He is board certified in neurology and pain management, he has served as medical director of pain management clinics and programs in the Twin Cities metropolitan area for over 25 years.  Dr. Belgrade teaches medical students, residents and fellows pain management, and has participated in writing and editing questions for the American Board of Anesthesiology pain certification examination. He has participated in the development of national guidelines for the management of neuropathic pain and chronic pain and has published widely on a broad spectrum of pain topics.  One area of research interest has been on institutional change for improved pain management. He has been a speaker and educator on behalf of the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice on the topic of appropriate prescribing practices for pain management, and is a consultant for the Health Professional Services Program. Dr. Belgrade developed the DIRE Score, a tool used internationally to help clinicians determine who is an appropriate candidate for long-term opioid prescribing for chronic pain.

Originally from Chicago, Dr. Belgrade completed his medical school training at the University of Illinois where he was a James Scholar; and his residency in neurology at the University of Minnesota.  A fellowship in pain management was completed at Hennepin County Medical Center. He has studied acupuncture under the mentorship of the late Professor Anton Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka, and British physician Felix Mann. Under the direction of Dr. Belgrade, Fairview Pain Management Center has been twice awarded the Clinical Center of Excellence designation by the American Pain Society. He has been named Top Doctor by Minneapolis St Paul Magazine 15 consecutive years and has been named teacher of the year three years in a row by the University of Minnesota’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.