Chronic Pain

Dr. Debra K. Weiner  focuses her research on chronic pain. She serves as PI on a multisite pilot study designed to improve the management of low back pain in older adults. She is also PI on  a multisite prospective cohort study to ascertain predictors of outcome in veterans undergoing decompressive laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis. Both studies are supported by VA Merit Review awards. In addition, Dr. Weiner is PI of a GRECC-funded pilot study to develop a mobile application to help PCPs evaluate and manage chronic non-cancer pain. She also collaborates on several NIH-funded studies, including a study of mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults (with Dr. Natalia Morone MD MS, Division of General Internal Medicine); the treatment of co-morbid depression and chronic low back pain in primary care (with Jordan Karp MD, Department of Psychiatry); and the examination of the impact of co-existing hip osteoarthritis on pain and functional limitations in older adults with low back pain (with Gregory Hicks PT PhD, University of Delaware).