GlendaleUniversity, in participation with the Craniofacial Pain Clinic located at WhiteMemorialMedicalCenter, in Los Angeles, California, (http://craniofacialclinic.dentistryonline.com/) is pleased to announce the acceptance of candidates in an Advanced Graduate Educational Program for M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Pain Management.
The Craniofacial Pain Clinic has been at the forefront of the treatment of chronic pain for over forty years. It is the first clinic to provide hands-on experience for health professionals and medical residents in diagnosing and medically managing facial pain, headaches, and neuropathic pain, as well as the traditional Temporomandibular Disorders. The Clinic is the oldest clinic of its kind and is an acknowledged leader in the field of pain management. The faculty consists of health care providers such as physicians, osteopaths, dentists, chiropractors, psychologists, speech therapists, hypno-therapists, physical therapists, and other health professionals who are involved in the teaching and clinical practice of pain management. The Craniofacial Pain Clinic provides state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment for chronic pain conditions, based on current information and knowledge that is supported by appropriate research studies. This M.S. and/or Ph.D. graduate program is recommended for health professionals who are motivated for a more academic, rigorous, clinical environment. The candidate for either program will be eligible for taking the certification examination for Diplomate status offered by the AmericanAcademy of Pain Management (http://www.aapainmanage.org/). This program prepares health professionals in the management of complex pain patients through a multidisciplinary approach. With hundreds of new patients every year, this program provides candidates with a unique clinical experience. Clinical training is at the Craniofacial Pain Clinic. A major thrust of this program is to develop individuals with exceptional clinical expertise in the diagnosis and pain management of patients. Emphasis is placed on the development of strong diagnostic skills needed in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with pain. The goal is to cultivate a clinically-oriented individual with the necessary background to think critically and function accordingly. M.S. Degree The M.S. candidate’s training in Pain Management is a two-year program that leads to a M.S. Based upon their course work and introductory clinical research experiences, each candidate must select a research topic that will meet the standards expected of an M.S. degree in the Sciences. Candidates in the Advanced Education Graduate Program in Pain Management are strongly encouraged to conduct their thesis research with a faculty member who is experienced in studies involving pain management or in a related area.By the end of the second year in the program, each candidate will be expected to have completed all requirements for the M.S. degree, including the successful defense of his or her M.S. thesis.It is also expected that every effort will be made to submit at least one article/thesis for publication in a refereed journal. Ph.D Degree The Ph.D. candidate’s training in Pain Management is a five year research and clinical training program. This program involves a Ph.D. with the same clinical post-doctorate program offered in the M.S. program with three additional years of training, as well as a second submission of another article/thesis for publication in a refereed journal. Each candidate, prior to receiving an M.S. and/or a Ph.D. in Pain Management, will be examined orally on their overall knowledge of the field.The purpose of this examination is to evaluate the candidate’s level of knowledge about the clinical diagnosis and management of pain, the basic mechanisms underlying these disorders, and the ability to design and conduct clinical research in this field. Fifty percent of the time is spent treating patients with chronic pain problems.The remaining time is involved in graduate level course work, literature review sessions, case presentation, topic seminars, and in clinical rotations in medical specialty areas.The candidate is also required to complete an independent research project leading to a thesis. Within the context of the program’s goals, additional courses and experiences may be required based on the individual’s program needs or individual interests.Included among these possibilities are: Head and Neck Anatomy, Growth and Development, Principles of Epidemiology, as well as rotations to a hospital department or service such as Neurology, Anesthesiology, Otolaryngology, Rheumatology, Physical Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery, or Chronic Pain Clinic.Thus, the program provides some flexibility in order to allow for adaptation to changing needs of the program or to the career goals of individual candidates. Course content includes oral biology, oral pathology, neuroanatomy, growth and development, pain physiology, craniomandibular biomechanics, masticatory function and dysfunction, pharmacology, and imaging techniques.Lectures are also presented by specialists in psychology, rheumatology, rehabilitative medicine, otolaryngology, neurosurgery, headache, anesthesiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, speech pathology, and physical therapy. Each candidate actively evaluates and helps manage pain patients in the Clinic. The program encourages a medical model for the diagnosis and management of pain.Emphasis is placed on establishing a proper diagnosis and management plan and in developing appropriate relationships with medical specialists who can assist in diagnosing and managing the patient’s specific pain complaint. Pharmocolgic, psychologic and physical medicine modalities are combined with orthopedic appliances to routinely manage the pain patient.Various diagnostic and therapeutic injection techniques, ganglion blocks, and other physical medicine modalities are also used when appropriate. The candidate will be expected to participate in rounds discussion of cases. All new and ongoing patients seen in the clinic are presented in an open discussion with the faculty.Emphasis is on diagnosis and management strategies with all clinical decisions validated and supported by the scientific literature. The candidate will be assigned patients in the Clinic and will be responsible for patient care, documentation, writing reports to referring doctors, follow-up to patient calls, and urgent care. The candidate will be expected to give selected lectures. The candidate will be expected to research the overview of the current scientific literature relating to the fundamentals of pain and pain management. Candidates will receive courses and seminars at the Craniofacial Pain Clinic. These will range from literature review sessions and board review seminars, to patient conferences, visiting lecturers, and research meetings. Each candidate is expected to be able to: 1) understand how to care for patients suffering from TMD and other orofacial pain disorders; 2) understand the structural, biological and behavioral factors underlying TMD, orofacial pain, and pain in general; 3) understand the clinical and scientific literature in the field; 4) conduct research in TMD and orofacial pain, pain management, or in a closely related field. Assessments and treatment experience includes:- Acute and chronic temporomandibular and TM joint disorders,
- Myofasical Pain Disorders and use of a myofascial pain treatment protocol.
- Management of jaw behavior disorders and bruxism.
- Chronic headache disorders including managing medication overuse (analgesics or narcotics), management of migraine and migraine variants.
- Recognition and management of migraine, headaches, and facial pain disorders.
- Trigeminal neuralgia and other neuropathic pains, including those mimicking toothache.
- Recognition and co-management of chronic regional pain syndrome components to chronic facial pain (sympathetic mediated pain).
- Medical observation rotations.
- TMJ Disorders
- Myofascial Pain Disorders
- Non-odontogenic Toothache disorders
- Trigeminal Neuralgia and other chronic neuropathies
- Migraine
- Headaches
- Orofacial pain
- Sleep Apnea appliances for managing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
- Orofacial Movement Disorders such as facial dystonias
- Herpes Zoster and Post Herpetic Neuralgia of the orofacial region
- Atypical Facial Pain Disorders
- Atypical Odontalgia
- Neurogenic Based Oral and Facial Pains
- TMD, Orthopedics, Rheumatology and Physical Therapy
- Pharmacology
- Physical Evaluation and Laboratory Diagnostics
- Neurosciences
- Internal Medicine and Systemic Disease
- Systems Physiology, Motor Disorders and Sleep Apnea
- Psychological and Psychometric Assessment
- Case Presentations
- Foundations of Oral Biology
- Head and Neck Anatomy
- Pain/Neuroscience
- Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- Radiation Biology and Medical Imaging
