Find a Doctor or Practice Location

Dr. Ashburn is professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, and a Senior Fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Director of the Penn Pain Medicine Center and Co-Director of the Palliative Care Program at the Abramson Cancer Center. The focus of Dr. Ashburn's clinical practice is pain medicine and palliative care, including the medical management of patients with complex pain problems as well as the use of interventional therapy for the treatment of pain.

Medical School: University of South Alabama School of Medicine
Residency: University of Alabama Hospital
Fellowship: University of Utah Medical Center

Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy, National Academy of Hospice Physicians, National Academy of the Health Sciences, US Army, National Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), National American Academy of Pain Medicine, National American Board of Anesthesiology , National American Board of Anesthesiology, National American Medical Association, National American Pain Foundation, National American Pain Society, National American Pharmaceutical Association , National American Political Science Association, National American Society of Addiction Medicine, National American Society of Anesthesiologists, National American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, National Association for Health Services Research, National Association of Military Surgeons of the US, National City of Philadelphia, Local Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Local Food and Drug Administration, National Independence Blue Cross, Local International Anesthesia Research Society, National International Association for the Study of Pain, National International College of Hospice/Palliative Care, National Medical Outcomes Trust, National Methadone Death and Incident Review Team, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, State of Pennsylvania, Local National Hospice Organization, National National Institutes of Health, National Operation Smile, International, National Pain Care Coalition, National Pennsylvania Department of Health, Local Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission's Advisory Committee on Addiction Treatment Services, Local Pennsylvania Medical Society, Local Pennsylvania Pain Coalition, Local Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists, Local Rehabilitation Accreditation Committee (CARF), National Salt Lake County Medical Society, Local Salt Lake County Medical Society, Local Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, National Society of Medical Consultants to the Armed Forces, National State of Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program , Local US Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, National Utah Academy of Pain Medicine, Local Utah Medical Association, Local Utah Medical Foundation, Local Utah Pain Research Foundation, Local Utah Pain Research Foundation, Local Utah Society of Anesthesiologists, Local

Hospital Privileges:

• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
• Penn Medicine Rittenhouse Long-Term Acute Care Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
• Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
• Pennsylvania Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.

Description of Research Expertise:

Dr. Ashburn was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow from 1995 - 1996, where he served as a health policy advisor for Senator Orrin Hatch (R, UT) in Washington, DC. He served as the Chairman of the Pain Care Coalition from 2000-2002, and as the chair of the Pennsylvania Pain Coalition from 2009 to 2012. Dr. Ashburn has served as a consultant to the Drug Enforcement Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, and the Food and Drug Administration, and was a member of the Anesthesia and Life Saving Drugs Advisory Board for the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Ashburn is currently serving on the Pennsylvania House Advisory Committee on Opioid Addiction and the Pennsylvania State Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse.

Dr. Ashburn's research interests include the conduct of clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new methods for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. In addition, Dr. Ashburn have been active in the development and implementation of patient-reported outcome measures in pain and palliative care, and the use of the information obtained from this information to improve the process of patient care, and ultimately patient outcomes. Ongoing projects include several projects related to improving the care of patients receiving chronic opioids for the treatment of non cancer pain.

Penn Pain Medicine Center website

Penn Medicine Neuroscience Center website

Academic Profile

Anesthesia website