Corey B. Simon, DPT, PhD, has been named to The National Pain Advocacy Center (NPAC) Science & Policy Advisory Council. NPAC is a policy-focused advocacy group working for systems-level change, aiming to advance the health and human rights of people in pain. Misunderstandings and stigma surrounding pain continue to affect those living with it, limiting access to services and isolating individuals from their communities. Amid the challenges of the drug overdose crisis and global pandemic, NPAC unites scientists, clinicians, civil rights advocates, and individuals with lived experience of pain to address these barriers, elevate voices, and expand access to treatment. Recent NPAC actions included input on DEA's Proposed Rule on Telemedicine Prescribing, Comprehensive Evaluation of the Implementation and Uptake of the CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain, and recommendations to the National Institutes of Health HEAL Initiative on how to address better the unmet needs of people living with pain.
Dr. Simon, an associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Senior Fellow at the Center for Aging, brings personal and professional expertise to this vital initiative. His passions for science and advocacy originate from the poor care his grandfather received for spinal degeneration and intractable back pain. Since then, his advocacy has expanded to include substandard long-term care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Dr. Simon’s scientific experience provides for investigating high-impact pain biomarkers among older adults to develop personalized, age-specific, biobehavioral interventions. His policy expertise consists of 20 years of lobbying state (NY, FL, NC) and federal legislators to improve physical therapy practice access and scope, expand rehabilitation reimbursement, and increase federal funding for clinical and translational science.