22nd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting

November 10-11, 2023 | New Orleans, Louisiana

 

Scientific/Education Planning Committee

Alexios Carayannopoulos, DO, MPH; Brown University, Lifespan Physician Group, Providence, RI, 2023 Meeting Chair
Magdalena Anitescu, MD, PhD; University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, Resident Section Advisor
Anuj Bhatia, MD, PhD, FRCPC; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2025 Co-Meeting Chair
Andrea Chadwick, MD; University of Kansas School of Medicine, Leawood, KS
Sandy Christiansen, MD; Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 2025 Co-Meeting Chair
Ryan D’Souza, MD; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Oscar de Leon-Casasola, MD; University at Buffalo - Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
Tina Doshi, MD, MHS; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Maxim Eckmann, MD; UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, CME Committee Chair for Pain Medicine
Trent Emerick, MD; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Stuart Grant, MD, ChB; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, CME Committee Chair for Regional Anesthesia
Jay Grider, DO; University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Michael Hanes, MD; Jax Spine and Pain Centers/Centurion Spine and Pain Centers, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Christine Hunt, DO; Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 2024 Meeting Chair
Heather Jackson, MSN, APRN-BC; Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, Nurse Practitioner Representative
Ameet Nagpal, MD; UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Samer Narouze, MD, PhD; Western Reserve Hospital, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Board Liaison
Amy Pearson, MD; Aurora Advocate Health Care, Milwaukee, WI, 2022 Meeting Chair
Carlos Pino, MD; Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA
David Provenzano, MD; Pain Diagnostics and Interventional Care, Sewickley, PA, ASRA Pain Medicine President/Ex-Officio
Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, MMS; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Sayed Wahezi, MD; Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Brian Sites, MD; Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Plainfield, NH; Editor-in-Chief, Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine
Siyun “Sisi” Xie, MD; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Resident Section Chair


 

Faculty

Sandeep Amin, MD; Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
Magdalena Anitescu, MD, PhD; University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL
Apkar Apkarian, PhD; Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Meredith Barad, MD; Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Redwood City, CA
Kimberlee Bayless, DNP, FNP-BC, APRN; George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Martha Bentley-McLachlan, BSN, RN; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
Honorio Benzon, MD; Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Anuj Bhatia, MD, PhD, FRCPC; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Brian Bruel, MD, MBA; University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School and Cy Pain and Spine, Houston, TX
Thomas Buchheit, MD; Duke University, Durham, NC
Aaron Calodney, MD; Precision Spine Care, Tyler, TX
Kenneth Candido, MD; Pain Center of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Alexios Carayannopoulos, DO, MPH, FAAPMR; Brown University, Lifespan Physician Group, Providence, RI
Andrea Chadwick, MD; University of Kansas School of Medicine, Leawood, KS
Sandy Christiansen, MD; Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Steven Cohen, MD; Johns Hopkins & Walter Reed, Clarksville, MD
Timothy Davis, MD; Orthopedic Pain Specialists, Santa Monica, CA
Rakhi Dayal, MD; University of California, Irvine, CA
Oscar de Leon-Casasola, MD; University at Buffalo - Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
Timothy Deer, MD; Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias, Charleston, WV
Tina Doshi, MD, MHS; Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD
Ryan D’Souza, MD; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Maxim Eckmann, MD; University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX
Sam Eldabe, MD, FRCA; The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesborough, United Kingdom
Dalia Elmofty, MD; University of Chicago, Naperville, IL
Hesham Elsharkawy, MD, MBA, MSc; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Trent Emerick, MD, MBA; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mars, PA
Alexander Feoktistov, MD, PhD; Synergy Integrative Headache Center, Northfield, IL
Patrick Giam, MD, FASA; American Society of Anesthesiologists, Houston, TX
Vasudha Goel, MBBS; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Jay Grider, DO; University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Jennifer Grimmer, DNP, FNP-BC, PMGT-BC; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
Maged Guirguis, MD; Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA 
Amitabh Gulati, MD; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Jennifer Hah, MD, MS; Stanford University, Sunnyvale, CA
Karen Hande, PhD, DNP; Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN|
Michael Hanes, MD; Jax Spine and Pain Centers/Centurion Spine and Pain Centers, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Christine Hunt, DO, MS; Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Zohra Hussaini, MSN, FNP-BC, MBA; University of Kansas Health System, Overland Park, KS
Heather Jackson, MSN, APRN-BC; Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Michael Joyner, MD; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
David Julius, PhD; University of California San Francisco, CA
Leonardo Kapural, MD, PhD; Carolinas Pain Institute/ Chronic Pain Research Institute, Winston-Salem, NC
Chong Kim, MD; MetroHealth/ Case Western Reserve University, Gibsonia, PA
Nick Knezevic, MD, PhD; Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center/University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Lynn Kohan, MD; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Sandra Kopp, MD; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Andrzej Krol, MD, DEAA, FRCA; St. George’s University Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Robert Levy, MD, PhD; Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, Boca Raton, FL
Cheri Mah, MD, MS; Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, Redwood City, CA
Theresa Mallick-Searle, MS, PMGT-BC, ANP-BC; Stanford Health Care, San Carlos, CA
Leena Mathew, MD; Columbia University, New York, NY
Maged Mina, MD; University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX
Ameet Nagpal, MD; UT Health San Antonio, Department of Anesthesiology, San Antonio, TX
Samer Narouze, MD, PhD; Western Reserve Hospital, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Ariana Nelson, MD; University of California, Irvine, CA
Ehren Nelson, MD; Palo Alto VA Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
Amy Pearson, MD; University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
Philip Peng, MBBS; Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
Frederike Petzchner, PhD; Brown University, Providence, RI
Julie Pilitsis, MD, PhD, MBA; Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Raton, FL
Carlos Pino, MD; Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA
David Provenzano, MD; Pain Diagnostics and Interventional Care, Sewickley, PA
Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, MMS; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Maunak Rana, MD; The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL
Richard Rosenquist, MD; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Carl Saab, MS, MA, PhD; Cleveland Clinic/Brown University, Cleveland, OH
Gary Schwartz, MD, FASA, AABP; Maimonides Medical Center, Melville, NY
Shalini Shah, MD, MBA; University of California Irvine Health, Irvine, CA
Hariharan Shankar, MBBS; Medical College of Wisconsin, Brookfield, WI
Harsha Shanthanna, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC; McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Cynthia Shum, DNP, Med, BScN; VA Palo Alto, CA
B. Todd Sitzman, MD, MPH; Advanced Pain Therapy, PLLC, Hattiesburg, MS
Dmitri Souza, MD; Western Reserve Hospital, Ohio University, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Reda Tolba, MD; Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emeritas
Amy Turner, RN, BSN, MMHC; Ventra Health, Murfreesboro, TN
Stephanie Vanterpool, MD, MBA, FASA; University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville, TN
Heather Vincent, PhD, MS; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Eugene Viscusi, MD; Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Kevin Vorenkamp, MD, FASA; Duke Raleigh Hospital, Chapel Hill, NC
Gina Votta-Velis, MD; University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Sayed Wahezi, MD; Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY


Associate Faculty

Abeer Alomari, MD; University of Toronto, ON, Canada
Ehtesham Baig, MSc, MD, FRCPC; University Health Network, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
Nathan Harrison, MD; Ochsner Health Systems, Mandeville, LA
Hemant Kalia, MD, MPH, FIPP; Invision Spine and Pain, Rochester, NY
Pranab Kumar, MD; Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
Usman Latif, MD, MBA; University of Kansas Hospital, Leawood, KS
Vinita Singh, MD; Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Paul Tumber, MD, FRCPC; Toronto Western Hospital, Tornoto, ON, Canada  


Dr. Abeer Alomari

Abeer Alomari, MD, is board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist. She completed her subspecialty training in pain management at the University of Toronto, Canada.  Dr. Alomari has a special interest in both acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain and image-guided interventions. She is currently working at the University of Toronto and her rule includes comprehensive multimodal pain management including both ultrasound-guided and fluoroscopy-guided interventions. 


