Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Reawakening our Pain Research Showcase Events
On 16th of September 2022, we re-launched our in-person Pain Research Showcase Event series following a break of two years due to the Covid pandemic. It was four hours of fun filled wisdom on ‘all things pain’ … We love the science of pain and its management!
Continuing our tradition of showcase events
The Centre for Pain Research places public engagement at the heart of our endeavours and our Showcase Events have been running, in various guises, for nearly three decades. Mark and Ghazala recalled their journeys as pain scholars dating back to the 1990s, bringing back memories of public engagement events at the Royal Summer Exhibition, the Royal Institute, various museums, and Techfest in India.
Ghazala and her Chai ladies
The bizarre topic of pain
Our Showcase Events are never dull because of the diverse nature of the topic and the cultural diversity of our team members. Pain raises fundamental questions about the human condition, and this is a fertile ground to develop curiosity. I opened The Showcase explaining how, in the 1980s, I wanted to make a grand discovery in the field by identifying where pain was in the brain. In fact, I ended up on a humbler 30-year journey trying to determine the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) culminating in the recent publication of our Meta-TENS project (to be covered in a future blog). Presently, I am back on the quest for a ‘grand discovery’, exploring how to reconfigure the biomedical dominance of pain (to be covered in another future blog). However, I am the warm-up act; next came the main speakers.
Mark and his yet to be realised ‘grand discovery’
The bizarre composition of the pain team
‘Team Pain’ prides itself on diversity and this was reflected in the content of the talks. Ghazala (Tabasam) described her work with the Chai ladies of Oldham; Osama (Tashani) described his work with diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Libya; Kate (Thompson) described her work with Paul our virtual pain patient; Ursula (Philpot) described her work with the diets of people with chronic pain; and Gareth (Jones) described his work with climbers’ hands and feet! Regular attendees took this eclectic mix of talks in their stride (pardon the pun); newer team members looked perplexed!
Kate and virtual Paul
Do you want to give us a try?
If you are interested in pain research, scholarship, or education then why not attend our Winter Showcase scheduled for December 2022, or just drop me an email at M.Johnson@Leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Professor Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson is Professor of Pain and Analgesia. He is an international expert on the science of pain and its management and the world leader on transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). He has published over 300 peer reviewed articles.
