Why the International Pain Policy Fellowship?

Pain relief is a fundamental part of palliative care. Toward this end, access to opioid analgesic medicines is essential. Because opioid medicines also have a potential for non-medical use, they are controlled by international treaties and national laws. Very limited access to opioid medicines in some countries results, at least in part, from unduly strict national drug control and healthcare regulatory policies. 

Although the incidence of cancer is increasing globally, the disease burden falls disproportionately on low- and middle-income countries. Many patients in these countries lack access to the opioid medicines that the World Health Organization designates as essential medicines. This International Pain Policy Fellowship (IPPF) program, led by some of the world's experts in opioid availability, can empower motivated health professionals and policy makers to evaluate and improve their country's regulatory environment without sacrificing the security of the existing drug control system. 

The Fellows

The IPPF is intended for health professionals (e.g., physicians, pharmacists), healthcare administrators, policy experts, social workers, or lawyers from low- and middle-income countries who have an interest in improving availability of opioid medicines for pain relief and palliative care. 

Fellows are chosen through a rigorous application process that includes a review of their curriculum vitae, experience in research, potential for successful change in the country, and support from their employer. Fellows are encouraged to identify a government representative from the Ministry of Health (or its equivalent) to support their IPPF activities and attend the initial training workshops. Fellows are provided a modest stipend to commit a portion of their professional time to IPPF activities. 

There have been four cohorts of Fellows, comprising 30 individuals from 25 countries.

After the Fellowship

After completing the IPPF, several Fellows have become members of the IPPF International Expert Committee, a select group of professionals with expertise in opioid availability. In that capacity, they have served as mentors to subsequent Fellows.

Within their home countries, many of the Fellows developed a reputation as champions for access to opioid medicines, have published articles about their work, attended international meetings on forming policy, and successfully advocated for positive changes in the laws and regulations in their countries.

Fellows have described the knowledge and experience gained through the IPPF as career-changing and many have continued to pursue their work to address barriers to opioid availability, long after their formal program involvement had ended.