Dr. Sandeep Amin

Sandeep Amin, MD, is the chairman of anesthesia at Rush Oak Park Hospital, medical director at Rush Pain Center at Oak Park, and associate attending and associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Previously, he was the director of pain fellowship education at Rush University Medical Center and assistant clinical professor at the University of Illinois Hospitals. He attended medical school at Municipal Medical College in India and completed his residency in anesthesia at the University of Illinois Hospitals, where he was chief resident. He completed a fellowship in pain medicine at the University of Illinois Medical Center and was a clinical fellow in pain medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. His clinical interests include complex regional pain syndrome, low back pain, failed back surgery syndrome, cancer pain, supraorbital and occipital neuralgia, neuromodulation and targeted drug delivery, and radiofrequency denervation. 


Dr. Magdalena Anitescu

Magdalena Anitescu, MD, PhD, is a professor of anesthesia and critical care, program director for the multidisciplinary pain medicine fellowship, and section chief of pain management services at the University of Chicago Medicine in Chicago, IL. She completed a surgical internship at the University of Iowa and an anesthesia residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Following a pain medicine fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, she joined the faculty at the University of Chicago. She is an accomplished national and international educator, author of numerous textbook chapters and scientific papers, and a member of many professional organizations, editorial boards, and scientific committees that review the academic curriculum for various pain medicine meetings. She developed and edited a series of textbooks for anesthesiology subspecialties based on the problem-based mode of learning. Dr. Anitescu focuses research on improving the quality of life of patients with acute, chronic, or cancer pain through multimodal, multifaceted interventions, as well as use of infusion pharmacology and neuromodulation.


Dr. Ehtesham Baig

Ehtesham Baig, MSc, MD, FRCPC, is a dually certified anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician currently practicing at the University Health Network and affiliated with the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Toronto. His clinical practice focuses on comprehensive pain management in patients undergoing active cancer treatment as well as those who are cancer survivors. These strategies include interventional modalities utilizing ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and advanced techniques such as neuromodulation and intrathecal drug delivery. He is actively involved in the education of pain medicine practitioners at various levels including postgraduate trainees and those in clinical practice.   


Meredith Barad MD, grew up in Denver, CO. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin summa cum laude in 1998 and graduated from Stanford University Medical School in 2003. She completed her internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA and then went on to a neurology residency at Stanford University. After residency, Dr. Barad was the first neurologist to be admitted to the pain fellowship at Stanford. She is board certified in headache and pain and co-directs the Facial Pain program at Stanford. She is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesia (Pain Management) and Neurology & Neurological Sciences, as well as the Associate Division Chief of Education and Program Director for the Pain Fellowship. She is the chair of the headache and facial pain special interest group for the American Academy of Pain Medicine. She is the secretary of the American Pain Program Directors, and on the Editorial Board of Pain Medicine.


Kimberlee Bayless

Kimberlee Bayless, DNP, FNP-BC, APRN, is a nurse practitioner and the director of the transitional pain service at the department at George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City, UT. She received her master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner and doctorate of nursing practice with an emphasis in micro-dose intrathecal pump guidelines. Dr. Bayless is SAMHSA certified for addiction treatment. She is the vice-chair of the NP/PA/RN Special Interest Group for ASRA Pain Medicine. Dr. Bayless is the 2019 Secretary’s Ward Excellence and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 2022 Utah State Award for Excellence.


Martha Bentley-McLachlan

Martha Bentley-McLachlan, BSN, RN, OCN, is an oncology nurse and coordinator for the Division of Pain at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The focus of her care has been chronic cancer-related pain and symptom management.  She is one of the founding members of the ASRA’s NP/PA/RN SIG, currently a co-chair.  She also serves as one of the liaison's for the NP/PA/RN SIG’s Newsletter and has lectured at the ASRA Fall NP/PA/Nurse program for the last four years. 


Dr. Honorio Benzon

Honorio T. Benzon, MD, is a graduate of Far Eastern University Dr. Nicanor Reyes School of Medicine in Manila, Philippines. He took his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Later, he had research training in neurophysiology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He is presently a Professor Emeritus of Anesthesiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He was the Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at Northwestern (1990 to 2010) and the Director of their Pain Medicine Fellowship program (1994 to 2006). Dr. Benzon has written 101 articles, 120 book chapters, presented 110 abstracts, and gave 395 national and international lectures in the field of pain medicine and regional anesthesia.

He is the chief editor of two textbooks on pain medicine (“Essentials of pain medicine”, “Practical management of pain”) and co-editor of two books in pain medicine and regional anesthesia (“Spinal injections” and “Challenging Cases and Complication Management in Pain Medicine”). He has been a Senior Editor of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Section Editor (Pain Medicine) of Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Pain Practice. He is presently the Executive Section Editor (Chronic Pain Medicine) of Anesthesia and Analgesia. He was on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia from 2010 to 2015, and the Chair of the USA Section of the World Institute of Pain from 2015 to 2021. Dr. Benzon was a recipient of the 1994 “Golden Apple Teaching Award” from the Department of Anesthesiology of Northwestern; "Deans Award for Teaching Excellence 2003" from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; 2010 “Distinguished Service Award” and the 2016 “John J. Bonica award in pain medicine” from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine; and became a member of Alpha Omega Alpha in 2014. 


Dr. Anuj Bhatia

Anuj Bhatia, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is a professor in the department of anesthesia and pain medicine at the University of Toronto and the director of the comprehensive integrated pain program at University Health Network, Toronto. He is the chair of the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the Canadian Pain Society, Secretary and Treasurer of the Canadian Neuromodulation Society, Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s Pain Medicine Specialty committee, Co-Chair of the North American Neuromodulation Society’s Research Committee and a member of ASRA Pain Medicine’s Research Committee.



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Brian Bruel, MD, MBA, is an Interventional pain physician and PM&R specialist in Houston, Texas. He is an adjunct professor of PM&R at The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School and is in private practice at Cy Pain and Spine. He has been an educator and mentor his entire career and has special interests in the treatment of cancer related pain, specifically in survivorship. Dr. Bruel has expertise in neuromodulation and the comprehensive treatment of the spine utilizing rehabilitative and interventional approaches.


