The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges has honored Dr. B. Duncan Lascelles, professor of Translational Research in Pain and Surgery at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, with its Excellence in Research Award for 2026, recognizing his outstanding research and scholarly achievements in veterinary medicine. 

Lascelles, who also holds the title of Dr. J. McNeely and Lynne K. DuBose Distinguished Professor of Musculoskeletal Health, will be presented with the award at the AAVMC’s annual conference, Catalyze 2026, this week in Washington, D.C.

“When I think about his impact on our students, our faculty, our staff, our veterinarians out in the world, I think about his impact on our patients, too — those in pain coming out of surgery or from chronic pain conditions like arthritis,” said Dr. Kate Meurs, the Randall B. Terry Jr. Dean of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. “They couldn’t express that pain because veterinarians didn’t know how to measure it and how to assess it in animals. Duncan as a fairly young surgeon really took that on as something that he was going to work on.” 

Lascelles said that he had realized that veterinary medicine lacked the tools to effectively identify and manage pain in animals.

“Indeed, at that time, many people thought that animals didn’t even feel pain,” Lascelles said in an interview with the AAVMC. “Changing that mindset, improving our ability to manage pain clinically became the driving force for my career.”

‘Pain Kills Personality’

Now a world-renowned pain researcher, Lascelles leads the Translational Research in Pain or TRiP program at NC State. He and his team seek to understand the underlying neurobiology of pain and to develop methods to measure it and control it in companion animals. The work also could lead to development of better analgesics in human medicine. 

Lascelles joined NC State more than two and a half decades ago after completing a surgical residency at the University of Cambridge, U.K., a fellowship in oncological surgery at Colorado State University and post-doctoral research in feline pain and analgesia at the University of Florida. He has authored over 270 peer-reviewed research papers and reviews, more than 330 research abstracts and about 30 book chapters.

“My work began with a simple yet profound realization: Pain kills,” Lascelles said in the interview. “It doesn’t kill as in dead, but pain kills our personality. It kills who we are as individuals, and, in companion animals, pain has the same effect. Pain that is not managed in companion animals disrupts that beautiful and wonderful human animal bond.”

Dr. Margaret Gruen, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, said Lascelles simply has been a trailblazer in the field of pain research, both in developing measurement tools and in emphasizing the importance of educating pet owners.

“Duncan was one of the first people to really recognize and push forward that behavior is really how you understand pain,” Gruen said in an interview with the AAVMC. “Animals can’t come in and tell you they’re a 10 on a scale, so you have to be able to look at their behavior. He really was a revolutionary leader in bringing behavior in. It’s just another example of how he really recognizes who the stakeholders are and brings them into the conversation in a way that many others don’t.” 

Veterinary medicine is similar to pediatrics in that there’s always a third party involved with the patient and the doctor: the parent or owner, Gruen said. Lascelles has been a pioneer in stressing the importance of teaching pet owners how to recognize and report behavior changes in their companions. 

“Then when they saw those things, they recognized those patterns, but they needed somebody to say, ‘Those are associated with pain,’” she said. “That kind of ability Duncan has, to bring all of those stakeholders together, has really made life better for pets.” 

Lascelles and Gruen are currently collaborating with a team of NC State, Duke and UNC-CH researchers on a project whose goal is making life better for humans. 

The project will examine how chronic pain shapes canine cognition and behavior and is funded with a $5.5 million grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services as part of its efforts to combat opioid addiction. Along with Lascelles, Dr. Brian Hare, professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, is a co-principal investigator. 

A Truly Global Impact

In two other comparative projects, Lascelles is working with Dr. Amanda Nelson, a rheumatologist at UNC-Chapel Hill, to understand the role of gut health in osteoarthritis and with Dr. Santosh Mishra of NC State to elucidate the role of a novel signaling mechanism in arthritis pain — work that may lead to new therapeutics for both humans and dogs. 

Dr. Joshua Stern, associate dean for research and graduate studies, told the AAVMC that Lascelles’ program in pain research has made NC state a leader in the field.

“Dr. Lascelles also is an incredible ambassador for clinician scientists and is training the next generation in his lab,” Stern said. “We’re grateful to the AAVMC for bestowing this award on him. It’s incredibly well-deserved.”

Lascelles’s impact has been global, Meurs said, noting that his research has helped both animals and humans have healthier and happier lives.

“He is a true clinician scientist who saw pain in the hospital and thought, ‘How can I help make animals more comfortable?’” she said. “It is researchers like Duncan, who starts with the basic research, learns how to make a clinical difference and then shares that knowledge with upcoming students, young faculty, senior people, who really have the largest impact. We’re just so very proud of Duncan.”