Gewandter Team News
Gewandter Team News
April 10th, 2026
Dr. Gewandter Interviewed For Yoga Medicine
Dr. Gewandter interviewed for Yoga Medicine® Podcast on the benefits of Yoga for managing chronic pain.
Click the link below to listen to the podcast
https://yogamedicine.com/yoga-research-pain/
April 1, 2026
Dr. Gewandter speaks in International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Webinar
Dr. Gewandter speaks in an International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) webinar on using clinical trial evidence in precision medicine. on using clinical trial evidence in precision medicine.
The full webinar can be viewed by registering at the link below.
Dr. Gewandter Invited to Speak at the Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics Summit
September 30, 2025
Dr. Gewandter Publishes in PAIN
September 5, 2025
Dr. Gewandter Receives $5000 Donation to Support the Development of a Comprehensive Yoga for Pain Management Program
August 13, 2025
The Mission of the program is to create an accessible yoga program suitable for people living with chronic pain who are starting with any level of flexibility, strength, and skill and encourage them to establish a consistent practice that will serve as a component of holistic pain care.
Congratulations, Dr. Gewandter!
Dr. Gewandter Awarded $7 Million NIH Grant
August 11th, 2025
Sensory Phenotyping to Enhance Neuropathic Pain Drug Development (SPENDD)
This grant supports a multi-site randomized clinical trial (RCT) with the primary aim of testing whether a bedside quantitative sensory testing (QST) battery can predict response to 2 classes of analgesic drugs in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain. Secondary aims include investigating the relationship between proteomic profiles in the blood and peripheral neuropathic pain phenotypes and evaluating the utility of novel personalized outcome measures for pain in RCTs. This project is a collaboration between 3 MPIs: Dr. Gewandter, Dr. Roy Freeman (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), and Dr. Rob Edwards (Brigham and Women’s Hospital).
Dr. Gewandter is the overall PI of the clinical trial and she and her team are responsible for overseeing all design, conduct, and regulatory aspects of the trial. Dr. Mark Williams (URMC) will be serving as the medical monitor, overseeing participant safety and confirming eligibility criteria are properly adhered to for the trial.
Rachel DeGuzman awarded the SCORE Study Coordinator 2025 Teamwork Award by the University of Rochester's CTSI
June 21, 2025
This award is in recognition of Rachel's commitment to consistently model open communication, cooperation, inclusion, respect for differences, and build collaborative relationships to accomplish organizational/departmental goals.
Dr. Gewandter Publishes in PAIN Reports
June 11, 2025
Dr. Gewandter recently published the above article in PAIN Reports.
Dr. Gewandter Presents at 2025 Peripheral Nerve Society Meeting
May 27, 2025
Dr. Gewandter presented at the 2025 Peripheral Nerve Society meeting in Edinburgh Scotland
Karim Saab, MD Presents Posters at 2025 PNS Annual Meeting
May 27, 2025
Karim Saab, MD presented two posters at the 2025 PNS annual meeting in Edinburgh, UK.
Dr. Gewandter Publishes in PAIN
May 14, 2025
This article estimates a minimally clinically meaningful change in 0-10 numeric rating scales (NRS) of acute pain. Participants were asked to indicate, using a stop watch, when they first felt meaningful pain relief from experimental therapies in acute pain trials within different surgical settings. The improvements in pain ratings when the participants hit the stopwatch were used to estimate the minimal clinically meaningful change in pain NRS scores. These results can be used to inform future analyses and interpretation of acute pain clinical trials.
Dr. Gewandter Invited to Present in the Foundation of Peripheral Neuropathy Seminar Series
May 8, 2025
This seminar series is geared towards people living with peripheral neuropathy. Dr. Gewandter’s talk entitled “Why participate in clinical trials? A discussion of the contributions you can make to the future of peripheral neuropathy treatment” aims to inform patients regarding the roles they can play in research and the range of impact they can have by participating in a single trial.
https://www.foundationforpn.org/events/why-participate-in-clinical-trials/
Jithin George Wins Best Poster Presentation Award
May 5, 2025
Dr. Gewandter’s mentee, Jithin George, receives the Best Poster Presentation in Clinical Sciences award at the USASP Annual Meeting.
Dr. Gewandter’s mentee, Jithin George (medical student) is selected to give 2 oral presentations at USASP
April 30, 2025
In addition to presenting a poster on his project related to statistical advantages for adjusting for covariables in randomized clinical trials, Jithin was invited to present a Rapid Fire poster Pitch in the USASP Early Career Forum and present a 10 minute talk on his work at the Clinical Research Special Interest Group.
