President & CEO, The Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias
By Jamie Null
Timothy Deer, M.D., plays an active role in the fight against the opioid crisis in West Virginia. As president and CEO of The Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias, he works closely with patients by offering new therapies and technologies to manage pain while striving to educate colleagues across the state to use opioids as a last resort.
“The opioid crisis in West Virginia has been a major challenge for all of us. Since many of our patients have come to see us on a high dose of opioids and have chronic pain, it is important for us to act to change the treatment paradigm,” he says.
Part of this active role has been as a member of many state advisory boards on appropriate use of controlled substances, during which Deer helped create and chair the West Virginia Safe and Effective Management of Pain Guidelines, a joint guideline created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and West Virginia University (WVU).
“I have had the honor to work with the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, West Virginia State Medical Association, law enforcement and political leaders from both parties to help monitor and shape the appropriate use of controlled substances in West Virginia,” he says. “The guidelines we created as part of that initiative became a road map for proper prescribing in our state, and now others have adopted that model. Since that time, we have seen prescription overdose deaths be markedly lowered in West Virginia.”
A graduate of WVU Tech and the WVU School of Medicine, Deer completed an internal medicine internship, anesthesiology residency and fellowship in interventional pain medicine at the University of Virginia.
“When I chose interventional pain medicine, it was a new and evolving field,” he says. “Most spinal and nerve procedures used to involve many hours of open invasive surgery. I was intrigued by the opportunity to make things less invasive and more efficacious and to reduce the need for opioids and larger surgeries.”
Deer is also a former chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Committee on Pain Medicine, past president of the International Neuromodulation Society and founder of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience.
“All these societies had important roles for our nation and others, but I felt a real need to create a society that would shape the field toward collaboration, with young physicians and residents being paired with experienced doctors to come up with new ideas for the research and development of newer, safer and more efficacious options for those with spine and nerve disorders,” he says. “In addition, many of the societies lacked diversity. I feel it is important that we create a diverse environment open to all our medical and scientific colleagues.”
Deer says he has been blessed by his peers in the medical field. As the recipient of numerous awards and board selections, he is most proud of the Career Achievement Award from Thomas Health. Deer is also an award-winning triathlete who has participated in numerous marathons, including the Boston Marathon; ultramarathons; and Ironman competitions and has been named Male Triathlete of the Year for West Virginia by the Aero Hills Triathlon Club.
“Coincidentally, in 2019 I worked with Ironman to co-found a charity called IRONAID to help those with medical needs in the U.S. and worldwide,” he says. “Since the coronavirus pandemic started, IRONAID has proven to be the main point of fundraising for many needing help in communities around the globe, including personal protective equipment, food for the elderly who are quarantining, medical equipment and health care clinics in poor areas.”
Deer is currently working on new devices to treat nerve injuries related to chemotherapy and diabetic neuropathy. He is also leading an international study to help reduce the energy requirements of spinal cord stimulation, which could reduce costs and increase access for developing countries. As a young man, he was influenced by his uncle and fellow West Virginian James Cottrell, M.D., who became a leader in the field in neuroanesthesia in New York City. However, Deer didn’t have any big city dreams.
“I am the son and grandson of coal miners, so you may say I have West Virginia in my blood,” he says. “My wife, Melissa, and I have been blessed to raise a great family here and be surrounded by our parents. In addition, once a Mountaineer always a Mountaineer. I can’t imagine living anywhere else that would have the beauty of the land and the people.”
