Professor Christopher Eccleston from the Department for Health has received the Ronald Melzack Lecture Award for his contribution to pain science.
IASP presented the award to Professor Eccleston (right) at the recent World Pain Congress in Boston
He accepted his award at the 17th World Pain Congress in Boston, and he presented a lecture, which is also available as a paper: Chronic pain as embodied defence: implications for current and future psychological treatments.
Professor Eccleston is the Director of the Centre for Pain Research at the University of Bath. His research includes working on an embodied view of pain as a motivation to avoid harm, as well as exploring the neurobiology and psychology of the drive to protect coherent behaviour in the face of bodily threat. He is also working on new treatments for both analgesia and pain management. He is the author of two recent books, Embodied: The Psychology of Physical Sensation and European Pain Management.
After receiving his award, Professor Eccleston said: “I am honoured to be the first psychologist and European scientist to win this prestigious award. The Bath Centre for Pain Research has an international reputation for high quality scholarship in pain research and treatment development. I am grateful for the International Association for the Study of Pain for recognising our sustained investment in helping people who face a life lived in pain. I look forward to advancing the field further.”