Ru-Rong Ji, PhD, is the chief of pain research within Duke Anesthesiology, director of the Center for Translational Pain Medicine, and a professor of anesthesiology and neurobiology. As director of the Sensory Plasticity and Pain Research Laboratory at Duke, his research focuses on molecular and cellular mechanisms of chronic pain, such as inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain, and cancer pain. He is internationally-recognized for his contributions to demonstrating critical roles of MAP kinase signaling pathways and glial cells in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. His recent work has demonstrated powerful antinociceptive actions of pro-resolution lipid mediators (e.g., resolvins). Ji lectures internationally and reviews papers for numerous international journals. He also serves on National Institutes of Health review panels and the editorial boards of Pain, Neuroscience, and Neuroscience Bulletin. He previously was an associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, before joining the Duke faculty in 2012. He earned a PhD in neurobiology at Shanghai Institute of Physiology and completed postdoctoral training at Peking (Beijing) University Medical School, Karolinska Institute, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
About the William Maixner Professorship
The William Maixner Professorship was established at the Duke University School of Medicine in February of 2022. This highly-coveted, permanently named memorial preserves the legacy of the late William “Bill” Maixner, DDS, PhD, the Joannes H. Karis, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology - a world-renowned pioneer in pain research and one of the department’s most distinguished faculty. Dr. Maixner dedicated his life-long career to unraveling the mysteries of chronic pain and was committed to translating basic discoveries into novel diagnostics and treatments to positively impact research, education and patient care. This professorship honors his exceptional achievements, fuels scientific discovery, and invests in teaching and mentoring the next generation of leaders.
About the Distinguished Professorship
Duke University established this professorship in 2005 to support a faculty member in the Department of Anesthesiology.