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Congratulations to Dr. Ronald Melzack, Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychology, who has been awarded the first Outstanding Pain Mentorship Award by the Canadian Pain Society (CPS). The award was presented in Quebec City, Quebec on Friday, May 29th, during the Annual Dinner associated with the CPS Annual Conference.

The award by the CPS "acknowledges the important contributions that you have made to the pain field by providing outstanding mentoring to numerous pain researchers and clinical scientists over your illustrious career, and demonstrates the high regard that your colleagues hold for you."

Dr. Ronald Melzack, former E.P. Taylor Chair in Pain Studies in the Department of Psychology, revolutionized the study and treatment of pain. In the seminal 1985 publication of the Gate Control Theory of Pain, Dr. Melzack and Dr. Patrick Wall of MIT argued that psychological factors and environment play a large role, and that pain is subjective and ultimately at the mercy of the brain. This overturned the then-accepted view of pain as a primitive and static danger warning system. Following on this work, Dr. Melzack developed the Â鶹AV Pain Questionnaire, which remains a widely clinical tool to evaluate pain in patients. In recognition of his breakthrough research in pain, Dr. Melzack has been honoured with a Killam Prize, is an Officer of the Order of Canada and l'Ordre du Québec and has been inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.