W. Michael Hooten, M.D.

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SUMMARY

The clinical research conducted by W. Michael Hooten, M.D., relates to chronic pain. Dr. Hooten, an anesthesiologist and board-certified pain medicine specialist, focuses his research on chronic pain-related alterations in pain perception, the genomics of chronic pain and the clinical factors of unintended prolonged opioid use.

Focus areas

Dr. Hooten has several specific research focus areas:

• The bidirectional relationship, such as shared neural mechanisms, between chronic pain and mental health disorders.
• Chronic pain and the risk of depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, suicide and tobacco smoking.
• The biopsychosocial model of pain.
• Risk factors for unintended prolonged opioid use.
• Alterations in pain perception associated with chronic pain.
• Evidence-based pain medicine, with an emphasis on systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Significance to patient care

Dr. Hooten hopes that his research helps care teams learn more about who is likely to keep using opioid pain medicines when they no longer need to. This information also can help care teams offer support and treatment to help prevent unneeded opioid use. Doctors also may be able to use information about how genes affect chronic pain to choose treatments that work better for each person.

Professional highlights

• Section editor and editorial board member, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2013-present.
• President, American Academy of Pain Medicine, 2021-2022.