Oxford University Press recently published “Pain Management in Vulnerable Populations.” The volume is the first to cover the concept of vulnerability in pain medicine as it applies to specific populations of patients, challenging medical conditions, and specific medical and social environments. The book contains 34 unique chapters that individually address numerous illnesses and vulnerable medical populations. I edited the book in collaboration with Paul J. Christo, Rollin M. Gallagher, and Kayode A. Williams.

SOPHE AWARD!

The society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) recently gathered in St. Louis to recognize significant advancements in the profession of health education and health promotion and outstanding contributions of veterans and rising stars to improving the public’s health.

My ECHO work on health concerns related to climate change was recognized at the ceremony with the Clarence E. Pearson Program Excellence Award.

I am currently involved in a number of efforts to educate the public and the medical community on the way climate change and other global threats—including nuclear weapons—are shaping our environment and impacting our health. For a brief history of how I became interested in global change, you might find this Project ECHO video useful. I also appeared on PBS’s Our Land in an interview about Climate Care for the Public.

I am a part of the National Academy of Medicine’s Committee’s efforts to produce materials that will address how climate change is shaping our health and how medical professionals can intervene. In that same vein, I am particularly proud of ECHO’s efforts to serve health professionals in difficult-to-reach areas, especially rural areas, through distance learning.

This spring, I am serving as the medical director of ECHO’s continuing education project: Nuclear and Environmental Justice Health Threats Education. That program will be running in bi-weekly sessions from the beginning of March until mid-May and offers continuing education credits to a variety of health professionals.

The Violence Prevention ECHO is an 8-week, one-hour per week virtual program for all health professionals, first responders, public health professionals, legal personnel, and educators. The curriculum is designed to create a community of practice among health providers, increasing knowledge and self-efficacy regarding the selected aspects of violence across the lifespan (domestic violence/interpersonal violence/suicide/social determinants of health/environmental justice) related to gun safety. This program will provide important communication skills and calls for action.

Recently, NPR’s affiliate KUNM ran a segment on the program: you can learn more about the Violence Preventon ECHO here.

I’ve been interested in the way opioids are shaping our approach to pain for some time now. In a video produced by the New Mexico Department of Health, I speak about my approach to pain management and opioid disorders.

Pain is ubiquitous to human experience. When pain becomes chronically persistent after acute injuries are repaired or as diseases progress, health systems are challenged to reduce pain's negative impact on an individual patient's life trajectory and chronic pain's collective impact on public health.