School of Medicine
Showing 1-10 of 44 Results
-
Anuj Aggarwal
Clinical Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
BioAnuj Aggarwal, M.D., is both a practicing anesthesiologist and pain specialist. Originally from Southern California, Dr. Aggarwal completed his undergraduate studies in biology with honors at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. He earned his medical degree from University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine with distinction, completing the Health Professions Education (HPE) Pathway advanced program. He completed his internship at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. He then completed his Anesthesiology residency and Pain Medicine fellowship at Stanford Hospital, joining the faculty in 2018.
In addition to his research and clinical areas of interest of perioperative pain and orofacial pain, he is the associate program director for the pain management fellowship, theme lead and course director for pharmacology for the medical school, and associate director for Science of Medicine overseeing the teaching of the various organ blocks in the pre-clerkship curriculum. He also is an E4C (Educator for Care) faculty member, teaching clinical skills, clinical reasoning and serving as a mentor to medical students throughout their training. In addition, he is involved within the anesthesia residency education programs through various committees, mentorship of residents, and direct teaching. Formerly, he served as the director of medical student and resident clerkships in pain management and pain theme lead in the pre-clerkship curriculum. -
Meredith Barad, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Clinical Associate Professor (By courtesy), Adult NeurologyCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsMy current research interests involve novel treatment paradigms for challenging pain problems such as orofacial pain, trigeminal neuralgia and low pressure headaches. I am also interested in migraine and trigeminal autonomic cephalgias and their intersection with chronic pain.
-
Ian Carroll, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Adult Pain)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are committed to promoting an understanding of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, and ensuring that all patients who are suffering from cerebrospinal fluid leaks receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment of this devastating, chronic, and fixable condition. We believe this can be best accomplished in a multidisciplinary setting involving expertise in radiology, neurology, and interventional pain medicine.
-
QiLiang “Q” Chen
Clinical Instructor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focuses on understanding the plasticity in pain-modulating circuits in pathological pain states. I started with defining a basic functional framework that links the pain-transmission system to the pain-modulation system, through which I explored the central mechanism of sensitization in chronic pain after a peripheral injury. Based on this fundamental observation, my work now focuses on investigating the pathophysiology and the role of endogenous opioids in chronic pain related to brain injury and other forms of trauma, a topic especially relevant to chronic post-traumatic pain sufferers. Clinically, I am exploring the use of advance image-guidance in pain interventions for treating complex headache and craniofacial pain. Ultimately, I hope to translate these fundamental knowledge and technologies to patient care and provide potential new therapeutic targets to help those with pain after head injury and polytrauma.
-
Beth Darnall
Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Adult Pain) and, by courtesy, of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry & Psychology (Adult))
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Stanford Pain Relief Innovations Lab is dedicated to better characterizing and treating pain with patient-centered solutions. We specialize in the conduct of large-scale acute and chronic pain clinical trials that aim to (1) expand and scale access to behavioral medicine via digital and brief treatments; (2) reduce opioid risks via reduction for some and improved opioid access for others; (3) equip healthcare providers with brief behavioral medicine interventions to optimize health outcomes.
-
Titilola Falasinnu
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Immunology and Rheumatology) and, by courtesy, of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Adult Pain)
BioI am primarily a lupus researcher and identify as a pain scientist and methodologist in this field. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disproportionately affects women and racial minorities and is the fifth most common cause of death among 15- to 24-year-old Black and Hispanic women in the U.S., highlighting its significant public health impact. More than half of patients with SLE experience chronic pain, often secondary to SLE itself or overlapping conditions (e.g., migraines, low back pain, fibromyalgia), contributing significantly to disability and impaired quality of life. Chronic pain is not merely a symptom but a disease in its own right—one that deserves the same rigorous study and clinical attention as comorbidities like kidney disease and cardiovascular disease in rheumatology. The enormous global burden of chronic pain underscores the urgent need for a clear, standardized definition of pain as a disease, particularly in autoimmune rheumatic diseases where pain can arise from inflammatory, nociplastic, and biopsychosocial mechanisms. Without recognizing pain as a distinct disease entity, its mechanisms remain poorly understood, and effective treatment strategies remain underdeveloped.
I am a co-Principal Investigator of the Pain Intelligence Lab, where our mission is to advance the study of pain as a disease in rheumatology through two primary objectives. First, we develop and validate computational methods that enable clinicians and researchers to leverage electronic health records, administrative claims, and disease registries to study chronic pain as a distinct disease entity in rheumatology. By applying machine learning, natural language processing, and real-world data analysis, we seek to enhance pain phenotyping, classify distinct pain subtypes, and develop predictive models for treatment response. Second, we use a biopsychosocial framework to examine the predictive power of biomarkers and psychosocial measures in rheumatologic pain. By integrating biological, psychological, and social determinants of pain, we aim to conduct rigorous, patient-oriented research that translates targeted assessments into mechanistically informed, personalized treatment approaches for optimized clinical care. Ultimately, my long term career goal is to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice, ensuring that pain management in autoimmune rheumatic diseases is precise, equitable, and optimized for improved patient outcomes.
