Our Vision
The vision of Chronic Pain Perspectives is to become a respected, recognized resource
for the understanding, diagnosis, and management of chronic pain.
Our Mission
Chronic Pain Perspectives is devoted to delivering the latest, most relevant clinical,
research, and regulatory information in a range of conditions from a variety of
clinical perspectives. Chronic Pain Perspectives is committed to presenting clinicians
and researchers with a multidisciplinary approach provided by leaders in the field
to the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. This approach is aimed at advancing
understanding and improving patient outcomes through the application of evidence-based,
peer-reviewed content and commentary. To meet the needs of different audiences,
Chronic Pain Perspectives disseminates information via a Web site, print publications,
e-newsletters, and handheld devices.
Original content in the Chronic Pain Perspective Web site and print publications
is peer reviewed and independent of any sponsor influence. All continuing medical
education or promotional special programs or print supplements are designated as
such and display sponsor information.
Our Advisory Board
Chair: Robert A. Bonakdar, MD
Robert A. Bonakdar is a member of the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine. He
received his medical degree from the University of Nevada School of Medicine and
his undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Occidental College in Los Angeles.
He received the Richter Fellowship for Independent International Research in the
field of Southeast Asian heath practices and studied in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong
Kong, China, and Indonesia. Dr. Bonakdar completed a clinical and research fellowship
in integrative medicine at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla,
CA, and a residency in family practice at the Sharp Grossmont Family Practice Residency
Program in San Diego, CA. Board certified by the American Board of Family Practice,
Dr. Bonakdar is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American
Academy of Family Physicians, the California Academy of Family Physicians, the American
Holistic Medical Association, and the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. He
has conducted award-winning research and presented at numerous conferences in the
area of herbal and natural medicines.
Paul J. Christo, MD, MBA
Paul J. Christo is a board certified, Harvard-trained anesthesiologist and Hopkins-trained
pain medicine specialist, and is an Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine. He directed the Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship Program at The Johns
Hopkins Hospital for 8 years, and directed the Blaustein Pain Treatment Center at
Hopkins for 5 years. Dr. Christo is an invited lecturer both nationally and internationally,
serves on 2 journal editorial boards and reviews for several others, has published
more than 60 articles and book chapters, co-edited 3 textbooks on pain, and actively
teaches medical students, residents, and pain fellows. He has been a course director
or coordinator for many continuing medical education programs that focus on educating
both specialists and generalists on important aspects of pain diagnosis and treatment.
He has served on Advisory Boards for the American Academy of Pain Medicine, American
Society of Anesthesiologists, International Association for the Study of Pain, and
the American Pain Society. He has also earned an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey
Business School in Health Care Management. Dr. Christo specializes in treating patients
with persistent pain in the spine, cancer pain, neuropathic pain (reflex sympathetic
dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome), shingles pain (post herpetic neuralgia),
post surgical pain, and thoracic outlet syndrome. Further, Dr. Christo is experienced
in performing implantations of pain pumps and spinal cord stimulators for the treatment
of unrelenting pain. He also has expertise in clinical anesthesia, epidural placement,
and spinal anesthesia. His current areas of research interest include the use of
botulinum toxin for thoracic outlet syndrome, pain in older adults, the mechanisms
of spinal cord stimulation, and the application of online educational modules for
pain education. He is the host of Aches and Gains, the first talk show on pain and
pain relief that airs weekly on WBAL Radio, 1090 AM. He is also the pain expert
for the live Web Chat series on Pain Management, hosted by the Tribune newspapers
and Baltimore Sun.
Michael R. Clark, MD, MPH, MBA
Michael R. Clark is an Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the Director of the Chronic Pain Treatment
Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and has joint appointments
in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in the School of Medicine
and the Department of Mental Hygiene in The Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr.
Clark is a consultation-liaison psychiatrist who specializes in the care of patients
with chronic medical illnesses. He is a member of the Blaustein Pain Treatment Center,
the Addiction Treatment Services program, and the Vestibular & Balance Disorders
Center at Johns Hopkins. These interdisciplinary efforts deliver comprehensive medical
care to patients with disabling conditions that are particularly refractory to diagnosis
and treatment. A fellow of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, Dr. Clark currently
devotes his research work to psychiatric aspects of somatic symptoms such as chronic
pain, including studies on neuropathic pain, substance abuse, and the phenomenology
of depression in patients with chronic pain. He serves on the National Institutes
of Health, Division of Research Grants Risk Prevention and Health Behavior Study
Section, and he has participated as an expert for in the design of Gulf War Specialized
Health Care Centers with the U.S. Department of Defense. Dr. Clark currently serves
as an editorial reviewer for the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Psychosomatics,
Archives of Family Medicine, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, General Hospital
Psychiatry, and The Johns Hopkins University Press. He is a member of the International
Association of the Study of Pain, the American Pain Society, the American Psychosomatic
Society, and the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Clark received his M.P.H.
from the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public
Health in Seattle and his M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine in
St. Louis, MO. He completed his internship and residency in psychiatry and behavioral
sciences at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his fellowship in
consultation-liaison psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Dr. Clark completed his M.B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University School of Professional
Studies in Business and Education.
Quadrant HealthCom Inc.
Quadrant HealthCom Inc., publisher
of Chronic Pain Perspectives, is a multimedia communications company specializing
in the healthcare market. Its medical journals, affiliated websites, meetings management
division and custom publishing programs reach more than 650,000 healthcare providers
in the United States. http://www.qhc.com