Interview: Key questions in pain research: clinical observations informing research and vice versa

Dr David Bennett received his MB PhD qualification from the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' London (UK) in 1999. He undertook an intercalated PhD studying the role of neurotrophic factors in sensory neuronal development and plasticity in the department of physiology under the supervision of Steven McMahon and John Priestley. Subsequent work investigated the importance of neurotrophic factors in the response to nerve injury. Subspecialty training in neurology took place principally in London at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, King's College Hospital, and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust. Since 2009, Dr Bennett has been a consultant neurologist at King's College Hospital and provides a specialist clinical service for the investigation and treatment of peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain. He is currently a Wellcome clinical scientist and his research focuses on understanding the neurobiology of nerve injury and the development of neuropathic pain. He is a member of the Wellcome Trust-funded London Pain Consortium and Vice-Director of the 'Europain' Investigational Medicines Initiative. He is also an Associate Editor of Pain Management.