Well-respected psychiatrist and pain medicine specialist Steven Feinberg is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for the School of Medicine.

Steven is a graduate of the UC Irvine School of Medicine, earning his M.D. in 1972. Recognized for his contributions during medical school, he received the Senior Medical Student Physiology Award in 1972 and the Alumni Community Service Award from UC Irvine in 1973. Among his many initiatives as a student, Dr. Feinberg established the Verano Place Well Baby Clinic and organized Spanish lessons for his classmates.

He is currently an adjunct clinical professor and teaches at the Stanford University Pain Service. He is also the founder of the Feinberg Medical Group, a multidisciplinary practice offering high-quality evaluation and treatment focused on workers’ compensation.

A respected authority in his field, Steven was a senior author of the 2024 edition of ACPA-Stanford Resource Guide to Chronic Pain Management. He has served as an expert reviewer for the Medical Board of California and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Additionally, he is a past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the California Society of Industrial Medicine & Surgery (CSIMS), where he serves on the board of directors. He also serves on multiple American Medical Association panels and advisory boards, and he is the panel chair for the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Chronic Pain Guideline.

Steven has also served on the Western Occupational & Environmental Medical board of directors and is a board member of the American Chronic Pain Association. Among his many honors and awards, he was named the WorkCompCentral Comp Laude Award: Doctor/Physician Professional of the Year in 2021 and received the CSIMS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.

Steven credits his training at UC Irvine for emphasizing personal connections when treating patients. He lectures nationwide about the importance of knowing patients as whole persons rather than just focusing on symptoms.

A generous supporter of UC Irvine, Steven and his wife, Helen “Erica” Feinberg, have donated more than $1 million to the School of Medicine. Most recently, they established the Feinberg Family Medical Student Scholarship Endowment and plan to contribute further to the fund as part of their ongoing philanthropic support of the school.