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BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE’s Ed Bilsky Combats Chronic Pain by Helping Organize Public Neuroscience Symposium in Washington, D.C.

For 100 million Americans suffering from chronic pain, every day involves a struggle. To address this issue, Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and vice president for Research and Scholarship at the University of New England (UNE), will present his research on chronic pain’s long-term impact and the benefits and risks of current treatment options. The talk will be part of a symposium entitled, “Tangled Up in Blue: The Complexity of Chronic Pain” on March 18, 2015 in Washington, D.C.

As founding director for the UNE Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, Bilsky oversees research in the areas of pain, addiction and other neurological disorders. Using his extensive research as a guide, Bilsky works with community organizations and patient advocacy groups to increase public awareness of the symptoms and impact of acute and chronic pain.

Chronic pain constitutes a serious health, social and economic challenge worldwide, resulting in more than 500 billion dollars in direct and indirect medical costs annually. “Tangled Up in Blue” will serve as a forum to discuss recent findings from the fields of neuroscience and medicine that can help guide decisions concerning pain management, policymaking, treatments and better approaches to educating health professionals.

“Dr. Bilsky and his colleagues at UNE continue to do terrific work to advance our understanding of chronic pain,” said Maine Senator Angus King. “The success story of the University’s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences and its NIH COBRE grant for the study of pain and sensory function is also a story of collaboration, and through his collective efforts with the Dana Foundation, Dr. Bilsky is furthering that cooperation at the national level. Maine is very proud of what he and UNE are doing.”

Bilsky will be joined by Cindy Steinberg, national director of Policy & Advocacy for the U.S. Pain Foundation; David Borsook, M.D., Ph.D., professor of anesthesia for the P.A.I.N. Research Group; and David Thomas, Ph.D., deputy division director in the Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“Speaking to people suffering from chronic pain has reinforced the value of the work UNE scientists are performing to better understand its basic biology,” Bilsky commented. “UNE’s unique interprofessional education platform is having an immediate positive impact in the field, while helping future healthcare professionals to prevent and treat chronic pain for the future.”   

This public symposium is part of a larger series on “Neuroscience and Society” sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and The Dana Foundation, and will be held at AAAS headquarters. 

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.