Edge Rewrite
location Source code View original
// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a44ef5259bc31709

Jump to content

Draft:Steven P. Cohen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steven P. Cohen
MD
Born
Steven Paul Cohen
Academic background
EducationIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Academic work
Institutions

Steven Paul Cohen was first author of the 2021 Lancet review "Chronic pain: an update on burden, best practices, and new advances" and a co-author of the journal's 2018 low back pain series.[1][2] A 2008 randomized trial he led in Anesthesiology tested lateral-branch radiofrequency ablation for sacroiliac joint pain.[3] In 2019 he was senior author of a Congress-mandated trial in Annals of Internal Medicine that found compounded topical pain creams no better than placebo. JAMA ran a clinical-trials note on the result.[4][5][6]

He is the Edmond I. Eger Professor of Anesthesiology and vice chair of research and pain medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and director of pain research at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.[7][8] He was chief of pain medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2014. He moved to Northwestern in 2024.[9][7] He has been president of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine since 2025.[10] A retired colonel in the United States Army, he was deployed four times in support of operations in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.[7][8]

Education

[edit]

Cohen received his M.D. from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 1989.[11] He completed an internship in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, an anesthesiology residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia campus) in 1993, and a pain medicine fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2000.[11][12] He holds American Board of Anesthesiology certificates in anesthesiology and pain medicine.[11]

Career

[edit]

Cohen has written that he entered active Army duty in 1993.[13] He joined the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine faculty in 2004 and was chief of pain medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2014.[14][9] He moved to Northwestern in 2024.[7] During the Johns Hopkins years he was also listed as director of pain research at Walter Reed and as a professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; both appointments continued after the move.[7][9]

In summer 2024 Feinberg named him the inaugural Edmond I. Eger Professor of Anesthesiology and vice chair of research and pain medicine, with additional appointments in neurology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and neurological surgery.[7] He practices at the Northwestern Medicine Anesthesiology/Pain Medicine Center in Chicago.[11]

ASRA Pain Medicine lists him as president for 2025–2027, succeeding David Provenzano.[10] He joined the pain-medicine editorial board of Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2019.[9]

Research

[edit]

Compounded topical creams

[edit]

The 2019 Annals of Internal Medicine trial enrolled 399 patients with localized neuropathic, nociceptive, or mixed pain at a military treatment facility. Creams compounded from ketamine, gabapentin, clonidine, lidocaine, ketoprofen, baclofen, cyclobenzaprine, or diclofenac did not beat placebo on average pain scores at one month. The authors wrote that routine use should be curtailed given cost.[4] Johns Hopkins Medicine described the study as federally funded and mandated by Congress.[5]

JAMA summarized the paper under the heading "Compounded Pain Creams Offer No Benefit."[6] Medscape carried the same finding.[15]

Sacroiliac joint

[edit]

The 2008 Anesthesiology trial randomized 28 patients with injection-diagnosed sacroiliac joint pain. Fourteen received cooled radiofrequency denervation of the L4–L5 dorsal rami and S1–S3 lateral branches; fourteen received a sham procedure after a local-anesthetic block. At one, three, and six months, 11, 9, and 8 treated patients (79%, 64%, and 57%) had at least 50% pain relief. Two sham patients improved at one month and none at three months. By one year, two treated patients still met that threshold.[3]

A 2024 multicenter trial in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine assigned 210 patients to cooled radiofrequency ablation or standard medical management. At three months, mean numeric pain scores had fallen 2.5 points after ablation and 0.4 points with usual care. Responder rates were 52.3% and 4.3%.[16]

Reviews and ketamine guidelines

[edit]

Cohen, Lene Vase, and W. Michael Hooten wrote the 2021 Lancet chronic-pain review.[1] He is a listed author on the 2018 series paper on prevention and treatment of low back pain and a senior author on the 2021 Lancet seminar "Low back pain."[2][17]

He was lead author of 2018 consensus guidelines from ASRA, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists on intravenous ketamine infusions for chronic pain. The paper reviewed indications, including complex regional pain syndrome and spinal cord injury pain, and stated that much of the evidence came from small or poorly blinded studies.[18][19]

Wartime pain and evacuation

[edit]

