Alexander Chamessian, MD, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine, has been named a 2025 recipient of the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain.
Chamessian named Rita Allen Foundation Scholar (Links to an external site)

Alexander Chamessian, MD, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine, has been named a 2025 recipient of the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a five-year, $11.7 million grant to study human genes and nerve cells to better understand how cells transmit pain and to identify new ways to treat it.
Eleven faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis — the most in a decade-and-a-half — are among 416 new fellows selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. Samuel Achilefu; Victoria J. Fraser, MD; Robert W. Gereau; Kathleen B. Hall; Joseph Jez; Mark E. Lowe, […]
Leaders from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) visited the Washington University Medical Campus Sept. 20 to hear about strategies to address the opioid crisis, which has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people in the United States since 1999. Eric D. Hargan, HHS deputy, led a roundtable discussion, accompanied by […]
Washington University pain expert among researchers to author new recommendations.
As many as one in three Americans suffer from low back pain. Its economic impact is greater than that of heart disease and cancer combined. Doctors who treat patients suffering from back pain are exploring new approaches that help some patients avoid opioid drugs. The highly addictive prescription painkillers are fueling an epidemic of abuse […]
Pharmacotherapy and polypharmacy pose special risks for elderly patients, and the use of interventional strategies is increasingly recognized as important for this population. Dr. Bottros reviews some options to consider. See more from Dr. Bottros here!
As a person ages, increasing joint pain in the knees and hips is not uncommon, and for many, relief can be found through joint replacement surgery. But there are those who either face health concerns that prohibit surgery altogether or who have found their surgery did not eliminate their pain. In these cases, a new […]
Congratulations to Dr. Jose Moron-Concepcion, who has received a NARSAD Grant! The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the top non-governmental funder of mental health research grants, today announced its 2017 Independent Investigator grants, which award $3.9 million in funding to 40 mid-career scientists from 36 institutions in 10 countries for basic research, new technologies, […]
How is chronic pain assessed and Managed? How and when is it diagnosed? What are the long-term affects? Jacob AuBuchon, MD, Washington University pediatric anesthesiology and director of the Pain Management Clinical at St. Louis Children’s Hospital will answer these questions and more. Click here to listen to Dr. AuBuchon