Christopher R. Abrecht

Dr. Christopher R. Abrecht is a pain medicine specialist and an anesthesiologist. He focuses on improving the quality of life and physical function of patients with chronic pain through a multifaceted approach. Elements of this approach may include medication management, targeted injections, work with related disciplines, such as physical therapy, pain psychology or integrative health, and use of complementary therapies to address the whole person's needs. He also offers advanced procedural interventions such as spinal cord stimulation to manage a variety of painful conditions.

In the UCSF Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Abrecht is the quality improvement subspecialty director for pain medicine as well as associate director of Inpatient Pain Services and director of the Inpatient Chronic Pain Service.

Abrecht's research focuses on improving the practice of pain medicine. This includes tracking outcomes that matter to patients and ensuring that patient safety remains a priority.

Abrecht earned his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in anesthesiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. He completed a fellowship in pain medicine at UCSF.