Stephan Schug is currently an Honorary Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor, after he retired in October 2019 from his positions of Professor and Chair of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine in the Medical School of the University of Western Australia and Director of Pain Medicine at the Royal Perth Hospital, Australia.

He studied medicine at the University of Cologne, Germany, where he also obtained his MD by thesis in clinical pharmacology and subsequently specialised in anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.

Very early in his career, he focused his clinical and research interests on the treatment of patients in pain. Initially he was involved in the setting up and running of the first German cancer pain treatment centre with his friend and colleague Dr. Detlev Zech.

After accepting a position in New Zealand in 1989, he initiated one of the first Acute Pain Services in Autralasia at Auckland Hospital. The planned stay of one year became 12 years after he accepted the successorship of Associate Professor Robert Boas a the Head of Secton of Anaesthetics at the University of Auckland. Over the next years he developed academic anaesthesia a the University of Auckland and was awarded a Personal Chair in Anesthesiology in 2000.

In 2001 he moved to Perth, Western Australia, where he succeeded the Inaugural Chair of Anaesthesia at the University of Western Australia, Professor Teik Oh, in 2006. As the Director of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine of Royal Perh Hospital his clinical responsibilities include the running of a Comprehensive Inpatient Pain Service at this hospital as well as a multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Centre under the auspices of the WA Statewide Pain Service. Pain Medicine at RPH is accredited for training by the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Autralian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

He has written over 85 research and 180 review papers, as well as abstracts, letters, and editorials, and has edited or co-authored several books, book chapters, and monographs. He was during his career on editorial and review boards of several leading journals including Pain & Therapy, Annals of Palliative Medicine, Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology, Best Practice in Anesthesiology Research, Canadian Journal of Painand CNS Drugs and reviewing for most leading journals in the area of anaesthesiology and pain medicine including Pain, Anesthesiology, Anaesthesia Analgesia and European Journal of Pain.

Professor Schug was an active member of several pain and anaesthesia societies including Chair of the SIG Acute Pain of IASP and Chair of the SIG Acute Pain of ACE (ANZCA, ASA, NZSA), Secretary General of Asian & Oceanic Society of Regional Anaesthesia (AOSRA)and is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) and its Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPMANZCA), where he was a member of the Board of the Faculty. 

Honorary Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor in Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine

Ketamine in neuropathic pain
Opioid stewardship (including discharge medication, deprescribing, opioid sparing)
Safety, toxicity, abuse, misuse and diversion of atypical opioids
Procedure-specific postoperative pain management
Role of ketamine and lignocaine as preventive analgesics
Chronic postsurgical and post traumatic pain

Major Research Grants 2001 - 2022

Health Department of Western Australia                                                                        Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg, B., Sommerfield, D., Schug, S. & Dunbar, C.                           CHIMP Study: Clonidine to help improve the management of pain post-tonsillectomy in children                                                                                                                 $134,956.00 for 2022/2023

NHMRC Medical Research Future Fund                                                                                   Corcoran T, Myles P, Toner A, Saunders C, Forbes A, Peyton S, Leslie K, Schug S, Story D, Scott D.                                                                                                                               The Long-term Outcomes of Lidocaine Infusions for persistent PostOperative Pain in patients undergoing breast surgery (LOLIPOP) Trial                                                               $4,334,375.00 for 2020 to 2025

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Peyton PA, Leslie K, Story D, Myles P, Chan M, Schug S, Evered L, Braat S
Reduction Of Chronic Post-surgical Pain with Ketamine – ROCKet Trial
$4,823,395 for 2017 to 2021

Australian New Zealand College of Anaesthetists ANZCA
Schug SA, Browne A, Sebely P
Obesity and Chronic Pain Management in Western Australia: Piloting a New Model of Care
$ 49,286 for 2016/2017

Australian New Zealand College of Anaesthetists ANZCA
Schug SA, Joyce DA
Osteoarthritis pain: mechanisms and mediators. The roles of NGF and IL-1
$ 59,480 for 2014

Neurotrauma Research Program Grants through WAIMR
Byrnes M, Schug SA, Beilby J, Hart M
No Pain, No Gain: RCT of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for neurotrauma patients experiencing chronic pain
$173,000 for 2011/2012

Neurotrauma Research Program Grants through WAIMR
Corcoran T, Paech M, Schug SA, Mori TA, Honeybull S, Ho KM
Neuroprostanes reflect ongoing neurological injury
$ 90,000 for 2009

