Chronic Pain & The Brain

More than eight million Canadians are currently living with the effects of debilitating chronic pain.
In this episode, we discuss the connection between chronic pain and the brain, including the latest & most effective treatments, the stigma - how do you study and treat something that you often can’t see? And, is there a way to build ‘pain resilience’?
We’ll speak with Dr. Andrea Furlan, a senior scientist & physiatrist with the KITE Research Institute and Dr. Anuj Bhatia, an anesthesiologist and clinician investigator with the Krembil Brain Institute.
We’ll also hear from Lara Pingue, about her personal experience living with chronic pain.
Featuring:
Dr. Anuj Bhatia - Anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician who is the Director of the Comprehensive Integrated Pain Program at UHN, a clinician investigator with the Krembil Brain Institute, and a Professor at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Andrea Furlan - Senior Scientist at The KITE Research Institute and a physiatrist with the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, at UHN.
Lara Pingue - Editor for the Globe and Mail. She lives with her husband and children in Toronto.

Additional resources:
Comprehensive Integrated Pain Program at UHN
‘The Krembil Brain Institute’s chronic pain experts are using novel treatment approaches – and returning people to meaningful lives’ – Article in 2021 KBI Magazine, featuring Drs. Anuj Bhatia & Hance Clarke
Dr. Andrea Furlan’s KITE Research Institute page
Dr. Andrea Furlan’s Youtube Channel
Dr. Andrea Furlan interviewed on UHN’s ‘Behind the Breakthrough’ podcast
The Krembil Brain Institute’s ‘Your Complex Brain’ podcast episode about Trigeminal Neuralgia – ‘The Most Painful Brain Disease You’ve Never Heard Of’ featuring Dr. Mojgan Hodaie

The Your Complex Brain production team is Heather Sherman, Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Amy Ma, Kim Perry, Alley Wilson, Sara Yuan, Meagan Anderi, Liz Chapman, and Lorna Gilfedder.
The Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.
Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembil
To get in touch, email us at [email protected] or message us on social media:
Instagram - @krembilresearch
Twitter - @KBI_UHN
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstitute
Thanks for listening!