Training Tomorrow’s Doctors and Researchers to Reduce Untreated Pain

Despite being the most common reason we go to the doctor, pain is often seen as a symptom or a secondary concern in medicine. When that pain doesn’t go away and becomes chronic pain, doctors and nurses are often challenged to figure out how to provide relief. In fact, many veterinarians receive more hours learning how to manage pain than doctors and nurses. To help improve how doctors treat pain and to support the researchers working on the next generation of pain treatments, a group of experts from across Canada and the United States came together to launch the North American Pain School (NAPS). Their vision is to bring together early career professionals to a boot camp focused on science and the development of professional “soft” skills to advance the field—and ultimately improve the treatment of pain globally.

To help make this vision a reality, Burness worked with the leadership of NAPS to develop a new brand and a brochure that could be used to secure the funding to make this project a reality. Having now raised enough to launch the program, the NAPS Board is using this to market the program to potential students.