The Pittsburgh Pain Consortium (PPC) held their inaugural Pain Day on Wednesday, May 7 highlighting scholarship, innovation and engagement in pain research and care. The PPC comprises of multiple centers at the University of Pittsburgh, including Pittsburgh LB3P in the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Nam Vo, co-principal investigator of LB3P and scientific director, Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center, co-director, Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic and Spine Research, and Dr. Gwen Sowa, co-principal investigator of LB3P and co-director, Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic and Spine Research, were highlighted as speakers during the event, presenting their work on phenotyping of chronic low back pain through biomarker profiling. Dr. Vo’s research investigates the biology of spinal aging and its contribution to pain.

Other speakers for the day included presentations from Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University and a keynote from Nobel Prize winner Dr. David Julius, UCSF School of Medicine.