Millennium Research Institute Announces 2012 Educational Initiatives

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Research Institute (MRI), a national nonprofit research center, announced today its planned educational initiatives for 2012. Through a series of programs including Continuing Medical Education (CME) seminars, research presentations at major pain conferences and other educational events, MRI will continue to execute on its mission to advance pain management and treatment outcomes through research, education and advocacy.

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CME events co-sponsored by MRI are designed to engage healthcare professionals (HCPs) in discussion about optimal pain care while minimizing potential misuse and abuse of prescription pain medications, which has quickly become one of the most pervasive issues in the dialogue on healthcare and the economy today. These seminars will allow HCPs to learn how to balance good clinical care with increasingly restrictive regulatory considerations.

The first in a series of CME seminars in 2012 are scheduled this month in Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn., two cities largely impacted by prescription pain medication misuse. These educational seminars will engage HCPs in dialogue about the key issues impacting pain management care and review best practices in patient-centered risk management. Later this year, CME seminars are planned for Ohio and Texas. Additional details on these seminars and other upcoming educational events can be found at www.millenniumresearchinstitute.org.

"Educating the medical community on safe prescribing practices for pain management is critical to ensure that the best quality of care is provided to patients suffering with pain," said Steven Passik Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt Medical Center. "With Tennessee being one of the hardest hit states in the country – where every two days a person dies from abusing prescription drugs – there is a tremendous need for healthcare professionals to adopt appropriate therapeutic monitoring regimens when treating patients with pain."

In addition to educational seminars, MRI plans to attend and present research posters and abstracts at several key pain conferences in 2012, including the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Pain Society and PAINWeek^®. Building on MRI's more than 65 published peer-review journal articles and research poster presentations, the upcoming presentations will further validate the importance of medication monitoring in pain care.   

"Through our collaborative research and educational initiatives, we bring together medical, legal and regulatory thought leaders to address some of the most pressing issues facing our industry today, including how we can help minimize the potential misuse and abuse of prescription pain medications," said Kathy Egan City, President and Executive Director of MRI. "If we can better understand the medication-taking behaviors of the population of patients with pain, we can contribute to the body of knowledge that informs prescribers' clinical decision making in pain management and help assure that the intended consequences of the regulations are maintained."

About the Millennium Research Institute (MRI)

As part of the company's commitment to pain management research and education, Millennium Laboratories established the Millennium Research Institute. The Millennium Research Institute is a national research center that conducts and disseminates original research as well as collaborates with other researchers focused on improving the experiences of people suffering from pain and pain-related disorders. The Institute maintains several national academic partnerships and supports collaborative research by accessing Millennium Laboratories' de-identified database representing the U.S. pain population.

With world-class scientific researchers, laboratory experts and toxicologists led by Principal Investigator Amadeo J. Pesce, Ph.D., the Millennium Research Institute is focused on promoting excellence in the treatment of pain and minimizing the suffering and social consequences of prescription drug abuse, addiction, and diversion. In addition, Millennium Laboratories' psychologists, psychiatrists, pharmacists and allied health professionals further the Institute's goals through medical education programs and advocacy of national standards and guidelines to assure safe prescribing practices. For more information, visit the website www.millenniumresearchinstitute.org.

SOURCE Millennium Research Institute