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BIDDEFORD, Maine

University of New England receives grant from Maine Cancer Foundation to improve treatment of cancer-related pain

The University of New England has received a $22,540 grant from the Maine Cancer Foundation (MCF) to improve the treatment of cancer-related pain.

The primary investigators of the grant are: Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., associate provost for research and scholarship, professor of pharmacology, and director of the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN); Nananda Col, M.D., MPP, MPH, FACP, research professor of Medicine in the College of Osteopathic Medicine and CEN; and Shelley Cohen Konrad, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Social Work.

Additional contributors to the grant investigation are Lindsay St. Louis, a senior neuroscience major; and Mike D'Apice, a communications major and 2012 UNE graduate.

The award to UNE was the second largest made by MCF in its awards to 2013 spring Education and Patient Support grantees.

Bilsky says, "Pain is the primary reason people seek medical attention, accounting for over 20 percent of all doctor visits. Chronic pain affects 116 million individuals in the U.S., at a cost of $635 billion per year. Despite the existence of guidelines for cancer pain management, moderate to severe pain remains a major health care problem for patients with cancer."

Bilsky adds that "under treatment of cancer-related pain affects nearly half of all cancer patients. The impact that chemotherapy, radiation and analgesics have on the peripheral and central nervous systems renders sufferers of cancer-related pain a unique population to treat. Furthermore, misconceptions about the experience of pain and its effects have significant social and emotional ramifications for patients and their families."

UNE will use the grant funding to develop interprofessional case studies, standardized patient simulations, and patient narratives that will focus on improving patient-provider communication and cancer pain management while raising patient and community awareness of the problem. The resultant curricula will be used in the education of the university's own medical and health professions students and will also be made available to other colleges and universities world-wide. Additionally, the curricula will be adapted for use in continued medical education events and courses that are delivered online and at professional conferences.

UNE will also develop a series of presentations and workshops on the topic of cancer-related pain at a summer 2014 Interprofessional Health Conference, which the university will host. Conference themes will emphasize collaborative approaches to managing chronic pain, and a full day of the conference will be devoted specifically to cancer-related pain.

UNE Funding from MCF will also be used to produce educational resources for patients, families and community members to assist them in coping with and managing cancer-related pain.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.