Alexander Chamessian, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a 2025 recipient of the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain. He is one of two early-career leaders recognized this year by the foundation for research that demonstrates the potential to uncover new pathways to understand and treat chronic pain. Scholars receive $150,000 over three years to support their research.
(Photo: WashU Medicine)
A physician-scientist dedicated to the study, diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic pain, Chamessian recognizes the need for new therapies that can manage chronic pain without leading to dependency or misuse. Support from the Award in Pain will enable him to explore novel approaches to nonaddictive pain relief that could be safer and more effective than current options.
Since 1976, the Rita Allen Foundation has invested in more than 200 biomedical scientists in the early stages of their careers. Those scholars have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, the National Medal of Science and the Wolf Prize in Medicine, among other honors.