Overview
Dr. George’s primary interest is research involving biopsychosocial models for the prevention and treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders. His long term goals are to 1) improve accuracy for predicting who is going to develop chronic pain; and 2) identify non-pharmacological treatment options that limit the development of chronic pain conditions. Dr. George is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association, United States Association of the Study of Pain, and International Association for the Study of Pain.
Dr. George’s research projects have been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and Orthopaedic Academy of the American Physical Therapy Association. Dr. George and his collaborators have authored over 330 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical, orthopaedic surgery, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and pain research journals. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal. Dr. George has also been involved with clinical practice guideline development for the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and the American Psychological Association.
Dr. George has been recognized with prestigious research awards from the American Physical Therapy Association, American Pain Society, and International Association for the Study of Pain. For example from the American Physical Therapy Association: he was named the 21st John H.P. Maley Lecturer, recognized as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow in 2017, and selected for the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy in 2022.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Baseline characteristics of Veterans from improving Veteran access to integrated management of back pain (AIM-Back) - an embedded pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial in the United States.
Journal Article Pain Manag · June 2026 OBJECTIVE: Describe baseline characteristics and representativeness of AIM-Back trial participants relative to Veterans with low back pain at participating clinics. METHODS: Veterans were referred to AIM-Back randomized care pathways and included 1) enroll ... Full text Link to item CiteDevelopment of Machine Learning Algorithms Predicting Psychological Distress After Total Joint Arthroplasty.
Journal Article J Arthroplasty · May 27, 2026 BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is associated with suboptimal outcomes after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This study aimed to develop and evaluate machine learning (ML) models to predict a high psychological distress phenotype using only preoperative ... Full text Link to item CiteA meta-model of low back pain to examine collective expert knowledge of treatment effects and their mechanisms.
Journal Article Eur Spine J · May 19, 2026 PURPOSE: Low back pain (LBP) is a complex, multifactorial condition with numerous contributors across biopsychosocial domains. To advance understanding of this complexity, we synthesized diverse expert knowledge on treatment effectiveness and underlying me ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Navigator-Assisted Non-Pharmacologic Pain Relief for Veterans with Back Pain
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute · 2026 - 20312/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University
ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030Biomarkers to Advance Clinical Phenotypes of Low Back Pain (BACk)
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2023 - 2028View All Grants