L+M Physician Friday -- Dr. Honghui Feng

Dr. Honghui Feng had the courage to leave his native China to pursue a Ph.D. in the United States, but he also had the wherewithal to shift course when he realized his true passion is in the clinical medical profession.

“Working in the lab did not provide me any enjoyment. I wanted to be with people and interact with patients and help them,” Feng says, explaining why he left his studies at Northeastern University. Instead, Feng transferred to the Harvard Longwood Medical Area where he pursued two specialties, both of which he now practices at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

Feng is chairman of the anesthesia department, a title he’s held for six years. He is also a doctor in the L+M Pain Clinic.

“I came to L+M right after my residency and fellowship,” Feng said. “This is my first real job, and I hope my only job. I love it here.”

He speaks eloquently of both specialties. For pain management, he says, “Too many patients in America are suffering from pain, and there are tremendous amounts of productivity lost because of it. Pain is also one of the most debilitating problems in our society, especially with our aging population.

“Many times, with patients, you may not find a reason for their pain, or it may be a condition that is not curable,” he continued. “Our goal is to improve the functionality and the productivity of our patients -- to ease the symptoms to a level that enables them to improve the quality of their lives, and ultimately, the productivity of our society.”

Pain management is much more than prescribing drugs, Feng says. More often, it means other therapies, such as injections or implantable devices that can stimulate nerves and relieve pain.

Dr. Feng, for example, with the help of state-of-the-art imaging technology, can give injections of medicine precisely to a desired anatomical location to relieve conditions such as sciatic nerve pain or spinal pain that persists after surgery.

“For terminal cancer patients, we can administer medications into the spinal cord to dramatically reduce the dosage of the medication, thus reducing the system side effect and enhancing control of the pain,” he says.

Feng also oversees L+M’s team of anesthesiologists.

“As anesthesiologists, we are the patients’ lifeguards,” he says. “Safety is our first priority. We will do everything to protect the patients.”

And, he adds, “I am very fortunate to work with a group of talented physicians, nurses and staff. My partners especially are eager to learn and implement new skills and technologies so that we can provide top-notch quality services to the community.”

In the past few years, Dr. Feng has returned to his native China to lecture and provide education on pain management to colleagues there. And, despite his busy schedule, he still tries to find time translating textbooks in his field into Chinese.

“It is a privilege for me that I can help my patients and contribute whatever I can to society,” he says.

Feng lives in Old Lyme with his wife and two children. He loves southeastern Connecticut, he says.

“I enjoy kayaking in the summer and skiing in the winter. We are always finding something new and fascinating to do in the area,” he said. “And New York and Boston are within driving distance for city life.”

To learn more about Dr. Feng, click here.