Thomas Buchheit, MD, serves as director of the regenerative pain therapies program at the Duke Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM). He practices clinically at both Duke University and the Durham VA, where he treats patients with osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, and nerve injury. His research focuses on the immunologic mechanisms that drive tissue damage and pain, employing biologically based interventions such as platelet-rich plasma and autologous conditioned serum. 


Dr. Aaron Calodney

Aaron Calodney, MD, is past president of the Texas Pain Society and past president of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.  He has served on the board of the International Spine Intervention Society for many years and was director of Education.  Dr. Calodney is board certified in anesthesiology and carries subspecialty certification in pain management through the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Calodney earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, MO, and completed a family medicine internship at St Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, NY. His residency in anesthesiology and subsequent interventional pain management fellowship was completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He subsequently completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesia at the Denver Children’s Hospital, Denver, CO. 


Dr. Kenneth Candido

Kenneth D. Candido, MD, is chair of the Department of Pain Medicine at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago and clinical professor of anesthesiology and clinical professor of surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago.  Dr. Candido is a highly visible presence regionally and nationally in the pain management community.  Since becoming chair in 2008, Dr. Candido has spearheaded a pain management program which has realized double-digit expansion in each of his 10 years there, and presently serves as fellowship director of the Pain Medicine Program (ACGME Accredited). Dr. Candido has published extensively on areas of acute and chronic pain management, and to date has written more than 155 original peer-referenced papers on a variety of topics related to controlling pain.  He has also written more than 85 textbook chapters on diverse areas of pain control and has lectured to international audiences on the complex nature of pain and its treatment.  Several of his works deal with finding appropriate solutions to dealing with painful conditions in patients who have underlying or iatrogenic addictive diseases which often blurs the distinction between therapy aimed at physiological ailments versus those designed to combat psychological distress. 


Carayannopoulos_Alexios

Alexios G. Carayannopoulos, DO, MPH, DABPMR, FAAOE, FFSMB, is dual board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) as well as pain medicine. He is a clinical associate professor of neurosurgery and neurology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and his fellowship in pain medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. He earned a master’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. He earned certification in Medical Acupuncture from Harvard Medical.  


Chadwick_Andrea

Andrea Chadwick, MD, MS, completed her residency in anesthesiology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), then trained in pain medicine at the same institution. Concurrently with fellowship training, Dr. Nicol conferred a master’s of science in clinical research through the UCLA Department of Biomathematics. Currently, she is an assistant professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Lawrence where her clinical responsibilities include chronic pain and her research interests include fibromyalgia, centralized pain syndromes, and mechanisms of the chronification of pain. 


Dr. Sandy Christiansen

Sandy Christiansen, MD, is an assistant professor in the anesthesiology department at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OR who specializes in chronic pain management. Dr. Christiansen joined the faculty of the comprehensive pain center in 2016 after completing her fellowship in pain medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She specializes in the treatment of cancer, neuropathic and spine related pain advocating a multimodal approach to all patients. 


Dr. Steven P. Cohen

Steven P. Cohen, MD, is professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, neurology, physical medicine rehabilitation, and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.  He is also chief of pain medicine and director of pain operations at Johns Hopkins and director of pain research at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Dr. Cohen has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and was listed by ExpertScape as the leading pain expert in the world.


Dr. Rakhi Dayal

Rakhi Dayal, MD, is double board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. Program Director of Pain Medicine Fellowship at the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Dayal is an active member of national societies and has published in peer-reviewed journals. Her clinical interests include opioid stewardship, neuropathic pain, headaches, and neuromodulation. In addition, she is passionate about education, patient safety, healthcare disparities, and perioperative sustainability.


Dr. Oscar de Leon-Casasola

Oscar de Leon-Casasola, MD, is the senior vice-chair and professor of anesthesiology (tenure track), department of anesthesiology, and professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He is also chief of the division of pain medicine and a professor of oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY. Dr. de Leon-Casasola was the editor-in-chief of the journal Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management from 2000 to 2011. He also served on the editorial board of Seminars in Pain Medicine and the Journal of the Spanish Society of Pain. Dr. de Leon-Casasola served as president of ASRA Pain Medicine from 2015-2017. 


Dr. Tim Deer

Timothy Deer, MD, is the world leader in research, product development, and education in the practice of interventional spine and pain treatment. he is the president and CEO of The Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias.  He is also a clinical professor of anesthesiology at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. Dr. Deer has been a leader in the field of interventional techniques and neuromodulation for more than two decades. His rich research career has included many pivotal studies to achieve FDA approval, and many “first in human” approved devices.  Dr. Deer has provided cadaver-based training to over 3,000 physicians in novel methods of pain relief without the need for opioids.  His work has led to more than 200 peer reviewed publications, several book chapters, and full textbooks.   Dr. Deer has held many national and international society positions including his current roles as the chair of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, past president of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS), and president Emeritus of the West Virginia Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (WVSIPP).  He is he past chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologist Committee of Pain Medicine, a member of the West Virginia Controlled Substance Monitoring Program, and has been involved in the peer review process to improve the quality of research in the international arena. In addition to his many endeavors in medicine, Dr. Deer is an avid ultrarunner completing several 100-mile races.  Dr. Deer is blessed with a more than 30-year marriage to his wife, Melissa, and has four children.


Dr. Tina Doshi

Tina Doshi, MD, MHS, is an assistant professor in the division of pain medicine in the departments of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and of neurological surgery at Johns Hopkins University. She completed anesthesiology residency at Washington University in St. Louis and pain medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins, where she stayed to complete a T32 fellowship and a master's in clinical investigation. Her research and clinical interests include craniofacial and neuropathic pain, novel pain biomarkers, and ultrasound guidance in chronic pain procedures. She is chair of the Women in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine SIG.


Dr. Ryan D'Souza

Ryan D'Souza, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician at Mayo Clinic Rochester. He also serves as the director of neuromodulation. He is passionate about research in neuromodulation, regenerative medicine, fibromyalgia, and evidence-based synthesis methodology. He has received several grants related to neuromodulation technology and investigation of interventional therapy for novel clinical indications. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications. He serves on the editorial board for anesthesia and analgesia, and regional anesthesia and pain medicine.


Dr. Maxim Eckmann

Maxim Eckmann, MD, is the ASRA Pain Medicine CME co-chair (Pain), Texas Pain Society president, and ABA examiner.  He has special interest in chronic joint pain and peripheral neuromodulation.  He is the medical director of the University of Texas Pain Consultants Clinic in San Antonio, TX.