State Health Research Advisory Council grant (SHRAC)
Slater H, Davies S, Kermode FL, Schug SA,
Increasing the uptake of evidence-based clinical guidelines in the management of acute non-specific low back pain in primary care: an targeted education program for General Practitioners
$125,000 for 2009

Australian New Zealand College of Anaesthetists ANZCA
Schug SA, Rao S
"Identifying clinical predictors of longer-term outcomes among severe physical trauma survivors."
$30,349 for 2008, $30,349 for 2009

Neurotrauma Research Program Grants through WAIMR
Schug SA, Ray P, Browne A, Redwood T, Fortescue N, Byrnes M, Ker J
‘Holistic Multidisciplinary Approach to the Treatment of Pain for Individuals following Spinal Cord Injury Utilizing a Biopsychosocial Model’
$100,000 for 2007/2008, $ 105,000 for 2008/2009, $ 110,000 for 2009/2010

State Health Research Advisory Council grant (SHRAC)
Davies S, Packer T, Schug SA, Quintner JL, Graham C, Parkitny L, Coleman P
“Self-training educative pain sessions to provide earlier self-management advice to patients referred to a state government pain unit.”
$ 150,000 for 2007/2008

State Health Research Advisory Council grant (SHRAC) through
Injury Prevention Network Clinical Research Fund
Brown A, Rao S, Schug SA, Fong K
"Identifying clinical predictors of longer-term outcomes among severe physical trauma survivors."
$ 62,240 for 2007/2008

AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE OF ANAESTHETISTS, Dr Michael James Paech, Dr Thomas Ledowski, A/Prof Stephan Alexander Schug 2007, 'The Use of Skin Conductance Monitoring to Predict Severe Hypotension After Spinal Anaesthesia for Elective Caesarean Section', Funds: $15,149.00.

AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE OF ANAESTHETISTS A/Prof Stephan Alexander Schug 2006, 'Psychological Factors that Predict Patient Satisfaction & Response to Multidisciplinary Treatment for Chronic Pain', Funds: $17,000.00.

AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE OF ANAESTHETISTS, A/Prof Stephan Alexander Schug, Dr Davina Joy French, Ms P A Ray, Dr Jennifer M Morgan 2005, 'Predicting Outcomes in Chronic Pain Patients Attending a Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Centre.' Funds: $15,000.00.

AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE OF ANAESTHETISTS A/Prof Stephan Alexander Schug, A/Prof Kenneth Frank Ilett, Mr B Jenkins 2004, 'Pharmacokinetics of Sublingual Ketamine for Pain Treatment', Funds: $39,840.00.

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE OF ANAESTHETISTS A/Prof Stephan Alexander Schug, Dr Fiona Melanie Wood, Dr Sarah J Harper 2004, 'Botulinum Toxin in the Treatment of Pain Associated with Upper Limb Burns.', Funds: $20,000.00.

NHMRC Project Grants Dr J R Rigg, Dr P S Myles, Dr P J Peyton, Dr B S Silbert, A/Prof Stephan Alexander Schug 2002, 'Preoperative risk factors, adverse outcomes and effects of epidural and spinal anaesthesia', Funds: $66,000.00.

AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE OF ANAESTHETISTS Dr J R Rigg, Dr P S Myles, Prof Konrad David Jamrozik, A/Prof Stephan Alexander Schug 2001, 'Preoperative risk factors, adverse outcomes and effects of epidural and spinal anaesthesia.' Funds: $15,000.00.

1988 Consultant Anaesthetist, Dept. of Anaesthesiology, University of Cologne
Co-Director, Cancer Pain Management Center, University of Cologne
1989-1990 Temporary Acting Specialist Anaesthetist,
Pain Clinic and Department of Anaesthesia, Auckland Hospital
1991-1994 Senior Lecturer in Anaesthetics, University of Auckland
1995-1999 Associate Professor in Anaesthetics, University of Auckland
1991-1999 Head, Section of Anaesthetics, Dept. of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Auckland
1989-2000 Clinical Director, Acute Pain Service, Auckland Hospital
1991-1999 Visiting Specialist, The Auckland Regional Pain Service and Dept. of Anaesthesia, Auckland Hospital
2000 Professor and Chair, Division of Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland
2009/10 Visiting Professor at Dept of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine of the University of Münster, Germany
2015 Visiting Professor at Dept of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine of the University of Münster, Germany

2001-2019 Professor and Chair, Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine

2001-2019 Director of Pain Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital