Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Holding a Chair in Population Health Science, Blair is an academic general practitioner, currently also practising clinically as a Consultant in Pain Medicine, NHS Tayside. He is also Clinical Co-director of Tayside Clinical Trials Unit. Graduating at the Universities of Glasgow (MBChB, 1987) and Aberdeen (MEd Distinction 1998; MD 2000), he held an NHS Primary Care Career Scientist Award (2000 to 2005) and was Professor of Primary Care Medicine at the University of Aberdeen until 2011.
His research on chronic pain and neuropathic pain has been published widely, specifically studying its epidemiology, primary care management and self-management. He is a Chief Investigator on Generation Scotland, a major programme for studying genetics and health, with over 30,000 volunteer participants. He is now actively exploring the opportunities that this and other collaborations bring to researching the biological mechanisms of chronic pain, from the laboratory to the community. He has established the Chronic Pain Research Group at the University of Dundee, based in the Division of Population Health and Genomics.
He is Past Chair of the International Association for the Study of Pain Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group (NeuPSIG), and Co-chair of their Global Alliance of Pain Patient Advocates. He was formerly Treasurer of the Society for Academic Primary Care, and sat on the Editorial Board of the British Journal of General Practice, both from 1997 to 2007. He chaired the NHS Scotland / SGHD Chronic Pain Steering Group until June 2011, and established its Research Subgroup and the Scottish Pain Research Community (SPaRC). He was appointed to his current post in August 2011.
Blair was appointed on 1 May 2014 to the post of Lead Clinician for Chronic Pain working with the Scottish Government, and is Specialty Adviser to the Chief Medical Officer. He aims to facilitate improvement in the management of pain, in an evidence-based yet practical way.
In 2017, Blair received the award for Best Postgraduate Supervisor from the Dundee University Students' Association. In 2018, he was awarded the British Pain Society Medal and Annual Lecture, for "outstanding contribution to the field of pain". He was listed by Clarivate as a "Highly Cited Researcher" in the Web of Science Report, 2020.
Education/Academic qualification
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Award Date: 1 Jun 2001
Doctor of Medicine, University of Aberdeen
Award Date: 1 Jan 2000
Master of Education, University of Aberdeen
Award Date: 1 Jan 1998
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 1 Jan 1987
External positions
Specialty Adviser to Chief Medical Officer, Scottish Government
1 Sep 2016 → …National Lead Clinician for Chronic Pain, Scottish Government
1 Apr 2014 → …Consultant in Pain Medicine, NHS Tayside
1 Apr 2013 → …Surgeon Lieutenant Commander
2000 → 2005Keywords
- R Medicine (General)
- Chronic pain
- Primary Care Medicine
- RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Genetic epidemiology
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Network
Projects
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SHARE (Joint with University of Edinburgh)
Belch, J., George, J., Palmer, C., Smith, B. & Sullivan, F.
1/01/13 → 1/04/22
Project: Research
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Research output
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Assessing the impact of SIGN 136 on opioid prescribing rates in Scotland: An interrupted time series analysis
Hebert, H. L., Morales, D. R., Torrance, N., Smith, B. H. & Colvin, L. A., 23 Feb 2021, In: medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences. 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access -
Classification algorithm for the ICD-11 chronic pain classification (CAL-CP): Development and results from a preliminary pilot evaluation
Korwisi, B., Hay, G., Attal, N., Aziz, Q., Bennett, M. I., Benoliel, R., Cohen, M., Evers, S., Giamberardino, M. A., Kaasa, S., Kosek, E., Lavandʼhomme, P., Nicholas, M., Perrot, S., Schug, S., Smith, B. H., Svensson, P., Vlaeyen, J. W. S., Wang, S-J., Treede, R-D. & 2 others, , 20 Jan 2021, In: Pain.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Drugs for chronic pain: we still need them
Smith, B. H., Colvin, L., Donaldson-Bruce, A. & Birt, A., Apr 2021, In: British Journal of General Practice. 71, 705, p. 172 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Drugs for Chronic Pain - We Still Need Them
Smith, B. H., Colvin, L. A., Donaldson-Bruce, A. & Birt, A., 2 Feb 2021, BJGP Life.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Examination of the clinical factors associated with attendance at emergency departments for chronic pain management and the cost of treatment relative to that of other significant medical conditions
Higgins, C., Smith, B. H. & Colvin, L., Mar 2021, In: Pain. 162, 3, p. 886-894 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Prizes
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Best Postgraduate Supervisor
Smith, Blair (Recipient), Jun 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Press / Media
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Update to opioid section of SIN 136: Management of Chronic Pain
21/08/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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How to work out in midlife… when everything hurts
27/01/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Inspiring teacher honoured with Student-led Teaching Award
31/08/17
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Teaching
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How genetics can uncover links in chronic pain and other conditions
23/02/17
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research