Dr. Samuel Eldabe

Samuel Eldabe, MD, is a consultant in pain medicine at The James Cook University Hospital Middlesbrough and Honorary Professor of Pain Medicine at University of Warwick Medical School and visiting professor at Teesside University. He has extensive experience with a number of neuromodulation techniques and indications including vascular, neuropathic pain and cancer pain as well as spasticity of cerebral and spinal origins. He has a strong interest in neuromodulation research particularly issues relating to the placebo effect and sham controlled trials. He is the author or co-author of more than 80 papers in the areas of pain management and neuromodulation. His current research interests include deprescribing opioids and the use of neuromodulation for rehabilitation of back pain sufferers, spinal cord stimulation for refractory angina, use of sham control in spinal cord stimulation as well as the utility of screening trials in spinal cord stimulation. 


Dr. Dalia Elmofty

Dalia Elmofty, MD, is an associate professor at the University of Chicago. During these years, she has continued to commit her time towards the education of young physicians, residents, fellows, practitioners, being involved in many hands on educational sessions at conferences locally, regionally and nationally.  She has authored and co-authored several textbook chapters and peer-reviewed publications. Her academic interests include procedural simulation for neuraxial procedures, epidural simulations for anesthesiology residents and virtual reality simulation for pain fellowship training.


Dr. Hesham Elsharkawy

Hesham Elsharkawy, MD, MBA, MSc, FASA, is a staff member at MetroHealth and associate professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Dr. Elsharkawy’s research focus has been on development of new technologies, new pain procedures, and the transition from acute to chronic pain. This interest led him to establish the Persistent Postoperative Pain Special Interest Group. He has experience in research, has contributed to the field of regional anesthesia, and has been invited to many lectures and workshops, in national and international conferences, and on numerous grand rounds. Dr. Elsharkawy is also actively involved in multiple research projects and multicenter studies and has received multiple grants to support research projects. The core of his educational activities is teaching residents and fellows in different clinical settings, as well as during formal lectures, journal clubs, simulation sessions, workshops, and problem-based learning discussions. He earned an MBA from Cleveland State University, which helps him to lead many departmental projects.


Dr. Trent Emerick

Trent Emerick, MD, MBA, is board-certified in anesthesiology, pain medicine, and addiction medicine, and currently serves as program director of the chronic pain fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He completed his medical school at Georgetown University, residency and fellowship at UPMC, and MBA at Penn State University. He is also the director of quality improvement and innovation and associate chief of the UPMC Chronic Pain Division. Outside of his academic roles, he is also the designated pain specialist for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His other academic interests include telemedicine, craniofacial pain, medical device innovation, and practice management topics. He currently holds certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt through the American Society for Quality.


Dr. Alexander Feoktistov

Alexander Feoktistov, MD, is the founder and the president of the Synergy Integrative Headache Center in Chicago, IL. He is board-certified in headache medicine and is a diplomat of the American Board of Pain Medicine. He co-authored 9 book chapters and published over 40 articles on the topics of headache and neck pain. In 2015, he was named the recipient of the 2015 National Headache Foundation Lectureship Award. Since 2019, Dr. Feoktistov serves as the president of the American Interventional Headache Society.   


Dr. Patrick Giam

Patrick Giam, MD, FASA, is a board certified physician partner at USAP, is First Vice President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He has served in several leadership roles within ASA. He is a member of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists where he served as President. He is also a registered parliamentarian. Dr. Giam received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed his fellowship in cardiovascular anesthesiology at the Texas Heart Institute.


Dr. Vasudha Goel

Vasudha Goel, MBBS, is an interventional pain management physician practicing at the University of Minnesota. She found her interest in pain management while completing medical school in India. She went on to complete residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and pain medicine fellowship at Loma Linda University Medical Center. She has a special interest in helping the cancer survivor suffering from chronic pain. After clinical duties, teaching and clinical research she enjoys painting and spending time with her two little kids.      


Dr. Jay Grider

Jay Grider, DO, is the associate chief medical officer for UKHealthCare Ambulatory Services and the medical director for UKHealthCare Pain Services.  He is active in ASRA Pain Medicine, NANS, and ASIPP.  Additionally, he serves on national committees related to pain medicine in the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Grider has lectured nationally and internationally on topics related to neuromodulation, interventional techniques and opioid pharmacology for ASRA Pain Medicine, ASIPP, and NANS.


Grimmer_Jennifer

Jennifer Grimmer, DNP, FNP-BC, PMGT-BC, has been practicing as a family nurse practitioner for 13 years and she has been serving as the nurse practitioner in Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s chronic cancer pain clinic for almost 9 years. Jennifer has also been actively involved with ASRA Pain Medicine's NP-PA-Nursing SIG, and was a founding member and initial co-chair for the SIG. She has presented locally and nationally regarding many chronic pain management topics. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her 3 little girls, dogs, and watching the Buffalo Bills.


Dr. Maged Guirguis

Maged Guirguis, MD, serves as the system chair of the pain management department at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, LA. He is an assistant professor for the University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School where he also serves as the pain medicine rotation director as well as serving as a clinical assistant professor in the Louisiana State University School of Medicine. After completing a residency in internal medicine in his home country, he joined the Cleveland Clinic Foundation for a research fellowship in pain medicine, after which he completed his residency in anesthesiology and clinical fellowship in pain management. Dr. Guirguis is triple board certified in anesthesiology, pain medicine, and headache management. Dr. Guirguis has published numerous papers and book chapters as well as presented various clinical studies and peer-reviewed abstracts on pain medicine at national and international meetings. He serves as faculty and member of the Pain Educational Committee for the American Society of Anesthesiologists and in both the research and education committees for the international neuromodulation and the North American neuromodulation societies. He has a special interest in neuromodulation, headache management, and ultrasound-guided interventions for acute and chronic pain.


Dr. Amitabh Gulati

Amitabh Gulati, MD, is an anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician currently practicing in New York City.  He is an associate professor and director of chronic pain, specializing in interventional cancer pain management, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.  He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, completed his anesthesiology residency at Emory University School of Medicine, and obtained his pain management fellowship diploma from Weill Cornell School of Medicine in 2007.  Furthermore, Dr. Gulati completed his acupuncture certification at the Helms Medical Institute in 2007, and is licensed to practice in the state of New York.


Dr. Jennifer Hah

Jennifer Hah, MD, MS, is triple boarded in anesthesiology, pain medicine, and addiction medicine. She is an assistant professor in the department of anesthesiology, perioperative, and pain medicine at Stanford University. She has practiced pain medicine over a decade educating trainees and clinicians in ultrasound-guided interventions, neuromodulation, and evidence-based treatments at the cutting edge. As a clinical epidemiologist and physician-scientist, she leads NIH-funded research at the intersection between mood, pain and medication use. She is the director of the Stanford Pelvic Pain program.   


Dr. Karen Hande

Karen Hande, PhD, DNP, is an adult health board certified nurse practitioner and a certified nurse educator.  Karen is a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and the department chair for health promotion, populations, and health systems. Karen teaches full-time at Vanderbilt and practices at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in oncology pain management. She serves as the clinical coordinator of the oncology/hematology NP fellowship and the Pain and Symptom Management Program co-chair of advanced practice education, training, and scholarship.


