Dr. Hance Clarke | Pain Lab

Dr. Hance Clarke is a staff anesthesiologist and the Medical Director of the Pain Research Unit in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management at the Toronto General Hospital. In 2013, Hance completed his PhD in the Royal College Clinical Investigator Program at the Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto. His research interests include evaluating the efficacy of preventive analgesia, identifying novel acute pain treatments following major surgery, identifying the factors involved in the transition of acute postsurgical pain to chronic pain, studying the genetics of acute and chronic pain after coronary artery bypass graft surgery and thoracic surgery, and identifying risk factors associated with continued opioid use and poor health related quality of life after major surgery.

Selected Awards

MEMBERSHIPS/AWARDS:

• 2012: Canadian Pain Society: Clinical Pain Management Fellowship Award
• 2011: Physicians' Services Incorporated Foundation Award – Principal-Investigator
• 2010: Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto: Merit Award
• 2009: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) PhD Fellowship Award
• 2009: National Institutes of Health Award – Co-Investigator
• 2008: University of Toronto Centre For The Study of Pain Clinician Scientist Award
• 2007: Pfizer Neuropathic Pain Award – Principal Investigator
• 2007: Physicians' Services Incorporated Foundation Award – Co-Investigator
• 2007: The Carroll A Laurin Award – Co-Investigator
• 2007: Sunnybrook Practice based Research Award – Co-Investigator
• 2007: Smiths Canada Ltd Research Award in Pain Research and/or Regional Anesthesia – Co-Investigator
• 2006: Sunnybrook Practice Based Research Award – Co-Investigator
• 2005: Physicians' Services Incorporated Foundation Award – Principal Investigator

Selected Publications

Hance A. Clarke, Robert Bonin, Beverley Orser, Marina Englesakis, Duminda Wijeysundera, and Joel Katz. The prevention of chronic postsurgical pain using gabapentin and pregabalin: A combined systematic review and meta-analysis. Anesthesia and Analgesia. August 2012, 115 (2):428-442.
Joel Katz, Hance A. Clarke, and Ze’ev Seltzer. Preventive analgesia: Quo Vadimus? Anesthesia and Analgesia. November 2011, 113 (5):1242-53.
Hance A. Clarke, Linda J. Woodhouse, Deborah Kennedy, Paul Stratford, and Joel Katz. Strategies aimed at preventing chronic post-surgical pain: Comprehensive perioperative pain management after total joint replacement surgery. Physiotherapy Canada, July 2011, 63 (3):289-304. doi:10.3138/ptc.2009-49P (link)
Valery Kleiman, Hance A. Clarke, and Joel Katz. Sensitivity to Pain Traumatization: A higher-order factor underlying pain-related anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and anxiety sensitivity in patients scheduled for major surgery. Pain Research and Management, May – June 2011, 16 (3):167-77. (link)
Hance A. Clarke, Tony Chandy, Coimbatore Srinivas, Salima Ladak, Nobuhiko Okubo, Nicholas Mitsakakis, Susan Holtzman, David Grant, Stuart A. McCluskey and Joel Katz. Epidural Analgesia provides better pain management after live liver donation – A retrospective review. Liver Transplantation, March 2011, 17(3):315-23.
Hance A. Clarke, Sara Pereira, Deborah Kennedy, Jeffrey Andrion, Nicholas Mitsakakis, Jeffrey Gollish, Joel Katz, Joseph Kay. Gabapentin added to a multimodal regimen with spinal anesthesia does not reduce acute pain, opioid consumption or chronic pain up to six months after total hip arthroplasty. Acta Anesthesiologica Scandinavica, Sept 2009, 53 (8):1073-83.
Hance A. Clarke, Sara Pereira, Deborah Kennedy, Ian Gilron, Jeffrey Gollish, Joel Katz, Joseph Kay. Gabapentin decreases morphine consumption and improves functional recovery following Total Knee Arthroplasty. Pain Research and Management, May – June 2009, 14 (3):217-22. doi:10.1016/j.acpain.2009.10.008 (link)