AAPM members are invited to nominate fellow members for our monthly AAPM Member Focus feature by filling out the form found here. Below is this month’s focus member.


The AAPM Member Focus nominee for February 2023 is R. Norman Harden, M.D. 

Dr. Harden is a long-standing AAPM member and contributor, currently serving as the Research Committee Co-Chair and Deputy Editor of the Pain Medicine journal.  

He is the Professor Emeritus of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. His primary research is on the diagnosis and treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. 

Dr.Harden’s decades of research experience have contributed to the development of pain management strategies for a wide range of clinical pain conditions, including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, pain in rehabilitation diagnoses, and Myofascial Pain Syndrome. Under his guidance, the International Research Consortium for CRPS conducts pharmacological and non-pharmacological trials, leading researchers in the development and validation of novel pain therapies. As an academic and researcher, he has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles, numerous abstracts, and contributed chapters to several books advancing studies in his areas of expertise. 

Dr. Harden obtained his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia before pursuing his internship in Internal Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he also went on to complete his residency in Neurology. He completed  his Fellowship in Pain Control and Rehabilitation at Emory University. He has conducted 3 observerships at NIH under Dr Bennett. 

Robert W. Hurley, M.D., Ph.D., FASA, Editor-in-Chief of Pain Medicine, reflects on Dr. Harden’s AAPM membership and contributions to the organization:

“Dr. Harden has many years of service to AAPM, including committee chairs, active committee memberships, and one term on the Board of Directors. As Senior Editor of Pain Medicine, he is one of the leading voices in pain medicine, having developed and run several prominent pain management programs, including the Center for Pain Studies. His work has had far-reaching implications and continues to expand our understanding of the causes of chronic pain.”

To view Dr. Harden’s full CV, visit his bio on the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine website.

Nominate a fellow AAPM member who exemplifies our mission to advance multidisciplinary pain care innovation, education, advocacy, and research by completing the nomination form here.