Nathan Neufeld,DO

Dr. Nathan Neufeld was drawn to medicine as a child, inspired by his mother’s work as a registered nurse. But it was her battle with breast cancer that cemented his commitment to working with cancer patients.

“Her breast cancer spread to her bones, which was extremely painful,” says Dr. Neufeld, who is Director of the Pain and Palliative Care Program at City of Hope, as well as Medical Director of Pain Services and Supportive Therapies and an Interventional Pain Management Specialist at City of Hope Atlanta.

“Her battle inspired me to make my career a vocation of helping oncology patients live life to the fullest, with their pain as controlled as possible.”

Dr. Neufeld joined City of Hope in July 2013 after nine years of medical and quality improvement training, most of which was done at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. In 2013, Dr. Neufeld completed a one-year Anesthesiology fellowship in Interventional Pain Medicine at Johns Hopkins.

As a pain management physician, Dr. Neufeld brings expertise in advanced interventional pain management techniques to treat the needs of his patients, including intrathecal pain pumps, spinal stimulation, nerve blocks and kyphoplasty.

“My goal is to increase quality of life by using every tool necessary,” says Dr. Neufeld. In 2012, Dr. Neufeld was a fellow in Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins. He was named Chief Resident during the final year of his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins from 2009 to 2012.

Throughout his training, Dr. Neufeld has maintained a focus on the patient. “My passion is people,” he says. “Because of my passion for people I chose to go into pain management. This passion also prompted me to pursue leadership and quality improvement to make the entire system better for patients.”

His fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality was part of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. Dr. Neufeld worked on improving completeness of hospital paperwork, which earned him a Best Paper Award from the Association of Academic Physiatrists. In addition, the American College of Medical Quality named Dr. Neufeld a National Quality Scholar.

“The skills I obtained through my fellowship will help reduce errors, improve provider efficiency and optimize health care delivery systems, which are essential to a successful pain practice,” says Dr. Neufeld, who is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Neufeld has authored several research papers and editorials. He wrote a book chapter titled “Osteopathic Manipulation in Common Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes” in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, which was published in 2011.

Dr. Neufeld’s selected research publications include:

• "Cancer pain: A Review of Epidemiology, Clinical Quality and Value Impact," November 2016
• “Role of Myeloid Cell Factor-1 (Mcl-1) in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia” in Leukemia and Lymphoma, October 2004
• “Sacroiliac Joint Pain: A Comprehensive Review of Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment” in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, January 2013
• “Lean Six Sigma Quality Improvement Project to Increase Discharge Paperwork Completeness before Admission to a Comprehensive Integrated Inpatient Rehabilitation Program” in the American Journal of Medical Quality, August 2013

His published editorials include:

• “Promoting Resident Physician Engagement in Medical Quality” in the American College of Medical Quality – Focus Newsletter, January 2012
• “Interventional Pain Treatments for Cancer Pain” in Coping with Cancer Magazine, July/August 2013

Dr. Neufeld has been invited to present his work on quality improvement nationally and internationally, particularly Lean Six Sigma methodology, at Johns Hopkins and medical association meetings, which include the International Society for Quality in Healthcare, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada, the American College of Medical Quality and the Association of Academic Physiatrists. He has been a medical advisor to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Neufeld is a member of several professional societies:

• American Academy of Pain Medicine
• American College of Medical Quality
• American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
• American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• American Pain Society
• International Association for the Study of Pain

Dr. Neufeld is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Medical Quality.

He sits on the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) Foundation’s Think About It Advisory Committee to help fight the opioid epidemic in Georgia. He is also on the board of Southwest Christian Care Hospice, and is a content expert on the Coweta Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Dr. Neufeld was named one of Atlanta's Top Docs for 2022 by Atlanta magazine.

In his free time, Dr. Neufeld spends time with his family and friends. He is involved in his church, follows football, reads books on leadership and practices digital photography. Dr. Neufeld and his wife, Stephanie, have six children.