In 2007 Ron L. White and Cohen reported on a forward-deployed pain treatment center. Over six months they treated 132 patients, 113 of them coalition forces. Lumbar radiculopathy was the most common diagnosis. The return-to-duty rate among coalition patients was 94.7%.[20]

A 2010 Lancet cohort on medical evacuations from Iraq and Afghanistan listed musculoskeletal disorders, combat injuries, neurological diagnoses, psychiatric diagnoses, and spinal pain among the leading reasons for leaving theater. Spinal pain predicted a lower chance of returning to duty.[21] In a 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine study of 1,410 service members evacuated for a primary diagnosis of back pain between 2004 and 2007, the return-to-unit rate was 13%.[22]

Johns Hopkins faculty materials have associated that research with the Military Pain Care Act of 2008 (H.R. 5465), a House bill that would have required a Department of Defense pain-care initiative. The bill text does not name him.[14][23]

In a November 2025 Chicago magazine interview he described chairing a 2024 pain conference in Ukraine and work on post-amputation pain among wounded soldiers.[8]

Military service

[edit]

Cohen is a retired Army colonel. Feinberg and the 2025 Chicago interview state that he deployed four times in support of operations in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.[7][8]

Selected publications

[edit]
  • Cohen, Steven P.; Hurley, Robert W.; Buckenmaier, Chester C. (2008). "Randomized placebo-controlled study evaluating lateral branch radiofrequency denervation for sacroiliac joint pain". Anesthesiology. 109 (2): 279–288. doi:10.1097/ALN.0b013e31817f4c7c. PMID 18648237.
  • White, Ron L.; Cohen, Steven P. (2007). "Return-to-duty Rates among Coalition Forces Treated in a Forward-deployed Pain Treatment Center: A Prospective Observational Study". Anesthesiology. 107 (6): 1003–1008. doi:10.1097/01.anes.0000290605.55736.e1. PMID 18043069.
  • Cohen, Steven P.; Nguyen, Conner; Kapoor, Shruti G. (2009). "Back pain during war: an analysis of factors affecting outcome". Archives of Internal Medicine. 169 (20): 1916–1923. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.380. PMID 19901146.
  • Cohen, Steven P.; Brown, Conner; Kurihara, Connie (2010). "Diagnoses and factors associated with medical evacuation and return to duty for service members participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom: a prospective cohort study". The Lancet. 375 (9711): 301–309. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61797-9. PMID 20109957.
  • Cohen, Steven P.; Bhatia, Anuj; Buvanendran, Asokumar (2018). "Consensus Guidelines on the Use of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions for Chronic Pain From the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists". Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 43 (5): 521–546. doi:10.1097/AAP.0000000000000808. PMID 29870458.
  • Foster, Nadine E.; Anema, Johannes R.; Cherkin, Dan; Chou, Roger; Cohen, Steven P. (2018). "Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions". The Lancet. 391 (10137): 2368–2383. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30489-6. PMID 29510725.
  • Brutcher, Robert E.; Kurihara, Connie; Bicket, Mark C.; et al. (2019). "Compounded Topical Pain Creams to Treat Localized Chronic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial". Annals of Internal Medicine. 170 (5): 309–318. doi:10.7326/M18-2730. PMID 30716769.
  • Cohen, Steven P.; Vase, Lene; Hooten, W. Michael (2021). "Chronic pain: an update on burden, best practices, and new advances". The Lancet. 397 (10289): 2082–2097. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00393-7. PMID 34062143.
  • Knezevic, Nebojsa Nick; Candido, Kenneth D.; Vlaeyen, Johan W. S.; Van Zundert, Jan; Cohen, Steven P. (2021). "Low back pain". The Lancet. 398 (10294): 78–92. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00733-9. PMID 34115979.
  • Cohen, Steven P.; Kapural, Leonardo; Kohan, Lynn (2024). "Cooled radiofrequency ablation versus standard medical management for chronic sacroiliac joint pain: a multicenter, randomized comparative effectiveness study". Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 49 (3): 184–191. doi:10.1136/rapm-2023-104568. PMID 37429623.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Cohen, Steven P.; Vase, Lene; Hooten, W. Michael (2021). "Chronic pain: an update on burden, best practices, and new advances". The Lancet. 397 (10289): 2082–2097. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00393-7. PMID 34062143.
  2. 1 2 Foster, Nadine E.; Anema, Johannes R.; Cherkin, Dan; Chou, Roger; Cohen, Steven P. (2018). "Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions". The Lancet. 391 (10137): 2368–2383. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30489-6. PMID 29510725.
