This webinar is being produced through a collaboration of the IASP's Pain and Placebo Special Interest Group and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA - in particular - the University of Maryland School of Nursing's Placebo Beyond Opinions Organized Research Center. Both groups are aligned on advancing unbiased knowledge of placebo effects by promoting interdisciplinary investigation of the placebo phenomenon and nurturing placebo research.

Please note that this webinar is unique in that it is being hosted (both in-personal and virtually) by the University of Maryland. 

Join us for the Placebo Beyond Opinions Center guest lecture hybrid series. The series will explore the roles of neuroscience, empathy and the placebo effect in the management of chronic pain. This lecture on "The Expanding Role of Empathy in Placebo Biology: Why Should We Care?" is presented by Leonard Calabrese, DO.

Calabrese is a Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair of the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases and the Co-director of the Centre for Vasculitis Care and Research. He also serves as Director of the RJ Fasenmyer Centre for Clinical Immunology at the Cleveland Clinic. He also holds appointments in the Department of Infectious Diseases and the Wellness Institute. He has particular interest in vascular inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, primary and secondary immunodeficiency states and the intersection of infections and autoimmunity. Over the course of his academic research career, Professor Calabrese has authored over 500 publications including book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles.

*If you would like to receive CE credit for attending this webinar, Register Here

This webinar will take place on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 at 7:00 a.m. EDT

Free to IASP Members; $25.00 for non-members

This 90-minute webinar, hosted by the Social Aspects of Pain SIG, will showcase cutting-edge research examining how social factors shape the experience, assessment, and management of pain. The session will feature brief (10-minute) presentations from early-, mid-, and senior-career scholars highlighting new empirical, theoretical, and review-based work (unpublished, under review, published within the past 6 months) related to social determinants and consequences, interpersonal processes, stigma, communication, and sociocultural influences on pain. Each presentation will be followed by a structured, open discussion led by an expert panel of lived experience experts, clinicians, and researchers. Presentations will be evaluated by the expert panel using predefined criteria (including scientific rigor, clarity of communication, implications for research, and relevance to clinical practice). Top-rated presenters will be recognized, and the highest-rated early-career scholar will receive a monetary award. This event is designed to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue and promote the translation of social-related pain science into meaningful clinical, educational, and policy-relevant insights.

We also invite members of the SIG to participate in this session as presenters. Individuals interested in presenting their work aligned with the webinar theme should submit a 200-word abstract (including title, background/aims, methods or approach, key insights, and conclusions) to the SIG Co-Chairs Adam Hirsh (athirsh@iu.edu) and Joanna McParland (j.mcparland@gcu.ac.uk) by 31 March 2026. The SIG Executive Committee will review submissions for relevance to the session topic, and selected presenters will be notified by mid-April.