Faculty

Rany Abdallah, MD, is an assistant professor of anesthesiology. In September 2019, he assumed the position of Division Chief of Interventional Pain Medicine in the anesthesiology department at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He is board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology. He runs an active practice that treats patients with diverse types of chronic pain syndromes including cancer pain, complex regional pain syndrome, abdominal pain, atypical facial pain, and headaches, among others. [top]

Alaa Abd-Elsayed, MD, MPH, FASA, serves as the medical director of UW Health pain services. He published more than 200 peer reviewed manuscripts, presented more than 200 presentations on the national and international level, serves on the editorial board of several top pain journals, edited 22 books, and serves as a reviewer and editor of several journals. [top]

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 assistant 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.  [top]

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. [top]

Meredith Barad, MD, 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, Meredith was the first neurologist to be admitted to the pain fellowship at Stanford. She is board certified in headache and pain and focuses on facial pain 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 on the board of the American Interventional Headache Society, a director-at-large of the American Pain Program Directors and on the Editorial Board of Pain Medicine. [top]

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, Utah. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Utah, where she subsequently received her master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner and doctorate of nursing practice with an emphasis in micro-dose intrathecal pump guidelines. Kimberlee is board certified by the American Board of Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Bayless has practiced pain medicine for multiple years in the private practice setting and has been a nurse for over 22 years in the private, hospital and academic setting. Dr. Bayless is SAMHSA certified for addiction treatment. She is currently serving as the co-chair for the Utah Nurse Practitioner Pharmacology Conference and on the legislative committee for the Utah Nurse Practitioner Association. Dr. Bayless presented several national conferences and webinars. She is a member of ONS pain management field advisory committee and is currently the acting chair of the ONS pain management field advisory committee. Dr. Bayless is the 2019 Secretary’s Ward Excellence in Nursing recipient for the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. [top]

Anuj Bhatia, MD, FIPP, FRCPC, CIPS, is an assistant professor at University of Toronto and clinical director, chronic pain at University Health Network and Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, ON, Canada. He is the chair of the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the Canadian Pain Society and member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons’ Pain Medicine Specialty committee. His clinical and research interests include use of epidemiological tools for assessing outcomes of treatments for pain, assessment and treatment of neuropathic pain, fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided procedures for chronic and cancer pain, and neuromodulation. He has published over 30 papers and six book chapters, and he has co-authored one book on ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures. [top]

Karen Boretsky, MD, is trained in pediatric anesthesia, critical care, and regional anesthesia. She practiced pediatric and adult anesthesia for many years. In 2012, she became the director of the regional anesthesia program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her research interests include evaluating the role of regional anesthesia in managing pain and recovery in children. She has authored articles on novel regional anesthesia techniques and presents nationally and internationally. She is passionate to find ways to minimize pain and improve safety using regional anesthesia in children. [top]

Amber Borucki, MD, is an anesthesiologist and pediatric pain medicine specialist whose focus is chronic pain conditions in children, and eliminating, reducing or managing pain that occurs after surgery. She also works with patients to prevent postsurgical pain from becoming chronic. She is director of UCSF's Pediatric Anesthesia Pain Services. Dr. Borucki completed her medical degree at Rush Medical College, followed by a residency in anesthesiology at the University of Chicago. She completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at Boston Children's Hospital as well as a combined fellowship in pediatric and adult pain medicine at Boston Children's and Brigham and Women's hospitals. [top]

Brian  Bruel, MD, MBA,  is a physician at Cy Pain and Spine in Houston and an Adjunct Professor of PM&R at McGovern Medical School, UT Health. He is board certified in PM&R, Pain and Obesity Medicine. He completed a PM&R residency PM&R at Baylor College of Medicine where he was chief resident and a Pain Medicine fellowship at MD Anderson. Prior to private practice he was the Director for Pain Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He has scholarly and research interests in neuromodulation, cancer pain and spasticity. [top]

Chad Brummett, MD, is a professor at the University of Michigan where he serves as the senior associate chair for research. He has more than 200 publications, including articles in top journals such as JAMA, JAMA Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Annals of Surgery. He is the co-director of the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (Michigan OPEN), which aims to apply a preventative approach to the opioid epidemic in the US through appropriate prescribing after surgery, dentistry and emergency medicine. In addition, his research interests include predictors of acute and chronic post-surgical pain and failure to derive benefit for interventions and surgeries primarily performed to treat pain. In particular, Dr. Brummett is interested in the impact of a fibromyalgia-like or centralized pain phenotype on analgesic outcomes. He is the Co-PI of four major NIH grants (two NIH RO1s, a P50, and a UM1) studying these concepts, and also receives funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA and the CDC. [top]

Thomas Buchheit, MD, serves as director of the Regenerative Pain Therapies Program in the Duke Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM). He has led and participated in several multi-center research projects clarifying inflammatory and neuroimmune mechanisms that drive the chronification of pain after injury. His overarching research goal is to develop disease-modifying, biologically-based methods to treat degenerative musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions. [top]

