Dr. Slater has served as the Vice President for Research at HonorHealth, and the Chief Executive Officer for the HonorHealth Research Institute, since 2007, developing a collaborative “institute without walls” as a defining feature that has resulted in international recognition for breakthrough innovations in medical care, benefitting patients and providing hope locally and globally. With an emphasis on giving hope and answers now, the institute’s research has attracted patients from all 50 states and over 30 nations across the globe. Dr. Slater also holds the title of ASU Research Professor of Medicine and is a founding member of the HonorHealth/ASU affiliation in establishing the new Arizona State University School of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering. Prior to arriving at HonorHealth, Dr. Slater served full-time on the medical school faculty at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and held leadership positions at Sharp Healthcare and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. He also has developed medical research data and consulting businesses, working with leading medical and bioscience organizations around the country. Dr. Slater established the pain management and behavioral medicine programs at UCSD and is a recognized leader in the fields of pain, behavioral medicine and clinical research, publishing more than 100 scientific papers, obtaining 30 years of continuous federal grant funding, and training doctoral students who are now in leadership positions in major academic institutions. Dr. Slater’s medical research and innovation leadership has been recognized across the state as chair of the Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee (which is comprised of approximately 100 leaders from the public and private sectors in science, healthcare, business, academia, economic development, government and policy), and by the Arizona Bioscience Association (AZBio) with the prestigious Jon W McGarity Bioscience Leader of the Year award for his outstanding achievements in advancing bioscience development and excellence in Arizona.
Mark A. Slater, Ph.D.
Biography
- 2021 — John W McGarity Arizona Bioscience Leader of the Year
Research Interests & Focus
The general focus of Dr. Mark Slater’s research program is on the interplay between behavior and biology, and the implications of bio-behavioral interactions for health and illness. In theory, this work addresses the mind-body problem; in application it is directed toward the development and practice of behavioral medicine. Specific research focus is on the investigation of pain as a model of biobehavioral interactions. Work in this area is primarily devoted to behavioral and psychophysiological studies of chronic pain. The work is applied and clinical in nature and is directed toward an understanding of the biopsychosocial mechanisms involved in the development, maintenance, and alleviation of chronic pain and disability. Three distinct threads of specialized training, skills, and research efforts have been interwoven to form the research program. These threads may be separated to form the three primary categories of studies being conducted: (a) studies of pain and chronic illness. (b) studies of family relationships and the role of the family in health and illness; and (c) studies of research methodology, instrument development, and data analysis techniques to provide tools for future investigations of the biological, psychological, and social factors in health and illness.