When Aaron J. Przybysz, MD, PhD joined Hoag in 2024, he brought a vision of transforming how pain is understood and treated. Less than two years later, that vision is becoming reality. As the inaugural John L. Curci Family Endowed Chair in Pain Management, Dr. Przybysz is leading a new era of innovation in pain care—one that places patients at the center of advanced science, compassionate treatment, and forward-thinking collaboration. 

Endowed chairs at Hoag are philanthropically funded positions that provide dedicated support for a physician leader to advance innovation, research, and patient care within a specialty. These chairs empower clinicians to pursue groundbreaking programs, recruit top talent, and accelerate access to cutting-edge therapies. 

“Our goal is to create a center of excellence in pain management—bringing together technology, science, and heart to improve lives in Orange County and beyond,” says Dr. Przybysz. 

Under his leadership, Hoag Pain Management has evolved into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program that now serves both inpatient and outpatient needs across the Hoag ecosystem. From Newport Beach to San Clemente to the Sun Family Campus in Irvine, Dr. Przybysz and his growing team of physicians, advanced practice providers, and nurses are redefining what integrated, patient-centered pain care can look like. 

At the heart of this effort is the newly opened Hoag Interventional Pain Center, the only facility of its kind on the West Coast dedicated exclusively to pain management procedures. Developed with rigorous clinical safety and technology standards, the center offers patients access to minimally invasive therapies in a setting built around their comfort and recovery. 

“It’s a hospital-level environment designed entirely for pain care,” Dr. Przybysz explains. “We can perform nearly everything we would in the hospital, but in a space focused solely on these patients’ needs.” 

In parallel with clinical expansion, Dr. Przybysz is also building Hoag’s first dedicated pain management research program, developing partnerships with the tech and pharmaceutical industry as well as Hoag's institutes to accelerate discovery. 

“We’re investigating cutting edge neuromodulation to treat chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and assisting in the development of novel pharmaceutical agents to treat pain without opioids,” he says. “Philanthropy lets us go beyond traditional research funding to move fast, take smart risks, and bring new therapies to patients sooner.” 

The John L. Curci Family Endowed Chair in Pain Management provides crucial funding to pursue this bold agenda. It allows Dr. Przybysz to recruit top clinical talent, integrate complementary therapies such as pain psychology, acupuncture, and massage therapy, and expand access to innovative research. 

“The Curci family has empowered us to extend our reach and do things that are outside the box and cutting edge—that’s paramount to what we’re trying to do,” says Dr. Przybysz. “They’ve been stewards for the early development of pain and neuropathy programs at Hoag, and this next chapter builds directly on that legacy.” 

Dr. Przybysz credits Hoag’s collaborative culture for enabling this rapid growth. “In academia, you hit glass ceilings and stop signs,” he reflects. “At Hoag, instead of asking ‘Why are you doing this?’ we ask, ‘How can we make it happen?’ That mindset changes everything.” 

With the support of the Curci family’s visionary philanthropy, Dr. Przybysz is positioning Hoag as a national leader in comprehensive, compassionate, and forward-looking pain care. 

“Hoag is an incubator for innovative ideas,” he says. “We’re creating a model where collaboration replaces red tape and innovation happens across every discipline—and our patients are the ones who benefit.”

To learn more about supporting pain management innovation at Hoag, please contact Jenn Brown, Executive Director of Development, at (949) 764-7454 or Jennifer.Brown@hoag.org.

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