P. Maxwell Slepian

Dr. Max Slepian, Ph.D., (2019; Ohio University) is a registered clinical and health psychologist and Assistant Professor (status only) in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at University of Toronto. In addition to this role, he is a Clinician Investigator at the Krembil Research Institute, staff psychologist at the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management and GoodHope Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic, Toronto General Hospital, an Adjunct Member of the Graduate Program in Psychology, York University. Dr. Slepian came to Toronto as a postdoctoral fellow to work with Dr. Joel Katz in the Human Pain Mechanisms Laboratory and the Pain Research Unit at Toronto General Hospital, where he continues to conduct independent research today. Dr. Slepian’s research explores psychological factors and mechanisms that can protect against the negative consequences of acute and chronic pain. As a doctoral student, Dr. Slepian developed the Pain Resilience Scale (PRS) with his mentor, Dr. Christopher France. The PRS, a 14-item measure that captures an individual’s ability to maintain behavioral engagement and regulate cognitions and emotions despite pain, has been extensively validated in a series of laboratory and clinical studies. Currently, Dr. Slepian continues to explore the role of pain resilience and other psychological factors in surgical settings and test novel biobehavioral interventions for pain management. He is also interested in understanding psychophysiological mechanisms in the experience of pain, using laboratory-based methods such as quantitative sensory testing and physiological recording. His dissertation research used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, to explore emotional modulation of pain and spinal nociceptive reflexes. As a staff psychologist at Toronto General Hospital, Dr. Slepian provides clinical care and conducts research in the Transitional Pain Service, a path-breaking interdisciplinary service for the management of complex post-surgical pain, and in the GoodHope Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Clinic, the only clinic in Canada that specializes in diagnosis and management of this rare and complex connective tissue disorder. He uses evidence-based interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and clinical hypnosis, to help individuals cope, and even thrive, despite complex and painful medical conditions.