Dr. Cole is board-certified in Psychiatry (lifetime), and was subspecialty certified in Pain Medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (2001-2021). With forty-years experience in psychiatry, pain management/medicine, hospice/palliative care, and medical administration, he has interest in adult and consultation/liaison psychiatry, cancer pain management, opioid prescribing risk reduction, public policy, end-of-life care, and public sector medical administration.
Dr. Cole has published on the following topics: pain classification, cancer pain management, care of the terminally ill, opioid prescribing risk reduction, the role of peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonists for opioid induced constipation, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain management, the importance of critical incident stress debriefing for emergency first responders, pain management outcome measures, neuroendocrine implications of opioid therapy, educational resources for pain educators, the role of psychiatry in end-of-life care, and managing pain in older people. He has participated in a clinical trial for risperidone, and product development/launches for transdermal buprenorphine, buccal fentanyl, controlled release hydrocodone, reformulated controlled-release oxycodone, controlled-release oxycodone/naloxone, duloxetine, and topical 8% capsaicin.
A native of Los Angeles, CA, longtime resident of Las Vegas, NV, now living in Reno, NV, Dr. Cole obtained his undergraduate degree (AB) in bacteriology at the University of California, Berkeley and his medical doctorate (MD) at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (formerly the Bowman Gray School of Medicine). He completed his internship in Psychiatry at the Wake Forest University Medical Center (formerly the NC Baptist Hospital), and performed residencies in both Psychiatry and Neurology at the Wake Forest University Medical Center. He performed his anesthesia-related pain fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Health Sciences. He earned his Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He held leadership positions with the American Academy of Pain Management (e.g., Interim Executive Director, President, Director for Education), the American Society of Pain Educators (e.g., Executive Director), and the Nevada Psychiatric Association (e.g. Director of Education). He served as Pain Ambassador for Mundipharma (Singapore) in 2014-2015.
Dr. Cole most recently provided telepsychiatry coverage for the Sutter Hospital System in Northern California and Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Service in Modesto, California; inpatient locum tenens coverage for the inpatient psychiatric program at Flagstaff Medical Center in Flagstaff, AZ. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and active in the Nevada Psychiatric Association (e.g., Conference Planning, Government Affairs, Outreach, Social Media and Membership Engagement Committees). He registered as a non-paid lobbyist for the 2023 Nevada Legislative session. Rev. 01/13/2023
