Remembering Howard L. Fields, MD, PhD

Howard L. Fields, MD, PhD, UCSF Professor of Neurology and Physiology, passed away on the afternoon of May 1, 2026.

After pioneering research in the pain research field, and contributing to the development of the UCSF Pain Management Center, Howard turned his attention to mechanisms of addiction as a member of the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center and subsequently the Division Chief of the Alcohol and Addiction Research Group in the UCSF Neurology Department.

His contributions to science were remarkable and continue to be cited. In addition to discovering and characterizing the inhibitory and excitatory descending brainstem mechanisms that regulate pain, Howard’s research identified how activity of nucleus accumbens neurons contributes to motivated behavior for natural and drug rewards. His demonstration that naloxone can reverse placebo analgesia revolutionized our understanding of endogenous opioid peptide contributions to pain processing. Howard was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Science.

So memorable is that Howard was most jubilant when discussing experiments and research findings with his colleagues at UCSF and beyond. He will be deeply missed by family, friends, and the Neuroscience and UCSF communities.