  3. 1 2 Cohen, Steven P.; Hurley, Robert W.; Buckenmaier, Chester C. (August 2008). "Randomized placebo-controlled study evaluating lateral branch radiofrequency denervation for sacroiliac joint pain". Anesthesiology. 109 (2): 279–288. doi:10.1097/ALN.0b013e31817f4c7c. PMID 18648237.
  4. 1 2 Brutcher, Robert E.; Kurihara, Connie; Bicket, Mark C.; et al. (2019). "Compounded Topical Pain Creams to Treat Localized Chronic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial". Annals of Internal Medicine. 170 (5): 309–318. doi:10.7326/M18-2730. PMID 30716769.
  5. 1 2 "Research pushes back on benefits of compounded topical pain creams" (Press release). Johns Hopkins Medicine. February 4, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Slomski, Anita (March 26, 2019). "Compounded Pain Creams Offer No Benefit". JAMA. 321 (12): 1149. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.2496.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Advancing Pain Medicine Through Innovative Treatments and Precision Care". Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine News Center. August 20, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "The Relief Corps". Chicago. Tribune Publishing. November 12, 2025. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Steven P. Cohen, MD". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "History". ASRA Pain Medicine. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Steven P. Cohen, MD". Northwestern Medicine. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Dr. Steven P. Cohen, MD". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  13. ↑ Cohen, Steven P. (November 9, 2025). "President's Message: Around-the-Clock Commitment: ASRA Pain Medicine in Action". ASRA Pain Medicine. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Steven Cohen, MD". Johns Hopkins Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  15. ↑ Citroner, George W. (February 4, 2019). "Compounded Pain Creams No Better Than Placebo". Medscape. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  16. ↑ Cohen, Steven P.; Kapural, Leonardo; Kohan, Lynn (2024). "Cooled radiofrequency ablation versus standard medical management for chronic sacroiliac joint pain: a multicenter, randomized comparative effectiveness study". Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 49 (3): 184–191. doi:10.1136/rapm-2023-104568. PMID 37429623.
  17. ↑ Knezevic, Nebojsa Nick; Candido, Kenneth D.; Vlaeyen, Johan W. S.; Van Zundert, Jan; Cohen, Steven P. (2021). "Low back pain". The Lancet. 398 (10294): 78–92. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00733-9. PMID 34115979.
  18. ↑ Cohen, Steven P.; Bhatia, Anuj; Buvanendran, Asokumar (2018). "Consensus Guidelines on the Use of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions for Chronic Pain From the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists". Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 43 (5): 521–546. doi:10.1097/AAP.0000000000000808. PMID 29870458.
  19. ↑ "ASRA, AAPM, and ASA Release First IV Ketamine Infusion Guidelines For Chronic Pain". MedCentral. September 7, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  20. ↑ White, Ron L.; Cohen, Steven P. (December 2007). "Return-to-duty Rates among Coalition Forces Treated in a Forward-deployed Pain Treatment Center: A Prospective Observational Study". Anesthesiology. 107 (6): 1003–1008. doi:10.1097/01.anes.0000290605.55736.e1. PMID 18043069.
  21. ↑ Cohen, Steven P.; Brown, Conner; Kurihara, Connie (2010). "Diagnoses and factors associated with medical evacuation and return to duty for service members participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom: a prospective cohort study". The Lancet. 375 (9711): 301–309. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61797-9. PMID 20109957.
  22. ↑ Cohen, Steven P.; Nguyen, Conner; Kapoor, Shruti G. (November 9, 2009). "Back pain during war: an analysis of factors affecting outcome". Archives of Internal Medicine. 169 (20): 1916–1923. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.380. PMID 19901146.
  23. ↑ "H.R. 5465 (110th): Military Pain Care Act of 2008". GovTrack. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
[edit]

Category:Living people Category:American anesthesiologists Category:American medical researchers Category:Johns Hopkins School of Medicine faculty Category:Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences faculty Category:Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai alumni Category:Massachusetts General Hospital people Category:United States Army colonels Category:American military doctors Category:21st-century American physicians

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:Steven_P._Cohen&oldid=1376135954"