Pain

The Scottish Pain Research Community (SPaRC) was established, with support from Scottish Government, in 2009 to develop expertise in pain research for patient benefit.

A strong network of pain researchers, clinicians, third sector organisations, patient groups and other key stakeholders across Scotland support internationally competitive pain research. This covers the full scientific range, from laboratory to the community, and encompasses important clinical areas such as addiction, cancer, primary care, neuropathic pain and mental health. It ensures both clinical practice in managing chronic pain is informed by current research and that current research in chronic pain is relevant to clinical practice.

SPaRC has recently transitioned into NRS Pain and brings together around 200 researchers in multiple disciplines and areas together, to promote collaboration and to share and disseminate research activity and findings and helps:

• Develop a formal network of Principal Investigators/ active researchers across Scotland to provide an effective route for increasing multicentre studies, working with NHS Research Scotland, which will include assessment of novel interventions for chronic pain.
• Strength research links within Scotland to foster academic collaboration and to address research gaps
• Deliver Annual Scientific Meetings (ASMs) to share the latest Scottish pain research and network.

NRS Pain / Scottish Pain Research Community (SPaRC) ASM 2020

Following last year’s successful meeting, the Scottish Pain Research Community (SPaRC), operating under the auspices of NRS Pain, is pleased to its Tenth Annual Scientific Meeting (SPaRC ASM 2020) which will take place on Friday 27th March 2020 at the West Park Conference Centre, Dundee.

Find out more and register to attend.

Vacancy: Postdoctoral Research Assistant (or equivalent) in Chronic pain and physical activity

The University of Dundee are recruiting for an individual to join the institution as a Postdoctoral (or equivalent) Research Assistant within the Chronic Pain Research Group in the Division of Population Health and Genomics to deliver the SUSSED study, a project designed to investigate the barriers and facilitators to physical activity for people suffering from chronic pain.

Deadline for applications is Tuesday 7 January 2020. Find out more and apply

NRS Pain in the news

• Professor Lesley Colvin, NRS Pain Clinical Lead, Professor Blair Smith and Emma Fletcher, NHS Tayside, write in the British Medical Journal on how chronic pain strategies must be embedded within broader efforts to tackle deprivation
• Professor Lesley Colvin, NRS Pain Clinical Lead, and Professor Blair Smith contribute to an article in The Conversation with recommendations on taking opioids for chronic pain
• Professor Lesley Colvin, NRS Pain Clinical Lead, talks to David Aaronovitch on BBC The Briefing Room about opioid use in the UK
• CBS News talks to Jo Cameron on the remarkable gene mutation that prevents her from feeling pain, and what the discovery could mean for pain research.

Key Contacts

• Chair of the SPaRC Committee: Professor Lesley Colvin
• National Lead Clinician for Chronic Pain: Professor Blair H Smith
• Research Assistant - SPaRC: Magda Laskawska
• Performance Manager (Interim): Jacqui Pearson
• To join our mailing list please contact: Magda Laskawska