The USF College of Nursing is pleased to host Ellen M. Lavoie Smith, PhD, APRN, AOCN^®, FAAN, who will present “Bedside to Bench to Bedside: Managing Painful Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy” at noon on Tuesday, March 5, in MDN 2005. 

Dr. Smith is an associate professor and director of the PhD program at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Her program of research is focused on improving the assessment and treatment of chronic, cancer-related neuropathic pain, with a specialty focus in painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. 

She has received independent research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Oncology Nursing Society, the American Cancer Society, Dartmouth, and the University of Michigan. Dr. Smith conducted a cross-sectional study evaluating the clinimetric properties of peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain measurement approaches. She also completed an Oncology Nursing Society-funded study focused on utilizing quality improvement methodology to improve neuropathic pain management in cancer patients. 

Dr. Smith recently completed a national multisite research trial through the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB 170601). This was the first large randomized, placebo-controlled trial to reveal an effective intervention (duloxetine) for painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Her findings on the “Effect of duloxetine on pain, function, and quality of life among patients with chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy” were featured in the JAMA Report (April 3, 2013). In addition, a television clip highlighting this study was aired on 183 television stations throughout the United States and was viewed by more than 17 million viewers, with another 82 million viewing the video clip online. It was also covered in a video segment by Sanjay Gupta, MD.