School of Medicine’s David Watson appointed to the American Medical Association Opioid Task Force

David Watson, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurology, was recently appointed to serve as the American Academy of Neurology’s representative on the American Medical Association Opioid Task Force.

Dr. Watson earned his medical degree from the WVU School of Medicine and completed residency training in neurology and a fellowship in headache medicine at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of the Government Relations Committee of the American Academy of Neurology and formerly served as the chair of the Grassroots Working Group. He founded and chairs Runnin’ For Research, a charitable organization dedicated to headache and migraine disorders research. He has been the recipient of numerous awards such as the Palatucci Advocate of the Year award in 2017 by the American Academy of Neurology.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has long held that preventing and reducing prescription drug misuse and diversion while ensuring access to necessary pain medication should guide policymakers as they craft solutions to address these complex problems. The AMA Opioid Task Force is a group representing a variety of medical specialties including pain management, palliative care, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, family medicine, and others, attempting to better coordinate and track the efforts of each group to help direct the AMA’s efforts related to the opioid crisis.

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