Speaker: Dr. Karen Davis

Dr. Karen Davis is a senior scientist and division head at the Krembil Brain Institute at the University Health Network and a professor in Department of Surgery and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto. She obtained her PhD in Physiology at the University of Toronto and did a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Davis has pioneered electrophysiological and brain imaging approaches to investigate mechanisms underlying pain, leading to 200+ publications, 23,000+ citations and an H-index of 80. Her current focus uses brain imaging to delineate brain plasticity associated with chronic pain, and individual factors that contribute to pain sensitivity and chronic pain treatment outcomes. Her concept of a “dynamic pain connectome” and AI is being used to identify neuromarkers for personalized approaches to pain management. Dr. Davis is active in neuroethics; created a graduate student oath (Science), chaired the IASP presidential task force on brain imaging to diagnosis pain (Nature Reviews Neurology), and co-edited the book Pain Neuroethics and Bioethics. She was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and the Royal Society of Canada, and received many research, career and mentorship awards. Dr. Davis currently serves as President of the Canadian Pain Society.