Dr. Gewandter publishes in PAIN
April 30, 2025
Dr. Gewandter’s topical review is a collaboration with Dr. Paul Geha (Psychiatry) and Aron Sulovari (former URMC Anesthesia resident). It discusses the potential analgesic effects of pharmacological modification of dopamine.
Geha P, Sulovari A, Freeman R, Gewandter JS. Dopaminergic modulation: Revisiting a promising novel pathway for pharmacologic treatment of chronic pain. PAIN. 2025; Epub ahead of print.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40288783/
Dr. Gewandter Travels to Washington University in St. Louis for a Visiting Professorship
February 27, 2025
The visiting professorship provides Dr. Gewandter an opportunity to meet with WashU pain researchers at different levels in their careers and present her work related to clinical pain research methods.
Dr. Gewandter's Mentees Earn Travel Award
January 29, 2025
Jithin George (medical student), Jeremy Huang (medical student), and Karim Saab, MD (postdoctoral fellow) receive travel award for their 2025 USASP Abstract submission. Out of a record number of submitted abstracts, only 25 submissions received a travel award.
Title: Exploration of associations between expectations and pain improvement in painful peripheral neuropathy clinical trials. USASP 2025 Annual Meeting (poster abstract), Chicago, IL.
Authors: Jithin V. George, Jeremy Huang, Umang Gada, Karim Saab, Melyssa Foust, Carla Jorgensen, Dhaval Shah, Gary Morrow, Karen Mustian, and Jennifer Gewandter
Valerie Chiodo Receives 2024 SCORE Study Coordinator Mentorship Award
October 22, 2024
This Award is in recognition of her commitment to Mentorship values of an individual who demonstrates a willingness to share her knowledge, skills and time with others as well as encouraging the mentees to gain confidence in their skills and develop professionally.
Rachel De Guzman Receives CCRC Credential
The Certified Clinical Research Coordinator credential formally recognizes clinical research professionals with experience coordinating and facilitating clinical trial activities in adherence to GCP, under the direction of a principal investigator.
Dr. Gewandter and Her Mentees, Dr. Karim Saab and Mr. Umang Gada, Publish an Article in Pain Medicine
October 7, 2024
The article proposes that personalized outcomes may provide a more clinically relevant estimate of treatment effects in neuropathic pain clinical trials.
Dr. Karim Saab
It uses data from Dr. Gewandter’s recently completed clinical trial to demonstrate how personalized outcomes can minimize the floor effect that can occur when using composite outcomes that include domains that not all participants experience.
Dr. Gewandter Invited to Serve on NIH HEAL Advisory Committee
Dr. Jennifer Gewandter has been invited to serve on a NIH HEAL advisory committee to develop research priorities for the “optimization of existing and novel interventions to improve pain management.”
The committee’s recommendations will be used to inform the next HEAL strategic plan.
Dr. Gewandter and Her Mentees, Maddy Rangel and Soroush Besharat, Published in The Journal of Pain
August 1, 2024
This article suggests that using daily means of worst pain qualities to define entry criteria and outcome measures in clinical trials improves assay sensitivity when compared to single ratings asking participants to rate their pain qualities over the past week. These data are important to justify the increased burden of daily pain quality ratings in clinical trials.
Left to Right: Maddy Rangel, Soroush Besharat and Dr. Gewandter
Rangel M, Besharat S, Sohn MB, Foust M, Francar L, Jorgensen C, Mustian K, Morrow G, Culakova E, Jensen MP, Langford D, Gewandter JS. Mean of daily vs. single week recall-based pain quality assessments in neuropathic pain trials: Implications for assay sensitivity. The Journal of Pain, Epub ahead of print.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39067580/
Dr. Gewandter invited to serve on the advisory board of the NIH PURPOSE Network
July 17, 2024
The mission of the PURPOSE (Positively Uniting Researchers of Pain to Opine, Synthesize, & Engage) Network is the promote communication and collaboration among pain researchers throughout the United States with a priority of fostering success of junior researchers.
Dr. Gewandter brings her years of experience and passion related to promoting junior faculty advancement and mentorship to the advisory board.
Dr. Gewandter Receieves UR-Star for Respect
July 10, 2024
Congratulations Jennifer Gewandter! She received a UR Star-ICARE Values for Respect from Suzanne Landy who wrote:
"When you work with a faculty member who exhibits pure kindness and gratitude on a daily basis, it is an absolute pleasure. Dr. Gewandter, no matter the task, treats all staff with a tremendous amount of Compassion and Respect. Each time ORPA helps her, she is patient and kind. She understands that ORPA is doing the best they can so that she can be the most successful in her position, but never loses sight of treating others with respect, even if it is a challenging task. Thank you!"
