaa399. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33316051.
  • Fishman SM. Addressing the Public Health Crisis of Excessive Opioid Prescribing and Inadequate Pain Management Through Closing the Pain Education Gap. Pain Med. 2020 Dec 14:pnaa379. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnaa379. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33316037.
  • Fishman SM, Copenhaver D, Lorenzen K, Schlingmann E, Chung C. UC Davis Train-the-Trainer Primary Care Pain Management Fellowship: Addressing the Pain Management Education Gap. Acad Med. 2020 Jun 23. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003554. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32590468.
  • Fishman SM, Copenhaver D, Mongoven JM, Lorenzen K, Schlingmann E, Young HM. Cancer pain treatment and management: an interprofessional learning module for prelicensure health professional students. MedEdPORTAL. 2020;16:10953. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10953
  • Jung MJ, Pritzlaff SG. Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Severe Refractory Upper Extremity Post-Amputation Pain [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 30]. Neuromodulation. 2020;10.1111/ner.13246. doi:10.1111/ner.13246
  • Jung, Michael J. MD, MBA*; Libaw, Justin S. MD*,†; Ma, Kevin MD*; Whitlock, Elizabeth L. MD, MS*; Feiner, John R. MD*; Sinskey, Jina L. MD*,† Pediatric Distraction on Induction of Anesthesia With Virtual Reality and Perioperative Anxiolysis, Anesthesia & Analgesia: June 30, 2020 - Volume Publish Ahead of Print - Issue - doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005004
  • Spas JJ, Buscemi J, Prasad R, Janke EA, Nigg CR. The Society of Behavioral Medicine supports an increase in funding for Medication-Assisted-Treatment (MAT) to address the opioid crisis. Transl Behav Med. 2020;10(2):486-488. doi:10.1093/tbm/ibz004

2019 Publications:

  • Jacobsen, PB, Prasad R, Villani J, Lee, CM, Rochlin, D, Scheuter, C, Kaplan, RM, Freedland, KE, Manber, R, Kanaan, J, Wilson, DK. The role of economic analyses in promoting adoption of behavioral and psychosocial interventions in clinical settings. Health Psychology. 2019 August; 38(8): 680-688 https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000774
  • Wandner LD, Prasad R, Ramezani A, Malcore SA, Kerns RD. Core competencies for the emerging specialty of pain psychology. Am Psychol. 2019;74(4):432-444. doi:10.1037/amp0000330
  • Jacobsen, PB, Prasad R, Villani J, Lee, CM, Rochlin, D, Scheuter, C, Kaplan, RM, Freedland, KE, Manber, R, Kanaan, J, Wilson, DK. The role of economic analyses in promoting adoption of behavioral and psychosocial interventions in clinical settings. Health Psychology. 2019 August; 38(8): 680-688. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000774

2018 Publications:

  • Koebner IJ, Fishman SM, Paterniti D, Sommer D, Ward D, Joseph JG. Curating Care: The Design and Feasibility of a Partnership Between an Art Museum and an Academic Pain Center. Curator: The Museum Journal. 2018: 61:3, 415-429
  • Gelfand A, Johnson H, Lenaerts M, De Mesa C, Bogduk N, Goadsby P. Neck-Tongue Syndrome: A Systemic Review. Cephalalgia, 38(2): 374-382
  • Manoukian MAC, Migdal CW, Tembhekar AR, Harris JA, and De Mesa C. Topical Administration of Ibuprofen for Injured Athletes: Considerations, Formulations, and Comparison to Oral Delivery. Sports Medicine - Open, 3(1): 1-9
  • Singh N, Nielsen AA, Copenhaver DJ, Sheth SJ, Li CS, Fishman SM. Advancing Simulation-Based Education in Pain Medicine.  Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1;19(9):1725-1736
  • Tentindo GS, Fishman SM, Li CS, Wang Q, Brass SD. The prevalence and awareness of sleep apnea in patients suffering chronic pain: an assessment using the STOP-Bang sleep apnea questionnaire.  Nat Sci Sleep. 2018 1;10:217-224.
  • Koebner IJ, Fishman SM, Paterniti D, Sommer D, Witt CM, Ward D, Joseph JG. The Art of Analgesia: A Pilot Study of Art Museum Tours to Decrease Pain and Social Disconnection Among Individuals with Chronic Pain. Pain Medicine. 2019: 20(4):681-691 
  • Fishman SM, Carr DB, Hogans B, Cheatle M, Gallagher RM, Katzman J, Mackey S, Polomano R, Popescu A, Rathmell JP, Rosenquist RW, Tauben D, Beckett L, Li Y, Mongoven JM, Young HM. Scope and Nature of Pain- and Analgesia-Related Content of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Pain Medicine, Oxford University Press. 2018. 19(3), 449-459

2017 Publications:

  • Copenhaver DJ, Karvelas NB, Fishman SM. Risk Management for Opioid Prescribing in the Treatment of Patients With Pain From Cancer or Terminal Illness: Inadvertent Oversight or Taboo?  Anesth Analg. 2017 Nov;125(5):1610-1615
  • Jones, J., Singh, N., Nidecker, A., Li, C., and Fishman, S. Predicting the Distance from the Skin to the Epidural Space for Cervical and Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injections using Magnetic Resonance. Anesth Analg. 2017 May;124(5):1678-1685

2016 Publications:

  • Fishman SM and Young H. Driving Needed Change in Pain Education. Pain Medicine 2016; 0: 1–3
  • Solberg J, Copenhaver D, and Fishman SM. Medial branch nerve block and ablation as a novel approach to pain related to vertebral compression fracture. Curr Opin Anesthesiol 2016, 29:596–599
  • Singh, N., DeMesa, C. Unusual Hypersensitivity Reaction to Iohexol during Epidural Steroid Injection Resulting in Lipoma Development-A Case Report. PM R. 2016 Jun 9. pii: S1934-1482(16)30179-4
  • Rejaei, D., Singh, N., Sheth, S., Koebner, I., and Fishman, S. A Novel Approach to the Treatment of Sacroiliac Joint Complex Pain: Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation Applied in a Palisade Pattern. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2016 May Jun;41(3):416-7