Communicating Science and Improving Care of Pain: Responding to the Cry for Help
March 2018 - David Lam, MD, DDS, PhD, FRCDC, surgeon-scientist, was selected as a Fellow of the prestigious Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship: Communicating Science & Improving Care. Dr. Lam currently serves as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery within Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine and Professor of the Department of Surgery, Chief of the Division of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinician-Scientist at Stony Brook Cancer Center within Stony Brook Medicine.
Selected by a multi-disciplinary Advisory Committee comprised of leaders working on pain related issues in the U.S. and Canada, Dr. Lam was chosen for the Fellowship from among more than 55 candidates from across the United States and Canada.
“It is an honor and privilege to work with world-class experts as a 2018-19 Mayday Fellow, and I am humbled to be part of the larger family of 60 esteemed previous fellows," said Dr. Lam. "I look forward to further advancing the field of pain management and ensuring better care for patients with evidence-based information, as well as promising innovative pain research.”
Dr. Lam exemplifies the MAYDAY Fund’s commitment to social and medical causes, particularly the improvement of pain care. He specializes in the comprehensive surgical management of patients with cancer, pathology, pain and trigeminal nerve injury. Dr. Lam’s research and clinical programs are closely integrated, and his research addresses the challenges he faces in the clinical management of patients with cancer pain. As the director and principal investigator of the LITElab (Lam Innovation Translation Education) within Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine, he leads a team of clinicians and scientists dedicated to solving challenging clinical problems using innovative research and knowledge translation techniques.
“The need for the expert voices of pain researchers and clinicians to improve pain care in the U.S. and Canada is greater than ever,” said Christina Spellman, the MAYDAY Fund’s executive director. “The Mayday Fellowship will help this year’s Fellows develop the skills to bring their knowledge of the latest in pain research and evidence-based care to the public, healthcare practitioners and policymakers. Their messages will help shape conversations about access to care, pain research, emerging pain treatments, clinical practice improvements, disparities in care, and the progress that is being made in knowledge about pain and its impact.”
The Fellows will attend a four-day, intensive workshop in Washington, D.C., where they will learn skills to effectively communicate and advocate for the translation of scientific research and evidence-based best practices in pain care and management. Following the workshop, the Fellows will receive follow-up coaching support to pursue their advocacy goals.
