Roger Fillingim, Ph.D., a professor in Community Dentistry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Florida College of Dentistry, takes the reigns of the American Pain Society (APS) during their annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, in May.
Fillingim has been a member of the APS since 1987 and has served in several leadership roles including as chair of both the Scientific Program and Education Advisory committees. In 2009, he received the Wilbert E. Fordyce Clinical Investigator Award from the APS for his clinical pain scholarship and research achievements. He has served as president-elect for the last two years and will also serve as president for two years, with duties including overseeing the APS Board of Directors, and setting priorities and direction for the organization.
In 1984 Fillingim graduated from Mercer University in Savannah, Ga., with a B.A. in psychology. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he also received a Dean’s Award as the outstanding graduate student in the social sciences. Fillingim joined the College of Dentistry in 2000 and also serves as a staff psychologist for the North Florida South Georgia VA Health System.
The American Pain Society is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering.