Member Spotlight

July 2023

Christopher Robinson, MD, PhD

Anesthesiology Resident | Future Chronic Pain Physician-Scientist
Harvard Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
NANS Member Since 2022
 
Connect with me about | LinkedIn 
Research, innovation, artificial intelligence, neuromodulation, and drug development.
 
I’m a NANS member because NANS is one of the leading neuromodulation organizations in the world, and I want to be on a team that is on the cutting edge of science and medicine. I want to be surrounded by similarly passionate individuals.

​As a result of attending the NANS annual meeting, I now have started several projects outside my institution. 

How I got interested in neuromodulation     
I have always been interested in fields that are cutting-edge from drug development, which I experienced through my PhD, to advances such as neuromodulation that allow us to provide treatment for those who have failed other treatments. Movement, thought, pain, and so much more are electrochemical signals. If pain is electrically transmitted and is maladaptive, why can't we use the same signals to treat? With the development of artificial intelligence, it will be even more exciting to see the positive effects of AI in neuromodulation as it develops in my hands and the field. 
 
Why I love what I do  
When you love something, you can't stop thinking about it. It's that hunger and continued fascination with the world of chronic pain that keeps me so engaged day in and day out. It's a field that is relatively unexplored and submersed in a constantly changing regulatory environment.  
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As a scientist, I am able to explore a field where even small discoveries or new devices can change the lives of millions directly, and potentially hundreds of millions indirectly by decreasing opioid requirements. 
 
As a physician, I get to develop a long-term bond with my patients, and oftentimes, the most powerful tool we have in our armory is our ability to listen. Even when we have no more available treatments, the ability to genuinely listen and sympathize can have an unmeasurable impact on their lives.   
 
My favorite movie
Star Wars Original Trilogy--Nothing beats the OG!
 
My hero
My mother and wife, two women who have demonstrated to me, that the only limits I have are the ones I place on myself.
 
Words to live by
"The secret of getting things done is to act."
​Dante Aligheri