Dr. Michael Hanes

Michael Hanes, MD, is board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. He practices in Northeast Florida and co-owner of Jax Spine & Pain Centers and Centurion Spine & Pain Centers. He is a key opinion leader in the field of pain medicine and a national speaker for neurostimulation therapies and kyphoplasty. He has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in optimizing patient outcomes and reducing complications.     


Dr. Nathan Harrison

Nathan J. Harrison, MD, earned his medical degree in 2004 from Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA followed by an internship at Tulane University. He then completed a residency in anesthesiology at The University of Michigan and a fellowship in Pain Management at University of California, Davis. He has been on staff at Ochsner Health Systems since 2010 and has a special interest in neuromodulation in the treatment of spinal and peripheral nerve pathology.



Hunt_Christine

Christine Hunt, DO, is an assistant professor in pain medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Her clinical and research interests include neuromodulation, regenerative medicine, ultrasound, axial pain, musculoskeletal pain, and neuropathic pain management including in the spinal cord injured population.  


Dr. Zohra Hussaini

Zohra Hussaini, MSN, FNP-BC, MBA, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner specializing in pain management at the University of Kansas Health System, serving as the lead coordinator of APP's in the interventional pain clinic. She finds professional growth through active membership at multiple national pain and nurse practitioner societies, and stays engaged through serving as faculty, directing labs and planning APP education for ASRA, ASPN, AANP, PainWeek, NANS and many more. She's actively involved in ongoing research, consulting, and collaborates with industry to advocate and promote APP educational opportunities.


Heather Jackson, PhD

Heather J. Jackson, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, is an internationally recognized pain clinician practicing in the cancer pain and symptom management clinic of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is also an assistant professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing as well as the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. As a nursing scientist, Dr. Jackson has advanced the use of acupuncture for the treatment of pain and opioid dependence in adult, neonatal, and pediatric populations.


Dr. Michael Joyner

Michael Joyner, MD, has broad based interests related to integrative physiology in humans, and practices clinical medicine as an anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Joyner’s specific areas of expertise include autonomic control of circulation, muscle and skin blood flow, exercise, oxygen transport and metabolic regulation in humans. This work has been continuously funded by the NIH since the early 1990s. During the COVID-19 pandemic Dr. Joyner repurposed his lab and led the U.S. Expanded access program for convalescent plasma and have an emerging interest in passive immunity and antibody therapy for infectious diseases


Dr. David Julius

David Julius, PhD, received his undergraduate degree from MIT (1973-77), gaining his first research experience in the laboratory of Alexander Rich studying mechanisms of tRNA aminoacylation. He then moved to the University of California at Berkeley for graduate studies (1977-84), and continued on to postdoctoral studies at Columbia University (1984-89). David then joined the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco (1990), where he is currently the Morris Herzstein chair in Molecular Biology and Medicine and chair of the Department of Physiology.

A major focus of Dr. Julius’ work is to elucidate molecular mechanisms of somatosensation and pain, and sensory adaptation. His group discovered a family of thermo- and chemo-sensitive ion channels that detect temperatures and other noxious stimuli. With the aid of genetic, electrophysiological, and behavioral methods, they have determined how these ion channels contribute to pain sensation, and how channel activity is modulated in response to tumor growth, infection, or other forms of injury. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Headshot copyrighted by BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards.


Dr. Hemant Kalia

 Hemant Kalia, MD, MPH, FIPP, specializes in interventional pain and cancer rehabilitation with special expertise in advanced neuromodulation and minimally invasive spine procedures. He earned his medical degree from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore India and Master’s degree in Public Health from Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green KY. His first residency was in Preventive Medicine & Public Health followed by Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at University of Rochester. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Pain Medicine from University of Rochester and additional FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) certification from World Institute of Pain, Budapest Hungary. He is the President & CEO of C.R.I.S.P (Center for Research and Innovation in Spine & Pain) and Managing Medical Director of InvisionHealth, Rochester NY.

 As part of the faculty at numerous national/international professional societies, he is involved in teaching and mentoring both fellows and young neuromodulators. He also serves as an examiner for the reputable FIPP certification course through World Institute of Pain.


Dr. Leonardo Kapural

Leonardo Kapural, MD, PhD, is a professor of anesthesiology at Carolinas Pain Institute in Clemmons, NC. Dr. Kapural’s interests include spinal cord stimulation and visceral abdominal pain. Dr. Kapural’s experience is broad and encompasses teaching and clinical education, extensive research, and innovations in the area of pain treatments which brought him two Innovator Awards. His noteworthy research findings have been published in more than 100 journal articles, 100 abstracts, two books and 20 book chapters. He is listed by his peers in the “Best Doctors of America.”


Dr. Chong KIm

Chong Kim, MD, is a professor in the departments of PM&R and Anesthesiology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He serves as the program director for the pain medicine fellowship. Additionally, he is director of pain and healing center, MSK Division of MetroHealth Rehab Institute, and co-director of Spine Center, all at MetroHealth.



Dr. Nick Knezevic

Nebojsa ‘Nick’ Knezevic, MD, PhD, obtained his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Belgrade in Serbia and completed his training at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He is the vice chairman for research and education at the department of anesthesiology at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, and also a clinical professor of anesthesiology and surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago. He has extensive expertise in basic and clinical research and has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles including the most recent in the Lancet that were cited more than 5,000 times.


Dr. Lynn Kohan

Lynn Kohan, MD, is a professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Virginia. She obtained her medical degree from Georgetown University, where she also completed her anesthesia residency. She completed her pain medicine fellowship at the University of Virginia and stayed on as faculty. She currently serves as the Pain Management Fellowship director. Her research and clinical interests include head and facial pain, novel RF techniques, medical and interventional treatments for acute and chronic pain, and resident/fellow education.


Kopp_Sandra

Sandra L. Kopp, MD, is a professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. She received her doctor of medicine degree from the University Of Minnesota School Of Medicine in 1999.  Dr. Kopp did her internship, anesthesiology residency, and regional anesthesiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.  Dr. Kopp is currently the vice chair, integration and convergence, department of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine; chair, division of community anesthesiology; and chair, surgical and procedural practice in SE Minnesota. As part of her Mayo Clinic enterprise roles, she works clinically providing anesthesia in small community hospitals as well as a large tertiary care hospital. She serves as a Board Member for ASRA Pain Medicine.  Her research interests include regional anesthesia and analgesia for orthopedic surgery, peripheral nerve injury, and anticoagulation. 


Dr. Andrzej Krol

Andrzej Król, MD, DEAA, FRCA, has been a consultant in anaesthesia and pain medicine at St. George’s University Hospital,London,UK (2005).Dr. Krol has been actively involved in promoting and teaching interventional pain relief techniques with ultrasound guided approaches opening a new horizon. He is the chairman of the popular international ultrasound in pain medicine course in London,coordinator of ESRA Cadaver Pain Workshops in Europe. Dr Andrzej Król has been a board member and an examiner of EDPM -ESRA. Dr Król has authored more than 100 articles.He is master scuba diver.                                


