About the Division of Pain Medicine

The Stanford Division of Pain Medicine merges the tripartite mission of clinical care, education, and research to advance the frontier of pain management and for those dealing with acute or chronic pain problems. The focus of the Stanford Division of Pain Medicine is the treatment of the entire patient to enable them to liver their fullest life, education of the next generation of pain physicians and healthcare leaders, and pursuing cutting edge research. 

Pain is an extremely complex, poorly understood medical problem that can have profound effects on physical and mental wellbeing and the ability to function at work, at home, and in day-to-day social interactions. To offer the most advanced, evidence-based effective treatment options currently available, the Pain Management Center at Stanford Health Care combines the expertise of an interdisciplinary team of specialists trained in the treatment of chronic pain. The team includes anesthesiologists, neurologists, surgeons, psychologists, physical and occupational therapists, and nurse practitioners, all working together in a supportive, compassionate environment to address pain and to design a treatment plan tailored specifically to your needs. Although the majority of patients can be treated on an outpatient basis, our interdisciplinary pain management center offers inpatient treatment if necessary. It is the only center on the West Coast to offer this option to patients who require hospitalization during treatment for chronic pain.

To advance and train the next generation of pain healthcare leaders, Stanford offers a comprehensive fellowship in chronic pain management, pain psychology, and opportunities for training in research. To train the the best health care providers as well as leaders, trainees at Stanford engage in interdisciplinary teams to advance scholarship and are given the resources to inquire into the questions that are affecting patients from a clinical, policy and research point.