The second talk in the spring 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Lecture Series presented by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health is by Dr. Alicia Heapy of the Yale School of Medicine/Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System. Evidence supports behavioral and self-management therapies for people with chronic pain; however, there are many obstacles to their widespread implementation and uptake. Technology offers a way to address a number of such barriers. Dr. Heapy will discuss research she is leading in the Veterans Health Administration health care system on a nondrug intervention for pain—Cooperative Pain Education and Self-Management (COPES), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy based on interactive voice response technology. Chronic pain patients can access COPES from home, and it shows promise for improved pain outcomes. Dr. Heapy will also discuss how COPES fares in comparison to in-person cognitive behavioral therapy.