Kumar_Pranab

Pranab Kumar, FRCA, FRCPC, FIPP, completed his medical training in Bangalore (India) followed by an anesthesia residency/subspecialization in pain medicine in London Deanery, United Kingdom. After a year of neuromodulation fellowship at Guy’s and St. Thomas Hospital he worked as a consultant at Norwich University hospital. He relocated to Toronto for a comprehensive pain management fellowship to refine his ultrasound skills in interventional MSK. Dr. Kumar is currently affiliated with the University of Toronto as an assistant professor and works as a staff in anesthesia and pain management at Toronto Western Hospital. He is the current ASRA Newsletter Liaison for Chronic Pain Ultrasound SIG and teaches ultrasound workshops in WIP, PSI, ISURA and LSORA.


Dr. Usman Latif

Usman Latif, MD, MBA, trained in anesthesiology and was a chief resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and completed pain fellowship at the Harvard/MGH program. He previously was internal medicine faculty at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He ran clinical drug trials at pfizer, earned an MBA, and held principal roles in multiple technology ventures. Dr. Latif is an associate editor for Pain Practice and served as an investigator for countless medical device trials. He has a strong track record in product development.     


Not pictured

Robert M. Levy, M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon, and currently holds the position of Editor-in-Chief of Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. He earned his medical degree and Ph.D. in neurosciences from Stanford University and the Stanford University Medical School.  During his academic career, he has been a tenured full professor of neurosurgery, physiology and radiation oncology at the Feinberg School Medicine at Northwestern University. His current research involves novel applications of neurostimulation and targeted drug delivery to the brain.    


Dr. Cheri Mah

Cheri D. Mah, MD, MS, is a sleep physician and adjunct lecturer at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center. Her research focus is on sleep and performance in elite athletes. Dr. Mah’s experience includes consulting with NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams, advising Supermoon Capital, serving on the Nike Performance Council, and working with sleep startups. Dr. Mah received her M.D. at UCSF and M.S. at Stanford University. She is board-certified in internal medicine and completed Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center.


Dr. Theresa Mallick-Searle

Theresa Mallick-Searle, MS, PMGT-BC, ANP-BC, is an adult nurse practitioner with over 25 years’ experience at Stanford Health Care. Her current clinical practice within the division of pain medicine, focuses primarily on evaluation and treatment of individuals suffering from acute and chronic pain conditions in both the acute care and outpatient settings. Theresa is a nationally recognized clinician, speaker, author and thought leader in the field of pain management. She has been recognized by the Point of Care Network as one of America’s top Nurse Practitioners in Pain Management 2019, 2021 & 2022.


Mathew, Leena

Leena Mathew, MD, is a professor of anesthesiology and the director of the pain medicine fellowship at Columbia University. She completed her anesthesiology training and pain fellowship at Columbia University. Additionally she is a health and wellness coach with training in functional medicine who uses a holistic lens with an integrative approach to treat acute, chronic and cancer pain in adults and children. She is an inductee of  Columbia University’s Academy of Clinical Excellence. Her special interests lie in the intersection of chronic pain with metabolic health and women's health.


Mina_Maged

Maged Mina, MD, is adjunct faculty with University of Texas Health Sciences Center (UTHSC) San Antonio, writing four chapters on pediatric pain in a textbook for the department. As chief resident at the UTHSC in Houston in 2000, Dr. Mina was elected as best resident for regional anesthesia. He has been chief of anesthesia at South Texas Spine Hospital since 2007. Dr. Mina has assisted with numerous ultrasound-guided courses for chronic pain. He has extensive work experience with chronic pediatric pain in collaboration with pediatric orthopedic surgeons particularly pediatric complex regional pain syndrome.


Dr. Ameet Nagpal

Ameet Nagpal, MD, is the division chief of PM&R at the Medical University of South Carolina. He is a professor in the department of Orthopaedics & Physical Medicine. He is board certified in physical medicine & rehabilitation and pain medicine. He has a master's of science in physiology and biophysics, a master's of education in healthcare curriculum and instruction, and an MBA. His clinical and research interests include abuse-deterrent opioid therapy, neuromodulation, and interventional treatment for chronic pelvic pain and chronic shoulder pain. Dr. Nagpal speaks regularly at national meetings, including the annual meetings of AAPM&R, ASRA Pain Medicine, SIS, and AAPM.


Dr. Samer Narouze

Samer Narouze, MD, PhD, is a professor of anesthesiology and surgery at NEOMED and Ohio University. He is board certified in anesthesiology, pain medicine, headache medicine, and interventional pain management. He is the chairman of the Center for Pain Medicine at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Dr. Narouze is the Immediate Past President of ASRA Pain Medicine. He founded the American Interventional Headache Society and serves on many committees for national and international headache and pain organizations. He has published about 200 research papers, review articles, book chapters, and abstracts. His areas of interest are pain, headache, cannabinoids, diversity and inclusion, wellness, obesity, and ultrasound. 


Dr. Ariana Nelson

Ariana M. Nelson, MD, is an associate professor at the University of California Irvine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed her residency and fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Nelson also works for NASA in the Exploration Medical Capabilities Element to plan for future lunar orbital and surface missions. Her other interests include development of an objective device for pain measurement, environmental activism, and harm reduction initiatives for substance use disorder.


Dr. Ehren Nelson

Ehren Nelson, MD, is an anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician at the Palo Alto VA hospital and clinical assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. He studied medicine at Stanford University prior to completing his anesthesia residency and interventional pain management fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women's Hospital. He obtained his simulation training at the Harvard Center for Medical Simulation. He currently runs the Stanford Pain Fellow Interventional Simulation Curriculum.


Dr. Amy Pearson

Amy Pearson, MD, FASA, is a board-certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician at Aurora Advocate Health in Milwaukee, MN. She completed her anesthesiology residency and pain fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Pearson has published over 30 articles on topics such as interventional cancer pain management, peripheral nerve and spinal cord stimulation, interventional pelvic pain management, and integrative medicine.  


Dr. Philip Peng

Philip Peng, MBBS, is the professor in the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine of University of Toronto. He is a leader, researcher, educator, and pioneer in the application of ultrasound for pain medicine. His innovative research led to different new procedures in pain intervention. He received numerous educational awards including the John J Bonica award from ASRA Pain Medicine and the Distinguished Service Award from ESRA-Spain and Canadian Pain Society. He has delivered more than 400 lectures and workshops nationally and internationally. He has edited eight books and published 240 peer-reviewed publications.


Dr. Frederike Petzschner

Frederike Petzschner, PhD, is a professor for neuroscience at Brown University's Carney Institute for Brain Science. She uses mathematical models, behavior, and brain imaging to study brain-body and brain-world interactions in healthy individuals and patients with conditions like chronic pain. With her team, she developed the SOMA Pain Manager App for tracking symptoms, emotions, and activities in individuals with acute and chronic pain. They also created SOMAScience, a research platform enabling pain researchers to conduct uni- and multicenter longitudinal studies on pain.


