Barry Sessle

Dr Barry J. Sessle received his dental training from the University of Sydney and his PhD in neurophysiology from the University of New South Wales in Australia. After postdoctoral studies at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), he moved in 1971 to Canada where he has been Professor in the University of Toronto Faculties of Dentistry and Medicine since 1976. He was Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry from 1990-2001 and Canada Research Chair from 2001-2014. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and Member of the Canadian Academy of Science. He has served as President of the International Association for the Study of Pain, the Canadian Pain Society, the International Association for Dental Research, and the Canadian Association for Dental Research. His teaching activities have included the mentoring of 60 visiting scientists, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students. His research has focussed on mechanisms of orofacial pain and neuromuscular function and their clinical correlates, supported principally by both the NIH and Canadian MRC/CIHR. He has published over 500 journal articles and book chapters and 12 books, and has delivered over 500 invited presentations around the world. His honours include the Pindborg International Prize in Oral Biology and the Gold Medal of the International Association for Dental Research, the Outstanding Mentorship and Distinguished Career awards of the Canadian Pain Society, and Honorary Fellow of the International Association for the Study of Pain and the Canadian Pain Society.

Faculty Appointments

1971-76 Associate Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto (with joint honorary appointment in Department of Physiology, University of Toronto)

1976-78 Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto (with joint honorary appointment in Department of Physiology, University of Toronto)

1978-84 Professor and Chairman, Division of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

1985-90 Associate Dean (Research) and Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

1990-2001 Dean and Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto; Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

2001-14 Professor and Canada Research Chair, Faculty of Dentistry, and Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto)

2014- Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, and Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto)

1999- Member, University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain