October 2026 Featured Member: Rebecca Howard, MD
October's Resident & Fellow Committee (RFC) Featured Member is Rebecca Howard, MD, a PGY-4 resident in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. She will begin a pain medicine fellowship at the University of California San Diego in August 2027. Through her residency’s Research Track, she studies noninvasive neuromodulatory devices and therapies for chronic pain. She has also served as the Program Evaluation Committee representative for her PGY-2, PGY-3, and PGY-4 classes.
As a member of the ASRA Pain Medicine RFC Education Subcommittee, Dr. Howard contributes to problem-based learning discussions and helps with the Quiz Bowl at annual meetings. She particularly enjoys developing patient cases that help trainees explore pain medicine topics beyond the textbook.
Dr. Howard joined the RFC after a fellow resident recommended getting involved. She saw an opportunity to connect with other trainees while expanding her knowledge of pain medicine. Collaborating with members from different specialties and backgrounds across the country has been the most rewarding part of her service. A favorite memory is attending the 2025 Annual Pain Medicine Meeting, where she met fellow committee members in person and participated in the Quiz Bowl.
Her interests in neuroscience, musculoskeletal health, and psychology drew her to pain medicine. She values the field’s holistic approach and emphasis on function and quality of life, priorities that also inspired her to pursue physical medicine and rehabilitation.
After training, Dr. Howard hopes to work in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary practice that incorporates nutrition, psychology, and exercise into pain treatment. She also plans to continue researching new technologies, particularly noninvasive neuromodulation, and would eventually love to return home to Australia to practice and learn from international colleagues.
Outside medicine, Dr. Howard enjoys challenging herself with new recipes. Her alternate career? Opening a small café as a baker, serving a variety of sweet treats.
Read about past featured members here.