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BIDDEFORD, Maine

‘Press Herald’ showcases ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥â€™s role in the fight against chronic pain

The December 23, 2014 issue of the Portland Press Herald features a story on ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥â€™s role in the national effort to research and treat chronic pain, reporting that university researchers are working to develop new types of painkillers that bring relief without the negative side effects produced by the medications currently available.

The Press Herald interviewed co-directors of the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for the Study of Pain and Sensory Function (COBRE): Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., vice president for Research and Scholarship, and Ian Meng Ph.D., professor in the Department of BiomedicalSciences. Bilsky explained that ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ collaborates with Mercy Hospital’s pain center in Portland by keeping its pain doctors informed of the latest research in the field, while ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ medical students benefit from the opportunity to shadow the hospital’s pain specialists.

Bilsky also noted that because of COBRE’s existence at ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥, the university’s medical students receive more than 50 hours of pain-related instruction, and students in ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥â€™s other health science fields, such as social work, physical therapy and pharmacy, work in interactive, interdisciplinary teams on special pain cases and projects, increasing their exposure to the field of chronic pain as well.

About the ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥

The ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.