Timothy Deer, MD

Timothy R. Deer, MD, is Chairman and Co-Founder of the American Society of Pain & Neuroscience and one of the leading voices in the evolution of interventional pain medicine, neuromodulation, and minimally invasive treatment for spine and nerve disorders.

A physician, researcher, educator, and society builder, Dr. Deer has spent more than three decades advancing treatment models designed to improve function, reduce reliance on opioids, and expand access to less invasive options for patients living with chronic pain.

Dr. Deer helped establish ASPN in 2018 with a clear purpose: to create a collaborative home for physicians, scientists, innovators, and emerging leaders working across pain medicine and neuroscience. Under his leadership, ASPN has grown from a small founding group into an international society with thousands of members, an expanding scientific meeting, active educational programs, and a broad network of committees focused on clinical quality, research, innovation, mentorship, advocacy, and responsible adoption of new technologies.

He is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias in Charleston, West Virginia, the interventional pain practice he founded in 1994. He also serves as Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. A West Virginia native, Dr. Deer earned his medical degree from the West Virginia University School of Medicine and completed his internship, anesthesiology residency, and interventional pain medicine fellowship at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Deer’s academic and clinical work has helped define multiple areas of modern interventional pain care. He has authored and co-authored peer reviewed publications, consensus guidelines, clinical studies, and textbook chapters addressing spinal cord stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery, peripheral nerve stimulation, and broader interventional approaches to chronic pain. His work includes the ACCURATE randomized trial of dorsal root ganglion stimulation, the Polyanalgesic Consensus Conference guidelines on intrathecal drug delivery, and service as lead editor of Deer’s Treatment of Pain.

Across his career, Dr. Deer has served as principal investigator on more than twenty clinical trials and has trained more than a thousand interventional pain specialists. His teaching has emphasized algorithmic, evidence informed care, careful patient selection, technical excellence, and a commitment to developing treatments that are less invasive, more durable, and more accessible.

Beyond ASPN, Dr. Deer is a Past President of the International Neuromodulation Society and a past Chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Pain Medicine. He has also served in state and national roles focused on appropriate pain treatment, opioid stewardship, clinical education, and responsible use of controlled substances. In 2023, he received the inaugural Presidential Merit Award from the North American Neuromodulation Society in recognition of his contributions to neuromodulation.

Dr. Deer’s work is rooted in West Virginia, where he has built his clinical practice, academic career, and professional life. He has described interventional pain medicine as an opportunity to change the treatment paradigm for patients with spine and nerve disorders by pairing innovation with practical, patient centered care.

Outside medicine, Dr. Deer is an endurance athlete who has competed in Ironman events, marathons, ultramarathons, and the Boston Marathon. He co-founded IRONAID with Ironman to support people and communities facing medical need. His athletic life reflects many of the same themes that define his professional work: endurance, discipline, service, and the belief that human function is worth fighting for.