Pain Treatment Center Research Team publishes in RAPM
July 8, 2024
This large, prospective study is the best evidence in the literature to suggest that administering steroids immediately after radiofrequency ablation does not decrease post-procedural pain. The study was led by Drs. Williams, Philip, and Gewandter. It would not have been possible without many co-investigators in the department and the efforts of the Anesthesiology Clinical Research Center (see full author list in citation below).
Mark R. Williams, MD, Annie Philip, MBBS, Soun Sheen, MD, Saumya Aujla, MD, Changyong Feng, PhD, Shan Gao, MS, Sarah Kralovic, MD, Joseph Poli, MD, Tammy Ortiz, Tatsiana Stefanos, RN, Janet Pennella-Vaughan, MS, NP, Jennifer S. Gewandter, PhD, MPH. Non-Inferiority study assessing the utility of post cervical and lumbar radiofrequency ablation steroid use. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. In Press.
Dr. Saab receives travel award to attend the 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle.
April 4, 2024
Dr. Karim Saab receives a travel award to attend the second annual PURPOSE (Positively Uniting Researchers of Pain to Opine, Synthesize, & Engage) meeting in National Harbor, MD.
March 15, 2024
Three mentees to represent Dr. Gewandter’s team at the upcoming annual meeting of the United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) in Seattle, WA
March 15, 2024
Soroush Besharat, MD (URMC Anesthesia resident), Madelaine Rangel, BS (URMC medical student) and Karim Saab, MD (URMC Anesthesia Postdoc fellow) will be presenting the posters listed below. Dr. Saab was also invited to give an oral presentation on his abstract at the USASP Clinical Trials Special Interest group meeting.
“Personalized Trial Outcomes for Painful Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN): A Strategy to Increase Assay Sensitivity”
“Mean of Daily vs. Single Week Recall-Based Pain Quality Assessments in Painful Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) Trials: Implications for Assay Sensitivity.”
URMC Anesthesia residents, Remington Mark, MD and Mahd Nishtar, MD, publish an article in RAPM with Dr. Gewandter.
March 15, 2024
Additional residents who contributed to this work include Fallon O. France and Meghan Park
Nishtar M, Mark R, Langford DJ, McDermott MP, Markman JD, Evans SR, France FO, Park M, Sharma S, Turk DC, Dworkin RH, Gewandter JS. Evaluating the balance of benefits and harms in chronic pain clinical trials: prioritizing individual participants over individual outcomes. RAPM, 2023, epub ahead of print.
Robert Knoerl, PhD (Assistant Professor, University of Michigan) publishes article that explores analgesic use patterns among cancer survivors with chronic chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity.
March 15, 2024
Knoerl R, Sohn MB, Foust M, Francar L, O’Rourke MA, Morrow G, Mustian K, Gauthier L, Gewandter JS. Exploring Analgesic Use Patterns among Cancer Survivors with Chronic Chemotherapy-Induced Neurotoxicity. Oncology Nursing Forum.
Dr. Gewandter Featured on "Hysteria and Her" Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0spLSbMYIzQ84PGLZmk2iH?si=X_P53aGdTSCKkknao65Mbw
Dr. Gewandter Visiting Professor and Johns Hopkins Blaustein Pain Grand Rounds Lecturer
March 4, 2024
Jennifer Gewandter, Phd, MPH of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine has been selected as 2024 Visiting Professor and Johns Hopkins Blaustein Pain Treatment Center Grand Rounds lecturer.
The title of her presentation will be “Chronic pain clinical trials: Balancing theory and practice.”
Passcode:Ks!ST1q#
Jennifer Gewandter, PhD, MPH Invited to Speak at International Association for the Study of Pain World Congress
March 4, 2024
Dr. Gewandter has been selected to speak at the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) 2024 World Congress in Amsterdam.
She will be the chair of a 3-speaker session: “Personalized and Multidimensional Outcomes for Pain to Improve Clinical Meaning and Sensitivity.” Her talk will be entitled “Personalized outcomes for neuropathic pain trials: A participant-centered approach.”
Dr. Gewandter Invited to Serve as Faculty at NIH Network Meeting
February 29, 2024
Dr. Gewandter has been invited to serve as faculty at the 2nd annual NIH-sponsored PURPOSE (Positively Uniting Researchers of Pain to Opine, Synthesize, & Engage) Network meeting aimed at helping to advance the careers of Junior researchers.
Dr. Gewandter will speak about her perspectives on publishing and editing in the pain field and will serve on a panel of K24 awardees discussing their experience with the grant mechanism
Jennifer Gewandter, PhD, MPH Accepted Into United States Association for the Study of Pain Leadership Academy
February 29, 2024
Dr. Gewandter is one of 11 mid-career pain researchers in the country to be accepted to the first annual United States Association for the Study of Pain Leadership Academy.