Uzondu C. Osuagwu, MD
Department of Pain Medicine, Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and Pain Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Pain Medicine, Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2013 | McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas, US, Medicine, MD |
| 2008 | Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, US, Biomedical Sciences with minor in Business Administration, BS |
Postgraduate Training
| 2026-null | Faculty Academic Career Development (FACD) - Cohort 5, UT MD Anderson, Houston, Texas |
| 2025-2026 | Graduate of LEADing Teams Core Cohort – May 2026, Leadership - Leading Teams, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2024-2024 | Certificate - Healthcare Economics, Harvard Online, Boston, Massachusetts |
| 2023-2023 | Certificate - Healthcare Strategy, Harvard Online, Boston, Massachusetts |
| 2017-2018 | Clinical Fellowship - Pain Management, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2016-2017 | Chief Resident - Anesthesiology, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas |
| 2014-2016 | Clinical Residency - Anesthesiology, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas |
| 2013-2014 | Clinical Internship - Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2019 | American Board of Anesthesiology - Pain Medicine |
| 2018 | Texas Medical Board |
| 2018 | American Board of Anesthesiology - Anesthesiology |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Fellowship Program Director, Pain Medicine, Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2022 - 2025
Rotation Site Director, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2020 - 2023
Associate Program Director, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2020 - 2022
Assistant Professor, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2018 - 2025
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Clinical Medical Director (CMD) - MD Anderson West Houston, UT MD Anderson - West Houston, UT MD Anderson, 2025 - Present
Pain Medicine Consultant/Subject Matter Expert, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - MD Anderson Cancer Network, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - MD Anderson Cancer Network, Houston, Texas, 2023 - Present
Chair - Program Evaluation Committee, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2022 - 2025
Chair - Fellowship Selection Committee, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2022 - 2025
Departmental Lead Scheduler, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2020 - 2021
Journal Club Activity Director, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2019 - 2022
Other Professional Positions
UT System Chancellor's Centurion, UT System, Austin, Texas, 2026 - Present
Board of Trustees Member - McGovern Medical School Alumni Association, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas, 2025 - Present
Mentoring Up - Mentor, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2022 - 2023
Executive Committee Member, TMA Leadership College, Houston, TX, 2022 - 2024
HCMS Alternate Delegate, HCMS, Houston, TX, 2022 - 2024
HCMS Alternate Delegate, TMA, Houston, TX, 2021 - 2022
Participant for the Class of 2021, TMA Leadership College, Houston, TX, 2020 - 2021
Member, Department of Pain Medicine - Core Faculty Committee, Houston, TX, 2019 - Present
Member, Department of Pain Medicine - Fellowship Selection Committee, Houston, 2019 - Present
Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Evaluation Committee, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2018 - Present
Pain Medicine Fellowship Clinical Competency Committee, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2018 - Present
Admissions Committee Member, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, 2013 - 2019
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Graduate Medical Education Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022 - 2025
Division Senator, Faculty Senate, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2021 - 2024
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Education Committee, American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), 2023 - Present
Education Co-Chair, Divisional Professional Development Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2021 - Present
Departmental Development Champion, Divisional Professional Development Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2021 - Present
Member, Junior Faculty Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2020 - Present
Member, Value Analysis Team, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2019 - 2023
Member, Underrepresented Male Minority Initiative, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2018 - 2023
Member, Pharmacy and Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2018 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2026 - Present | Award for Professional Excellence (APEX), UT MD Anderson |
| 2022 - 2023 | Outstanding Program Director, Graduate Medical Education |
| 2022 - 2023 | Program Director of the Year, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2022 | Top Pain Medicine Specialist, Waiting Room Magazine Top Doctors |
| 2017 | Outstanding Graduating Senior Resident, McGovern Medical School |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2026. The Pause After the Pulse: Learning from a Code Blue Debrief. Poster. 2nd Annual Cancer Nursing Conference: Transforming Cancer Nursing Care through Quality Improvement, Evidence-Based Practice, and Research. Houston, Texas.
- 2025. Patient and Provider Panelist. Panelist. Advancements in Translational Science for Pain Management in Cancer Care Symposium. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine Grand Rounds - Division Wellness. Panelist. Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine Grand Rounds. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. MD Anderson Fellowship Virtual Open House - Fellowship Recruitment Presentation. Panelist. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Guest lecturer on Cancer Pain - UTHealth McGovern Medical School/Baylor College of Medicine Pain Medicine Lecture Series. Invited. UTHealth McGovern Medical School/Baylor College of Medicine Pain Medicine Lecture Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Guest lecturer on Cancer Pain - UTHealth McGovern Medical School/Baylor College of Medicine Pain Medicine Lecture Series. Invited. UTHealth McGovern Medical School/Baylor College of Medicine Pain Medicine Lecture Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2018. A Case for Communication -Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine Grand Rounds Morbidity & Mortality Conference. Invited. Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine Grand Rounds Morbidity & Mortality Conference. Houston, Texas, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2025. Academic Medicine Panel Presentation. Panelist. Texas Pain Society Pain Fellows Day. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Disparities in Pain Management - The ABC’s of Health Disparity 2021 Conference. Invited. The ABC’s of Health Disparity 2021 Conference. Tyler, Texas, US.
