In 1964, Dr. B. Berthold Wolff and Dr. Thomas G. Kantor established the informal New York Pain Group, which met monthly at the NYU Medical Center. Approximately 30 pain clinicians and researchers from the Greater New York Metropolitan area gathered to discuss various pain-related research projects and clinical topics. Following the formation of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) in 1973, Dr. John J. Bonica suggested to Dr. Wolff that the group expand to include the New England states, along with participation from the Middle Atlantic and Southern states. In response, Dr. Wolff founded the Eastern Pain Association (EPA) in 1974, encompassing all states east of the Rockies. In 1975, the EPA became one of the first chapters of the IASP.