Dr. Julie Pilitsis

Julie G. Pilitsis, MD, PhD, MBA, is Dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and Vice President of Medical Affairs at FAU. Dr. Pilitsis is a board-certified neurosurgeon with expertise in pain and movement disorders like Parkinson’s. She leads FAU Health Network to provide quality academic healthcare and address medical workforce shortage in the community. Her vision “Of the Community, For the Community” inspires her to address complex health challenges and creates positive change. 


Dr. Carlos Pino

Carlos Pino, MD, FASA,  is a member of the Board of Directors and co-chair of the Guidelines Committee of ASRA Pain Medicine. He is a fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (FASA) and professor of anesthesiology at Uniformed Services University. Prior to his current position, he was the director of the Center for Pain Medicine at the University of Vermont. He currently serves in the California Society of Anesthesiologists and is the former president of the Vermont Society of Anesthesiologists.


Dr. David Provenzano

David Provenzano, MD, is president of Pain Diagnostics and Interventional Care in Pittsburgh, PA. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff, Western PA Surgery Center. He received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and became a Phi Beta Kappa member. He received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He completed a surgical internship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and a residency in anesthesiology at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital. He completed a Pain Management Fellowship at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Dr. Provenzano has served as a principal investigator on multiple research studies and published numerous scientific articles. His research interests include neuromodulation and monopolar and bipolar radiofrequency lesioning. He has lectured at numerous international and national meetings on the management of acute and chronic pain. Furthermore, he serves as an external member of the Robert Morris University IRB. He serves on the Board of Directors of ASRA Pain Medicine. He has extensive interests and expertise in the conservative treatment of pain originating from the cervical and lumbar spine, neuromodulation, and in the utilization of ultrasound for interventional pain management procedures.


Dr. Rene Przkora

Rene Przkora, MD, is a professor and chief of the pain medicine division. He is the director of the multispecialty pain medicine fellowship and served as assistant program director of the anesthesiology core residency at the University of Florida from 2016 to 2020. His practice includes acute/chronic pain medicine and operating room anesthesia. Dr. Przkora is active in simulation and curriculum development, and participates in local graduate medical education activities as well as in their evaluations such as mock oral and OSCE exams. His research has resulted in over 54 peer-reviewed publications, and he is supported by several grants, including from the NIH (EPPIC-NET). He serves in various functions at the national level to support the specialty. He was elected by his peers to serve as president of the Association of Pain Program Directors. He was also elected to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Association of University Anesthesiologists and as Councilor of the Association of Anesthesiology Subspecialty Program Directors of the Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine. In addition, he serves on the Pain Medicine Committee of the American Society of Anesthesiologists as well as on committees of ASRA Pain Medicine, the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, and the corresponding Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (FSIPP). He has been a junior editor for the American Board of Anesthesiology since 2016 (MOCA® for Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine).

 


Dr. Maunak Rana

Maunak Rana, MD, is the director of pain management at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. He completed medical school at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. His surgery internship was at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and his anesthesiology residency was at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Rana completed a pain medicine fellowship at McGaw Medical Center at Northwestern University in Chicago. Dr. Rana has lectured nationally and internationally on topics in anesthesiology and in interventional pain management.


Dr. Richard Rosenquist

Richard Rosenquist, MD, is the chairman of the pain management department at Cleveland Clinic.  He is a past-president and Board Member of ASRA, a past member of the ABA Pain Medicine Examination Committee and a past member of the ACGME Anesthesiology Residency Review Committee.  In addition to his clinical and administrative activities, he currently serves as an Associate Editor for RAPM and the ASA RUC Advisor.  


Dr. Carl Saab

Carl Saab, MS, MA, PhD, is a professor, biomedical engineering, cleveland clinic, adjunct professor, engineering, Brown Unievrsity, founder and scientific director of the Cleveland Clinic Consortium for Pain which includes 35 senior clinicians and researchers with the mission to form science teams to develop, test and validate novel technologies and methods to diagnose and treat chronic pain.


Dr. Gary Schwartz

Gary Schwartz, MD, is the director of acute pain management at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He is board certified in both pain management and anesthesiology. Dr. Schwartz completed an interventional pain fellowship at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, after finishing his anesthesia residency at St. Vincent's Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center. He received his doctor of medicine from SUNY Upstate College of Medicine and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Union College in Schenectady, NY. Dr. Schwartz focuses on back pain, neck pain, spinal cord stimulation, nerve pain, joint pain, and failed back surgery syndrome. At Maimonides Medical Center, Dr. Schwartz focuses on assisting hospitalized patients with postoperative pain and also educates anesthesia residents and medical school students. Dr. Schwartz also serves as a committee member for ASRA Pain Medicine and the ASA.


Shah_Shalini

Shalini Shah, MD MBA, is an associate professor and vice-chair for the department of anesthesiology & perioperative care and enterprise director of pain services for the University of California Irvine Health. She completed anesthesiology residency from Cornell University and a combined fellowship in adult and pediatric pain from Harvard Medical School. She is committed to advocacy and regulatory efforts in pain medicine and is president of the California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.


Dr. Hariharan Shankar

Hariharan Shankar, MBBS, is a professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He is board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. He is one of the pioneers in the use of ultrasound imaging and lectures nationally and internationally about the use of ultrasound imaging in pain medicine. He has to his credit many abstracts, book chapters, and peer reviewed publications. His area of research is in the use of ultrasound imaging for pain medicine interventions and safety.


Dr. Harsha Shanthanna

Harsha Shanthanna, MBBS, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC, FIPP, EDRA, works as an anesthesiologist, pain physician, and clinician researcher at McMaster University, Canada. He has received awards and recognitions from national and international organizations such as the Canadian Pain Society, Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society, ASRA Pain Medicine, and the Canadian Institute of Health Research and has published nearly 100 peer reviewed publications and 8 book chapters.

 


Dr. Cynthia Shum

Cynthia M. Shum, DNP, MEd, RN, CHSE-A, has been the director of Simulation Operations at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, CA, for more than five years. In this position, she is responsible for the operations of the center, facilitation of simulation activities throughout the hospital, and development of new uses for simulation activities. Dr. Shum is an adjunct faculty at the University of South Florida in Tampa within the master’s of science in healthcare simulation program. Cynthia is married and the mother of three young men. 


Dr. Vinita Singh

Vinita Singh, MD, MS, is board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. She is the director of Cancer Pain and co-director of Research for the Pain Division at Emory and has a particular clinical and research interest in interventional and non-opioid pharmacotherapy for pain, including ketamine. She was awarded the KL2 junior faculty career development award in research by the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance in 2018, funded via the NIH. As part of this program, she did a master’s in clinical and translational research. She has over two dozen publications and presented multiple national/international lectures and ultrasound workshops.


