Lascelles wins AAVMC research honor for pain science: full analysis
Dr. B. Duncan X. Lascelles of NC State University has received the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges’ 2026 Excellence in Research Award, a recognition reserved for researchers whose work has made a substantial scholarly and practical impact on veterinary medicine. The award puts a national spotlight on a career centered on one of small-animal practice’s most persistent clinical problems: identifying and managing pain in patients that can’t describe what they’re feeling. (news.cvm.ncsu.edu)
Lascelles’ recognition didn’t come out of nowhere. For more than two decades at NC State, he has built a research program around translational pain science, especially in naturally occurring disease in companion animals. According to NC State, his team studies the underlying neurobiology of pain while also developing ways to measure and control it in dogs and cats. That work has extended from perioperative pain to chronic musculoskeletal disease, especially osteoarthritis, an area where underdiagnosis has long been a problem, particularly in cats. (news.cvm.ncsu.edu)
AAVMC’s own criteria for the Excellence in Research Award emphasize originality, innovative methodology, scientific leadership, and mentoring. Those benchmarks help explain why Lascelles was selected. NC State says he has authored more than 270 peer-reviewed papers and reviews, more than 330 research abstracts, and about 30 book chapters. His work has also helped create practical tools for the clinic and for studies, including owner-completed and observer-based pain assessments. NC State’s pain assessment resources point clinicians to instruments for feline osteoarthritis pain, while the 2019 Scientific Reports paper on the Feline Grimace Scale helped validate a facial-expression-based approach to acute pain assessment in cats. (news.cvm.ncsu.edu)
The broader significance of that work is that it has narrowed the gap between pain science and day-to-day practice. In a review co-authored by Lascelles, researchers noted that chronic maladaptive pain in cats remains difficult to diagnose and treat, despite growing understanding of the underlying biology. His research and related NC State programs have aimed to make that problem more measurable, whether through clinical metrology instruments, activity monitoring, sensory testing, or structured observational scales. That same translational framework has also been tied to drug development, including NC State’s role in research supporting the first FDA-approved treatment for osteoarthritis pain in cats. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
NC State’s announcement included strong institutional praise, with Dean Kate Meurs saying Lascelles changed the field by tackling a time when veterinarians lacked reliable ways to assess pain in animals. The university also quoted veterinary behaviorist Dr. Margaret Gruen, who described him as a trailblazer in pain research and in educating pet parents. AAVMC, in announcing its 2026 award recipients on February 11, 2026, framed the honor as recognition for excellence in original research, leadership in the scientific community, and mentoring of trainees and colleagues. (news.cvm.ncsu.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinarians, this award is a reminder that pain medicine is no longer a side conversation in companion-animal care. It’s central to welfare, client trust, adherence, and long-term case management. Lascelles’ career has helped move the profession toward more systematic pain recognition, especially in cats, where behavior changes can be subtle and easily dismissed by pet parents or even clinicians. Better pain assessment tools don’t just improve research endpoints; they can sharpen diagnosis, support treatment selection, and make follow-up conversations more concrete in general practice, surgery, rehabilitation, and specialty care. (news.cvm.ncsu.edu)
There’s also a larger industry angle. Companion animals with naturally occurring disease are increasingly seen as relevant translational models for human pain research, particularly because rodent models haven’t always predicted clinical analgesic success well. That means work like Lascelles’ sits at the intersection of veterinary care, comparative medicine, and biopharma development. For academic veterinary medicine, the award also reinforces the value of research programs that produce both publishable science and tools clinicians can actually use. (frontiersin.org)
What to watch: Lascelles is being honored during AAVMC’s Catalyze 2026 meeting in Washington, D.C.; from here, the bigger question is how quickly pain assessment advances, especially in feline and osteoarthritis care, continue to translate into wider clinical adoption, guideline evolution, and new therapeutics. (news.cvm.ncsu.edu)