Twenty seven colleges of veterinary medicine from the United Sates and Canada, the Food and Drug Administration and the Pfizer Corporation were all represented in the first ever animal related Pain Task Force Symposium held at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville on July 26 -28, 2001. In addition to those representatives present, several other institutions from the United States and Europe, who were unable to send representatives, have agreed to participate by other means of correspondence. The Pfizer Companion Animal Pain Management Consortium and the Center for the Management of Animal Pain (CMAP) sponsored the symposium at the University of Tennessee. The mission of the three-day symposium was to initiate the development of a syllabus containing basic concepts considered to be most important in the study and teaching of pain and its management in animals. The syllabus was to be directed mainly at the veterinary student level. Participants were assigned to twenty-four small group discussion sections covering all aspects from the physiology and pharmacology of pain to behavior and complementary therapies in pain management. Each group was charged with developing learning objectives and associated documentation and references for each objective. A rough draft of the syllabus was provided to attendees prior to departure. The completed syllabus is intended to provide a guide for colleges, universities, and other groups who wish to develop pain and pain management courses as part of their curriculum. The syllabus may also be used as a guide for developing specific pain evaluation and therapeutic protocols. It is hoped that this syllabus will be the basis for development of additional guidelines for pain management for graduate veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and researchers who utilize animal models in their research. Dr. Charles Short, Director of Research and Development for the pain center, was instrumental in the organization and success of the symposium. Dr. Short and Dr. John Henton, Director of Continuing Education and Alumni Affairs at UTCVM, provided hospitality and local events. The attendees enjoyed various aspects of the East Tennessee countryside and hospitality. It is hoped that the syllabus will be completed before the end of the academic year 2001-2002.