Dr. Michael Gofeld

“Advancing medical science while adhering to the highest ethical principles and bringing that standard equally to academic centres and underserved communities.”

Dr. Gofeld has spent more than two decades helping patients who live with chronic pain, including complex spine conditions, nerve pain, and injuries, find relief and reclaim their quality of life. He specializes in minimally invasive procedures that target the source of pain with precision, avoiding the risks and recovery time of open surgery.

He came to Canada in 2004, driven by a passion for both clinical excellence and research, completing a fellowship in chronic pain management at the University of Toronto, where he began publishing studies that would shape the field. That combination of hands-on expertise and scholarly curiosity quickly earned him recognition across North America, and in 2008, he was invited to lead one of the continent’s most respected pain centres: the Centre for Pain Relief at the University of Washington in Seattle, where modern pain medicine has its roots. He directed clinical operations and the neuromodulation program until 2013.

Returning to Toronto, Dr. Gofeld taught and mentored the next generation of pain specialists, helped develop pain care standards across Ontario, and trained physicians from across Canada in advanced interventional techniques. He is one of the founding figures of the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI) — in fact, he proposed its name — and launched Canada’s first formal education program for interventional pain physicians.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gofeld has been at the forefront of medical innovation. His research and clinical work in high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for spine pain culminated in the regulatory approval of the first device of its kind for the treatment of low back pain in Canada, a milestone he helped bring from the laboratory to patients. He also holds a US patent for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) techniques applied to bone metastases, reflecting his commitment to developing gentler, more effective options for patients living with cancer-related pain.

In 2019, Dr. Gofeld transitioned to independent practice, allowing him to bring academic-level expertise directly to patients from across Ontario and beyond. He holds a current academic appointment at NOSM University and, for the past two years, has also provided procedural care at Sault Area Hospital, extending access to specialized interventional pain treatment to patients in Northern Ontario who would otherwise face significant barriers to care.

He also works with patients navigating the intersection of chronic pain and legal processes, such as those recovering from accidents.

Dr. Gofeld has published over 60 research articles and contributed to medical textbooks read by pain specialists worldwide. He holds a PhD from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and is certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine in Ontario, anesthesiology and intensive care in the European Union, and sports medicine through the International Olympic Committee.

For more information on Dr. Gofeld’s work, visit his Scientific Publications.