I am professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. At the University of Washington, I am endowed professor for medical education and research and director of the interventional pain program. My expertise is in pain management, education and research. The University of Washington has a distinguished history in pain medicine. The first multidisciplinary pain clinic and the first acute pain service in the world were created at the University of Washington; they have provided the model for thousands of pain clinics worldwide. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and the American Pain Society (APS) were founded by the former chair of the Department of Anesthesia, Dr. John Bonica.After receiving my M.D. at the University of Messina in Italy, I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Aalborg in Denmark. Clinical leadership roles include a 16-years activity as chief of the Division of Pain Therapy in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Therapy at the University of Bern, Switzerland, where I have been for 2.5 years interim chair of the department.Having published over 200 publications, my research focuses mainly on studying nociceptive processes in humans to improve our understanding of pain and facilitate the development and evaluation of treatments. I was one of the initiators of the field of ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures. My research has been supported in Switzerland by the Swiss Science National Foundation, the Federal Funding Agency, and currently in the USA by several grants from the National Institute of Health. I have been awarded several prizes for my scientific work, a honorary doctorate at the University of Aalborg, Denmark, and a honorary membership of the Swiss Pain Society.With an extensive experience in university teaching and mentoring, I was invited to hold over 300 lectures, courses and workshops in national and international meetings. I have served as reviewer for multiple high ranked scientific journals, funding agencies and external academic institutions. Current journal editorial responsibilities include membership in the editorial board of Pain, and role as section editor of the European Journal of Pain and the Scandinavian Journal of Pain.