Penney Cowan
Penney Cowan, a person with chronic pain, is Chief Executive Officer and founder, in 1980, of the American Chronic Pain Association, http://www.theacpa.org/. The Association provides peer support and education in pain management skills for people with pain and their families, and works to build awareness about chronic pain among professionals, decision makers and the general public. She’s a Consumer Representative for the FDA/CDER Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee. Her awards include the Jefferson Medal for Outstanding Citizen by the Institute for Public Service, Washington, The American Pain Society’s John and Emma Bonica Public Service Award, and she’s listed in Who's Who in America, 24th Edition. She authored ‘Patient or Person, Living With Chronic Pain’, and the all manuals and materials used by the Association. In 2002 she began the Partners for Understanding Pain campaign under the direction of the ACPA, with more than 80 partner organizations in 2013.
