The Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM) is transforming the way we study, diagnose, and treat painful conditions. The CTPM brings together, under one umbrella, a diverse team of basic science and clinical researchers with complementary expertise in pain neurobiology, molecular genetics, neuroimaging, epidemiology, and bioinformatics to make exciting new discoveries in the areas of pain mechanisms and management. The CTPM extends into Duke Anesthesiology’s clinical innovative pain therapy program to achieve a common core mission of improving patient care.

Incorporating basic science, clinical research and pain management with three primary goals:

Dr. Ji in lab

Research

Understanding the pathophysiological processes that mediate persistent pain conditions and translating new discoveries into clinical practice.
University Medical students Learning About The Brain

Education

Creating high-quality educational programming for clinical and research professionals and the public.
Woman receiving facial massage

Patient Care

Providing high-quality comprehensive, primary and specialized care to individuals with a variety of acute and chronic pain conditions, including orofacial pain.

Updates & Announcements

Duke Anesthesiology Awarded Program Project Grant

Two CTPM Faculty Awarded a 2020 DREAM Innovation Grant

Pain Journal Club
First Friday of the month
12 – 1 PM | GSRBIII 6130

Stay up-to-date on the latest pain-related news, research & events:
USASP | IASP | NIH Pain Consortium | Pain Research Forum

Tradition • Innovation • Translation

CTPM News

Satya Achanta, DVM, PhD, and Sven-Eric Jordt, PhD

Faculty Awarded NIH Grant to Improve Lung Health

Congratulations to Satya Achanta, DVM, PhD, and Sven-Eric Jordt, PhD, on receiving a $1,430,370 R01 grant for their project to advance the fundamental understanding of pulmonary cell fate in inhalation injuries from chemical warfare.
Christopher Donnelly, PhD, and Shad Smith, PhD

Faculty Awarded NIH Grant to Study Pain Signaling Mechanisms

Congratulations to Drs. Christopher Donnelly and Shad Smith on receiving a $2,132,329 grant to discover new insights into the divergent pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic pain and its associated comorbidities in males and females.
Shad Smith, PhD

Dr. Smith Awarded NIH Grant to Study TMD Therapies

Congratulations to Shad Smith, PhD, on receiving a $402,487 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his project that uses single-cell omics approaches to develop new therapies for chronic pain disorders, such as temporomandibular disorders.
Christopher Donnelly, DDS, PhD

Dr. Donnelly Awarded NIH Grant for Cancer Pain Research

Congratulations to Christopher Donnelly, DDS, PhD, on receiving a $3,311,196 R01 grant for his project that aims to refine the use of STING pathway agonists as a therapeutic treatment for cancer pain through neuro-immune signaling.
Dr. Ru-Rong Ji

Dr. Ji Awarded $1 Million DoD Grant

Congratulations to Ru-Rong Ji, PhD, on receiving a four-year, $1,608,140 Department of Defense grant for his research aimed at developing a novel therapeutic for treating acute and chronic pain.