Thurs., Nov. 11: Innovation in Pain Management

Innovation in Pain Management

We continue our innovation series with a look at health care. When Dr. Julie Silver was diagnosed with breast cancer, the treatments left her felling ill and weak. When it was time to go back to work, Dr. Silver was still in pain and still tired. A rehabilitation physician herself, she knew rehab was the norm for patients who had suffered a stroke or even a broken bone- so why not those with cancer? Today, Dr. Silver’s using her experience as both doctor and patient to implement rehabilitation clinics for cancer survivors in New England and beyond. Recently, Rhode Island signed on to have 20 of these clinic up and running in 2012—their goal is to have enough clinics so every cancer survivor in RI can have access to rehab.

Dr. Julie Silver is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, is a noted expert in physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry).  She’s is on the medical staff at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.  She is the co-founder of Oncology Rehab, an innovative healthcare company breaking new ground in the field of cancer care.