Information distributed by the NPF is peer-reviewed by NPF Board members, Council of Advisors and other qualified professionals. This helps ensure that the information you find in NationalPainFoundation.org is up-to-date and accurate. Here's how the NPF peer-review process works: A Content Editor, who is a physician, nurse, therapist or other health care specialist, submits information to the Managing Editor, who is a veteran medical writer. The edited information is then sent to Peer Reviewers—other health care professionals who are specialists in their respective fields. After they critique the information, it is sent to the Chief Editor, a Pain Medicine physician. After his review, the information is ready to appear in the National Pain Foundation web site.

The NPF gratefully acknowledges the outstanding contributions of the following National Pain Foundation web site Content Editors, Peer Reviewers and web site Editors.

Content Editors:

Arthritis and Complementary Medicine: Michael W. Loes, M.D., Director of the Arizona Pain Institute, is the author and co-author of numerous books on arthritis and complementary treatment approaches.

Back, Neck and Spinal Pain: Elliot Krames, M.D., is medical director of the Pacific Pain Treatment Centers, San Francisco, Calif., an organization of pain clinics dedicated to interdisciplinary pain medicine.  

Cancer Pain and Palliative Care: Hui-Ming Chang, M.D., M.P.H., is Associate Vice President for International Programs and Special Advisor to the President, University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston. Peter Staats, M.D., Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is director of the Anesthesia Pain Medicine Clinic and editor-in-chief of the Pain Medicine Network.

Children and Pain: Brenda C. McClain, M.D., DABPM, is associate professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics for Yale University and director of Pediatric Pain Management Services at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital. She is certified in pain management by the American Board of Anesthesiology and is a diplomate of the American Board of Pain Medicine. Dr. McClain is an international speaker and has served on the editorial boards of pain-focused journals such as Pain Digest. Currently, she serves on the Examination Council of the American Board of Pain Medicine and is a member of the Pediatric Pain Pre-Conference Program Committee for the American Pain Society. She has authored more than30 scientific publications.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS): Richard Stieg, M.D., M.H.S., Director of Pinnacol Assurance (formerly Colorado Compensation Insurance Authority) and Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, served as the Medical Director at Boulder (Colo.) Memorial Hospital Pain Control Center and as Executive Medical Director for the Pain Rehabilitation Program Center for Spine Rehabilitation in Colorado.

Fibromyalgia: Jeffrey M. Thompson, M.D., has been an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation for Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Minn., since 1997. Dr. Thompson also is the medical director for outpatient services, department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic and medical director of the fibromyalgia treatment program at the Mayo Clinic. He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Headache: Albert Ray, M.D., Medical Director of the Miami Pain Medicine Center and an associate professor of Psychiatry at the University of Miami Medical School, is President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Psychological Factors: Mark Disorbio, Ph.D., president of Integrated Therapies, Denver, Colo., is author of the Battery for Health Improvement (BHI), an internationally recognized test that evaluates psychological factors related to injured patients and chronic pain conditions.

Neuropathic Pain: Randall Brewer, MD, graduated from LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport, completed training in neurology at Emory University, anesthesiology at Duke University, and pain management at the Mayo Clinic. He is board certified in these three specialties. Dr. Brewer's areas of clinical expertise include the diagnosis and non-operative treatment of disorders of the spine, neuropathic pain, cancer-related pain, and chronic spasticity management. Dr. Brewer became a clinical researcher in the field of pain management while at Duke University and has published clinical studies in national journals such as Pain, Neurology, Mayo Clinic Proceedings and Critical Care Medicine. His areas of clinical research interest include low back pain, neck pain, neuropathic pain, and acute radiculopathy.

Peer Reviewers

Arthritis: John Porter, M.D., Director of Phoenix Rehabilitation, Phoenix Ariz. William Wong, N.D., Ph.D., Holistic Knowledge Educators, L.L.S., Scottsdale, Ariz.

Back, Neck and Spinal Pain:

Cancer Pain and Palliative Care: Eduardo Bruera, M.D., Professor of Medicine
S.T. McGraw Chair in the Treatment of Cancer, Chief Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Suresh Reddy, M.D., Assistant Professor, Director of the Pain Fellowship Program, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Ki Y. Shin, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine (Psysiatry), Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Symptom Control and Palliative Care, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Ahmed F. Elsayem, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Debra Sivesind, M.S.N., R.N., C.S., Advance Practice Nurse, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Debbie Stroughter, Administrative Assistant, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Children and Pain: Deirdre Logan, Ph.D., is the psychologist with the Pediatric Pain Management Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Joseph D. Tobias, M.D., is vice-chairman, Department of Anesthesiology; chief of the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care; the Russell and Mary Shelden Chair of Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine; and professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Haleh Saadat, M.D., is an assistant professor in the department of pediatric anesthesia at Yale University. Victoria Gocha Marchese, P.T., Ph.D., is a pediatric physical therapist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Complementary Medicine: John Porter, M.D., Director of Phoenix Rehabilitation, Phoenix Ariz. William Wong, N.D., Ph.D., Holistic Knowledge Educators, L.L.S., Scottsdale, Ariz.

CRPS: Norm Harden, M.D., The Chicago Institute of Rehabilitation, Chicago, Ill. Peter R. Wilson, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., F.A.N.Z.C.A., Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Fibromyalgia: Stephanie M. Drach, R.N., is a staff nurse and preceptor for the fibromyalgia treatment program, part of the Mayo Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Center and Pain Clinic at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn. Connie A. Luedtke, R.N., M.A., is the nurse manager of the Mayo Medical Center's in-patient pain service, nurse manager of the Mayo Pain Clinic, and the nurse manager of the Mayo Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Center and Fibromyalgia Treatment Program in Rochester, Minn. John Postier, P.T., is a registered physical therapist and has been with the Mayo Clinic since 1990.

Headache: Joel R. Saper, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.A.N., is Founder and Director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute (MHNI) and Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at Michigan State University. He has written seven books and more than 200 medical articles and textbook chapters. In February 2001, Dr. Saper was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Orofacial Pain: Joseph R Cohen, DDS, is Adjunct Assistant Professor, UCLA Dental School, and Director, Southwest Pain Management Associates. He is a Diplomate, American Board of Orofacial Pain and Past President, American Academy of Orofacial Pain. James Colt, DDS, practices dentistry in Colorado Springs, Colo. He specializes in temporomadibular joint disorders.

Psychological Factors: Daniel Bruns, Psy.D., Psychological Director, Ramazzini Center, Greeley, Colo.; Dan Doleys, Ph.D., Director, Pain and Rehabilitation Institute, Brookwood Medical Center, Birmingham, Ala.; and David Tollison, Ph.D., Director of Psychological Services, Carolina Center for Pain, S.C.

General Professional Assistance

Margo McCaffery, R.N., M.S., F.A.A.N., internationally recognized specialist in the nursing care of patients with pain, author of Pain: Clinical Manual, ed.2, Mosby, 1999.