Dr. Ronen Shechter, an Assistant Professor of Pain Medicine, joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins in January of 2012. He actually has taken on three roles within the hospital. In the operating room he delivers anesthesia and cares for patients undergoing general surgery. He also works on the Acute Pain Service, which actively manages pain before, during, and after a patient undergoes surgery. Finally, he works in the Blaustein Pain Treatment Center, where he sees all types of patients with chronic, debilitating pain. In this role, he performs a variety of nerve blocks, joint injections, and nerve ablation techniques. However, he is interested not just in reducing pain, but also, more importantly, in improving the function and quality of life of his patients.

In his pursuit of improving patients’ lives, Dr. Shechter would like to initiate a more multidisciplinary approach to pain treatment. Chronic pain can be more than a physical manifestation. It can be associated with depression, anxiety, and difficulty in performing daily tasks. Therefore, he thinks that including psychologic and physical therapy practitioners in treatment plans could help patients return to a more satisfying lifestyle. In time, he hopes to be able to build teams of doctors who will help patients set realistic goals, reduce opioid medication usage, and live fulfilling lives that do not focus on pain.

Education

Dr. Shechter earned his medical degree in 1999 at The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, Israel. In the U.S., he completed a residency in Anesthesiology (2009) and a pain fellowship ( 2010) at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. From 2012 to 2013, he conducted postdoctoral research training at Johns Hopkins University on a training grant from the National Institutes of Health.