Purdue Online and Evidence In Motion partner to offer therapeutic pain specialist certification to health care providers in U.S. and around world

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind./LOUISVILLE, KY – Purdue Online has partnered with Evidence In Motion (EIM), a leading provider of online and hybrid health care education, to offer the therapeutic pain specialist certification for licensed health care professionals in the U.S. and around the world. The multidisciplinary specialty certification will equip health care providers with evidence-based therapeutic approaches to treat the millions of patients who suffer with persistent pain and place these providers in a key position to combat the opioid epidemic.

Powered by the accessible online learning environment offered by both Purdue Online and EIM, students pursuing the therapeutic pain specialist certification can choose between two paths: an all-online learning program or a hybrid learning program that combines online coursework with two onsite, hands-on weekend labs. The six-month certification is designed for working professionals who want to advance their career and improve patient outcomes, but who need flexibility to work around their professional and personal responsibilities.

“EIM is reimagining health care education, and we recognize the importance of collaborating with institutions that share that vision,” said Dr. John Childs, chief executive officer at EIM. “Partnering with a renowned, world-class higher education institution like Purdue Online at Purdue University means we can offer the therapeutic pain specialist certification to a national and global audience of health care providers, enabling us to better meet the increasing demand for safe, effective pain treatments. It also means impacting more patients and more communities.”

“Creating opportunities that enable working professionals – people who can’t simply pull up stakes and come to campus ­– to enhance their skills and careers is one of Purdue Online’s major goals,” said Gerry McCartney, executive vice president of Purdue Online. “This partnership with EIM is an excellent example and, even more importantly, could help address a pressing societal issue in the opioid epidemic.”

“This is a novel approach to addressing a complex problem, not just opioids, but also the widespread demand for pain management expertise in general,” said Timothy Gavin, Purdue professor and department head in Health and Kinesiology. “It also is in keeping with Purdue’s land-grant mission to make higher education available to the widest possible audience for the benefit of society, which, in this case, includes millions of chronic pain sufferers.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. increased sixfold from 1999 to 2017, with more than 400,000 opioid-related deaths since 1999. The therapeutic pain specialist certification curriculum covers treatments such as pain neuroscience education, graded motor imagery, pacing, graded exposure and more. The program is available to licensed health care providers including medical doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists and assistants and others.

“There has never been a greater need for health care professionals who can provide patients with solutions that decrease their pain and reliance on opioids,” said Adriaan Louw, a pain science expert and director of faculty experience at EIM. “The opioid epidemic has devastated lives and whole communities. Enabling more providers to take a multidisciplinary approach to treating pain through the therapeutic pain specialist certification increases the chance that we can truly make an impact on pain in the U.S. and around the world.”

To learn more about the therapeutic pain specialist certification, visit https://learn.evidenceinmotion.com/tps-purdue-eim.

About Evidence In Motion

Evidence In Motion (EIM) provides accessible, lifelong education to health care professionals transforming their communities. They offer specialty certifications, postprofessional programs and continuing education courses. EIM also partners with leading universities to provide accelerated graduate programs in health care, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and others. 

EIM is reimagining health care education through hybrid learning, which integrates evidence-based practice, top faculty from across the country, and a leading curriculum that combines online learning and collaboration with intensive hands-on lab experiences. Their reimagined health care education model increases access, reduces student debt and improves outcomes. Learn more about Evidence In Motion at evidenceinmotion.com. 

About Purdue Online

Building on Purdue University's historic land-grant mission, Purdue Online’s programs are designed to make a high-quality Purdue education as accessible and affordable as possible. The online portal brings together all of the online and hybrid programs offered across the Purdue University system — from the physical campuses at Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue Fort Wayne and Purdue Northwest, to Purdue Global.

Purdue Online is designed to easily match all types of students with the online and hybrid programs that best meet their needs and career goals and point them to possibilities they may not even have considered. Students can search program options based on degree level, personal goals and preferred area of study to determine the right online program. Learn more at online.purdue.edu.

About the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Purdue University

The Department of Health and Kinesiology at Purdue University is committed to extending and enhancing its academic reputation by strengthening research and scholarship, offering curricula consistent with contemporary knowledge and practices, attracting and preparing highly qualified students, and concentrating its energies on developing and maintaining programs of excellence. Programs of study at the undergraduate and graduate levels lead to Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Approximately 750 undergraduate students and 70 graduate students are enrolled in the department.

Media contact: Matthew Oates, oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates

Source: Tim Gavin, 765-494-3179, gavin1@purdue.edu