Dr. Todd Sitzman

B. Todd Sitzman, MD, MPH, is medical director of Advanced Pain Therapy, a comprehensive pain clinic located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; staff of Pain Evaluation Program, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Administration Healthcare System.   Prior to private practice he was a consultant in anesthesiology and pain medicine at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Sitzman received his medical and master of public health degrees from Tulane University in his native city, New Orleans.  Following an internship in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he received anesthesiology and pain management training at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center in Charlottesville, VA.  Dr. Sitzman is board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine.  


Souza_Dmitri

Dmitri Souza, MD, PhD, is a clinical professor of anesthesiology at Ohio University and Western Reserve Hospital. He serves as a faculty and a member of board directors at national physician symposia where he teaches pain medicine. He is a member of the ASRA Pain Medicine Ultrasonography in Pain Medicine Special Interest Group (SIG) and one of the leaders of ASRA Pain Medicine’s Regenerative Medicine SIG.

 


Dr. Brennan Spiegel

Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, is director of health services research for Cedars-Sinai, where he directs a multidisciplinary team that investigates how digital health technologies, including wearable biosensors, smartphone apps, and virtual reality can improve people’s lives. His team developed one of the most widely documented healthcare VR programs at Cedars-Sinai and helped to establish a new FDA-recognized field called medical extended reality, or “MXR” for short. Dr. Spiegel has published numerous books for medical and lay audiences and authored over 270 peer-reviewed articles.


Dr. Reda Tolba

Reda Tolba, MD, is the chair of the pain department at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, UAE. He is a clinical professor of anesthesiology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Cleveland, OH. He is currently serving as the founding chair of I-ASPN , the international division of American Society for Pain and Neuroscience, member of the ASA Educational Track Subcommittee on Pain Medicine and the workshop director. He also serves on several committees for ASRA  Pain Medicine and the North American Neuromodulation Society.  Dr.Tolba completed his residency training in anesthesia followed by a fellowship in pain medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He is double board certified in anesthesia and pain medicine by the American Board of Medical Subspecialties. He has published numerous papers and book chapters in the field of pain medicine. He directed several workshops at international meetings such as those of ASA and ASRA Pain Medicine. He has lectured extensively at variety of national and international meetings in the field of pain management. His special interests are the use of neuromodulation for the treatment of neuropathic pain. He is also interested in the management of vertebral compression fractures and minimally invasive spine procedures.


Dr. Paul Tumber

Paul Tumber, MD, FRCPC, is the director of chronic pain education and a pain management consultant at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, and Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, ON, Canada. He is a former director of the acute pain service and has a special interest in the use of methadone for pain management as well as ultrasound in the use of regional anesthesia and interventional pain medicine.   


Dr. Amy Turner

Amy Turner, RN, BSN, MMHC, has a widespread background in clinical operations, revenue cycle, internal audit, risk management and health care administration. She is a registered nurse as well as a certified professional coder, certified healthcare compliance specialist and a certified healthcare internal audit professional. Amy has 24 years of pain management experience. Amy’s unique blend of clinical training, coding education and revenue cycle, with an overlay of regulatory compliance expertise, offer insights that speak well to both the clinician and executive client. Amy’s experience includes working in large and small private practices, academic facilities as well as with hospital-based physicians. She is responsible for proposing, budgeting, staffing, leading and conducting various consulting engagements covering a wide spectrum of healthcare related needs.  Amy lives outside of Nashville, TN.  


Dr. Stephanie Vanterpool

Stephanie G. Vanterpool, MD, MBA, is a targeted pain treatment clinician, researcher, and advocate. She is the director of comprehensive pain services, as well as an assistant professor of anesthesiology for the University of Tennessee’s Graduate School of Medicine. She received her MD from Duke University School of Medicine; completed her anesthesiology residency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and completed pain fellowship at Carolina’s Pain Institute/Wake Forest University. She then entered private practice for several years before returning to Duke’s Fuqua School of Business to obtain her MBA. She is a fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and board certified in both anesthesiology and pain medicine. Dr. Vanterpool serves on the boards of the Tennessee Pain Society and North American Neuromodulation Society in various leadership capacities. She is recognized as a regional and national leader in pain management education, practice, and policy. Most recently, Dr. Vanterpool was appointed to the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council by the state’s Speaker of the House. She is also a proud native of the British Virgins Islands where she returns regularly to provide specialized pain management services. Her professional passion is to create a paradigm shift in how pain is assessed and treated through awareness, application, and advocacy.


Dr. Heather Vincent

Heather K. Vincent, PhD, MS, is the director of the UF Health Sports Performance Center (SPC) and vice chair of research in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Florida. She is an active researcher of the health benefits of exercise, using physical activity to mitigate musculoskeletal injury and fight diseases like obesity and osteoarthritis. Foundation funds, NIH funding and industry have supported her work in pediatrics through the elderly.


Dr. Eugene Viscusi

Eugene R. Viscusi, MD, is professor of anesthesiology and vice chair of the division of pain medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College and completed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include pain management techniques, outcome studies, and novel agents and delivery systems. He has been a primary investigator and consultant for most emerging pain technologies in the last 30 years.

Dr. Viscusi has lectured extensively in the United States and internationally. He has authored well over 100 peer-reviewed papers in journals including JAMA, Anesthesiology, Anesthesia & Analgesia, and Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. He also authored a textbook on acute pain management, numerous book chapters and several hundred abstracts. He has appeared in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today as well as numerous nationally televised interviews.

Dr. Viscusi is a Past President of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. He will be the general program chair of the 2024 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.  


Dr. Kevin Vorenkamp

Kevin Vorenkamp, MD, FASA, is chief of the pain medicine division, associate professor and associate director of patient safety and quality in the Duke Department of Anesthesiology. He is 2021 ASRA Presidential Scholar award. Dr. Vorenkamp was appointed to the CPT editorial panel in 2015 and remains active with the ASA, serving on the committees on economics and pain medicine. He is also past vice chair of the Spine Intervention Society (SIS) health policy division and is vice-chair of the ASRA Pain Medicine Practice Management committee. He is past chair of the 2017 ASRA Annual Pain Medicine Meeting


Votta Velis_Gina

Effronssyni (Gina) Votta-Velis, MD, PhD, is a professor of anesthesiology and surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship. She is a member of the ASRA Board of Directors and the vice chair of the ASRA Research Committee. She is an examiner for the European Diploma in Pain Medicine. She received  the Carl Koller Research Grant in 2018 and the ASRA Trailblazer Award for her contributions to the field of pain medicine in 2020.


Dr. Sayed Wahezi

Sayed E. Wahezi, MD, earned his medical degree from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Buffalo and completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Montefiore Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. He then completed an interventional spine fellowship. Following his training, he completed a pain medicine fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center, where he cultivated the clinical and academic development of the pain program. Dr. Wahezi currently serves as associate professor of PMR, anesthesiology, and orthopedic surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City where he serves as the program director of the ACGME-accredited pain fellowship. Dr. Wahezi is a long-standing member of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, American Academy of Pain Medicine, New York Pain Society, Association of Academic Physiatrists, New York Pain Society, American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, Eastern Pain Association, and American Society of Pain and Neuroscience


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