National Presentations
- 2025. Cluneal Nerve Block as an Adjunct in Managing Refractory Cancer Associated Pelvic Pain. Poster. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) national conference. San Antonio, Texas, US.
- 2025. The Role of the Pain Specialist in Cancer Care: Why it matters and what we can do. Invited. Ochsner Health Pain Symposium. New Orleans, Louisiana, US.
- 2025. Pain and Resiliency. Panelist. American Society of Anesthesiologists Medical Student series. Schaumburg, IL, US.
- 2025. Racial Disparities in Opioid Prescriptions. Conference. American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) PainConnect 2025. Austin, TX, US.
- 2025. Individual Differences in Pain: Race and Ethnicity. Invited. American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) PainConnect 2025. Austin, Texas, US.
- 2024. Cancer Pain Service Line Overview for Ochsner Health - Pain Research Focus. Invited. New Orleans, LA, US.
- 2024. Cancer Pain Service Line Overview for Ochsner Health - Quality Improvement Focus. Invited. New Orleans, LA, US.
- 2023. Lumbar Sympathetic Nerve Blocks for Cancer-Related Bone Pain : A Case Series. Poster. ASRA Pain Medicine Meeting. New Orleans, LA, US.
- 2023. Cancer Pain Service Line Overview for Ochsner Health - MD Anderson Cancer Network. Invited. New Orleans, LA, US.
- 2022. Diversity Equity And Inclusion In A Department Of Oncologic Pain Medicine. Conference. Post Graduate Assembly in Anesthesiology. New York, NY, US.
- 2022. The Pulse of Pain: Assessing Diversity Equity and Inclusion in a Department of Oncologic Pain Medicine. Conference. Houston, TX, US.
- 2022. Using a novel commercial telehealth platform to deliver pain management care and guided opioid tapering among post operative head and neck cancer patients. Conference. Napa Pain Conference. Napa Valley, CA, US.
- 2021. Above-Conus Medullaris Intrathecal Pump Needle Insertion for Intractable Cancer Pain: A Report of 2 Cases. Conference. ASRA Pain Medicine 2021. San Francisco, CA, US.
- 2021. Percutaneous Interspinous Spacer Placement for Neurogenic Intermittent Claudication in Cancer Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis. Conference. Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference, US.
- 2018. Micronutrient Testing in Patients with Chronic Pain: A useful tool?. Conference. American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting. San Francisco, CA, US.
- 2018. Challenging Intrathecal Catheter Placement In A Patient With Von-hippel Lindau Syndrome. Conference. American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting. San Francisco, CA, US.
- 2017. Neuraxial Anesthesia after Corrective Scoliosis Surgery. Poster. American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. Boston, Massachusetts, US.
- 2016. Proper Positioning Pays off: Successful Tracheostomy in a Patient With Super Obesity. Conference. American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. Chicago, Illinois, US.
- 2016. Delayed Management of Uterine Rupture. Conference. American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. Chicago, Illinois, US.
- 2015. Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation with Hyperfibrinolysis During Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair. Conference. American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. San Diego, California, US.
International Presentations
- 2025. Organization of an Academic Cancer Pain Service. Invited. MD Anderson Cancer Network Partner Meeting. Madrid, ES.
- 2025. Chronic Pain Management for Cancer Patients. Invited. Cancer Network Global CanEcho Conference - Indonesia. Jakarta, ID.
- 2010. A Rat Lipopolysaccharide Model for Parkinson’s disease Neurodegeneration: Inflammatory cells and Cytokines in Brain. Poster. World Parkinson Congress. Glasgow, GB.
- 2009. Lipopolysaccharide rat model for Parkinson´s disease neurodegeneration: disease-associated proteins, cytokines and inflammatory cells in brain tissue. Conference. XVIII WFN World Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders. Miami, US.
Formal Peers
- 2019. I Kept At it & Didn't Give Up. Invited. Houston, TX, US.
- 2019. 6 pain management options for cancer patients you might not know about. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2019. 4 common cancer pain management myths. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2019. Interventional Procedures in Pain Management. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2019. The Opioid Epidemic. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2018. Holiday Health Tips Part II. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2018. The State of The Black Man in Medicine Part II. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2018. Micronutrient Testing in Patients With Chronic Pain: A Useful Tool?. Invited, US.
