Charles Odonkor

Charles Odonkor, MD, MA, serves as Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine. A fellowship-trained and double-board certified specialist in Interventional Pain and Physiatry, Dr. Odonkor brings expertise in advanced pain intervention techniques, regenerative medicine, and neuromodulation to his clinical practice. His work bridges clinical care, research, and education in the field of pain medicine and rehabilitation.

Dr. Odonkor completed his pain fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by residency and a patient safety and health systems design fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He earned his MD from Yale School of Medicine and an MA in Developmental, Cell and Molecular Biology from Washington University in St. Louis.

His research focuses on establishing activity-based digital biomarkers for musculoskeletal diseases such as knee osteoarthritis and spine conditions, with the goal of defining functional thresholds for healthy versus disease phenotypes. Dr. Odonkor's lab utilizes quantitative analytics and bioinformatics to develop precision health tools for pain medicine, bridging the gap between subjective and objective approaches to treatment. He collaborates with researchers at Stanford to establish safe physical activity parameters for patients with spine conditions and with Harvard researchers to study the long-term clinical impact of neuromodulation therapies.

Dr. Odonkor's recent publications reveal strong trends in three interconnected areas: wearable technology for objective pain and mobility assessment, health disparities research (particularly regarding racial and gender representation in pain medicine), and innovative neuromodulation techniques for chronic pain management. His work consistently emphasizes translating research into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.

• National Center of Excellence Award for the Intracept Procedure, Boston Scientific (2024)
• National Medical Association, Physiatry Keynote Speaker Award & Certificate (2024)
• Doximity Top 10% of most cited and published clinicians for 2022
• American Pain Society Young Investigator Award (2015)
• Multiple best paper awards from ASRA, AAPMR, and AAP

Dr. Odonkor actively mentors medical trainees and delivers regional, national, and international lectures on chronic pain science and interventional pain techniques. His research lab focuses on wearable devices that track changes in range of motion, gait speed, and physical activity for patients with chronic pain conditions. He serves on the Spine Intervention Society Research Committee and as a reviewer for multiple pain medicine journals, contributing to the advancement of his field through collaborative partnerships with surgeons, allied health professionals, and clinicians to achieve functional restoration for mobility-limited patients.