- 2018. Challenging Intrathecal Catheter Placement In A Patient With Von – Hippel Lindau Syndrome. Invited, US.
- 2018. The State of the Black Man in Medicine. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2018. Chronic Neck and Back Pain. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2018. The World of Interventional Pain Medicine. Visiting. Houston, TX, US.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Odonkor, CA, Siddique, MU, Palaniappan, S, Locklear, J, Pokuri, S, Adler, A, Adekoya, P, Hsu, AW, Paek, J, Prabhakar, H, Martins, YC, Smith, C, Osuagwu, UC, Comrie, FK, Abd El Sayed, A. Quality of ChatGPT-Generated Responses to Common Patient Questions About Peripheral Nerve Stimulation. Clinics and Practice 16(4), 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42041943.
- Hirani S, Vu P, Halac M, Bohacek S, Benkli B, Jevotovsky D, Vega J, Hirani A, Orhurhu V, Odonkor C, Ehrenfeld J, Shadid I, Azadian A, Mayrsohn B, Kwon A, Hirani Z, Osuagwu U, Bird J, Gilligan C, Darnall B, Williams K, Hooten WM, Srinivasan S. Transforming Pain Medicine: The Power of Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. Pain Med, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39745892.
- Wahezi, S et al. The Current State of Clinical and Interventional Training in Pain Medicine Fellowships to Guide the Future of Education: An APPD Survey of ACGME Accredited Pain Program Directors. Pain Practice 24(7):895-903, 2024. PMID: 38553945.
- Osuagwu U, Roldan C, Huh BK. Radiation-Induced Coccydynia and Pelvic Pain From Insufficiency Fracture Treated with Ganglion Impar Block. Pain Medicine Case Reports 8(1):9-12, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Osuagwu U, Miller M, Huh BK. Lumbar Sympathetic Blockade for the Treatment of Pain Related to Bony Metastatic Disease: A Case Series. Pain Medicine Case Reports. e-Pub 2023.
- Roldan CJ, Osuagwu U, Cardenas-Turanzas M, Huh BK. A randomized blind controlled non-inferiority trial to compare the effectiveness of trigger point injections performed with normal saline (NS) and conventional active drug mix (CADM) in patients with myofascial pain syndromes. Am J Emerg Med 38(2):158410, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 31477359.
- Doursout MF, Schurdell M, Young LM, Osuagwu U, et al. Inflammatory cells and cytokines in the olfactory bulb of a rat model of neuroinflammation; insights into neurodegeneration?. J Interferon Cytokine Res 33(7):376-383, 2013. e-Pub 2013.
- Osuagwu U, Sudek E, Tran AV, Huh BK. Find the Fracture: Loss of stimulation due to SCS lead fracture: A Case Report. Pain Medicine Case Reports.
Review Articles
- Hirani S, Benkli B, Odonkor CA, Hirani ZA, Oso T, Bohacek S, Wiedrick J, Hildebrand A, Osuagwu U, Orhurhu V, Hooten WM, Abdi S, Meghani S. Racial Disparities in Opioid Prescribing in the United States from 2011 to 2021: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Pain Res 17:3639-3649, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39529944.
Other Articles
- Odonkor C, Siddique, M, Palaniappan D, Locklear J, Adler A, Pokuri S, Adekoya P, Hsu A, Paek J, Prabhakar H, Martins Y, Smith C, Osuagwu U, Comrie F, Abd El Sayed A Quality of ChatGPT-Generated Responses to Common Patient Questions About Peripheral Nerve Stimulation: A Cross-Sectional Study. Clinics and Practice, 2026.
Editorials
- Horace R, Sidharthan S, Osuagwu U. Complexities of Cancer Pain Management: Challenges and Opportunities. Pain Management.
- Horace R, Sidharthan S, Osuagwu U. Navigating Forward: Advancing Psychological Interventions for Chronic Pain Patients.
Abstracts
- Wetzig, A, Shah, K, Osuagwu, U, Cao, J. Above-Conus Intrathecal Pump Catheter Insertion for Chronic Malignant Pain. ASRA 2021 Meeting, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Stringam J, Kuban JD, Chen S, Yevich S, Osuagwu U, Tatsui C, Sheth R. Percutaneous Interspinous Spacer Placement for Neurogenic Intermittent Claudication in Cancer Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis. SIR 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
Book Chapters
- Nouri KH, Osuagwu UC. The Neurochemistry of Somatosensory and Pain Processing. In: Essentials of Pain Medicine, 4th Edition, 2018.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified September 09, 2026