Asokumar Buvanendran, MD, is an anesthesiologist specializing in pain medicine, and his academic activities are divided between research, teaching, and clinical duties in the Rush University Department of Anesthesia in Chicago, IL, and national advocacy for the advancement of pain care. He brings a unique perspective of a very busy clinical practice of acute and chronic interventional pain medicine with research. He is involved in various clinical and basic research in the field of acute and chronic pain. At leisure time, he enjoys playing tennis. [top]

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. [top]

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 ten 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 one hundred fifty-five original peer-referenced papers on a variety of topics related to controlling pain.  He has also written more than eighty-five 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. [top]

Alexios G. Carayannopoulos, DO, MPH, DABPMR, FAAOE, FFSMB, is chief of the departments of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Rhode Island Hospital and Newport Hospital, and chief of the division of physical medicine and rehabilitation of Lifespan Physician Group. He is also a physician at the  Norman Prince Spine Institute, and is a clinical associate professor of neurosurgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Carayannopoulos is board certified in both physical medicine and rehabilitation as well as in pain medicine. 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 spent 13 years as a US Navy Diver and Submarine Officer and is a specialist in undersea medicine and radiation health. Finally, he obtained special certification in medical acupuncture from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Carayannopoulos is internationally known as a leader in rehabilitation, interventional spine treatment, and pain medicine. He was recently elected President of the American Association of Osteopathic Examiners and elected to a prestigious leadership position on the Federation of State Medical Boards. He is President of the Rhode Island Society of Pain Physicians, Chair of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine special interest group on neuromodulation, and a Board Member of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience. Finally, he holds leadership roles on committees with multiple national and international societies.  [top]

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. [top]

Krishnan Chakravarthy, MD, PhD, is an interventional pain management specialist. He completed fellowship training in pain management at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and residency training in anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Chakravarthy has published over 60 papers in top journals and given over 200 regional, national, and international talks on the topic of pain management. He is also the founder of five biotechnology companies and has won several national awards for his research. [top]

Qian "Cece" Chen, MD, is an assistant professor in the department of anesthesiology at NYU. She received her bachelor's degree from MIT, MD from Stanford School of Medicine, completed her residency in anesthesiology at Washington University and completed her fellowship in pain medicine at NYU. [top]

Jianguo Cheng, MD, PhD, is professor of anesthesiology and director of the Cleveland Clinic Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship Program. Dr. Cheng has published more than 260 articles and two textbooks and has trained more than 180 clinical and research fellows. His achievements in patient care, research, and education were recognized by numerous honors including Best Doctors in America, 70 Best Pain Management Physicians in the U.S., Top Doctors, and Best in Medicine Award. [top]

May Chin, MD, is professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center, Washington DC.  She is director of the GW Pain Medicine Fellowship Program and Co Director of GW Spine and Pain Center. She earned her medical degree at the University of Melbourne, Australia.  Her interests include innovative pharmacological, interventional and neuromodulatory techniques for management of chronic neuropathic pain. She served on the ASA Pain Medicine Committee, AMA advisory board for CME on pain, A&A Editorial board, and the ABA as associate board examiner. In 2020, she was named one of eight ASRA Trailblazers, a one-time award given to women pioneers in pain medicine. [top]

Steven P. Cohen, MD, obtained his medical degree at Mount Sinai, completed an anesthesiology residency at Columbia University, and a pain fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is professor of anesthesiology & critical care medicine, neurology and physical medicine & rehabilitation 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 the Blaustein Pain Treatment Center at Johns Hopkins and a retired army colonel. [top]

Beth Darnall, PhD, is associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine. She directs the Stanford Pain Relief Innovations Lab and investigates brief behavioral treatments for acute and chronic pain. She is a scientific member of the NIH Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee and the CDC Opioid Workgroup and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Dr. Darnall has twice briefed the U.S. Congress on pain and opioids and has authored five books. In 2018 she spoke on the psychology of pain relief at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. [top]

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. [top]

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 3000 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 Chairman 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 Chairman of the American Society of Anesthesiologist Committee of Pain Medicine and 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. [top]

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 WRAPM SIG. [top]

Maxim Eckmann, MD, is the Ramamurthy Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and vice chair of clinical research for the University of Texas Health Science Center department of anesthesiology (at San Antonio, TX).  He has practiced Interventional pain medicine since 2008 and is active in neuromodulation, indirect spine decompression, joint ablation, and head-to-toe nerve blocks using a variety of image guidance techniques. [top]

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. [top]

Nabil Elkassabany, MD, MSCE, is an associate professor in the department of anesthesiology and critical care at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is the director of the sections of Regional and Orthopedic Anesthesiology and he is also the director of the regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine fellowship. His research interest focuses on improving patients’ outcomes after regional anesthesia. He currently chairs the industry relation and communication committees, and he is a member of the board of directors of ASRA. [top]

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. [top]

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. Elksharkawy 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. [top]

Yashar Eshraghi, MD, was trained as an anesthesiology resident in the department of anesthesiology at Case Western Reserve University/MetroHealth Medical Center and graduated in 2015. Thereafter, he pursued chronic fellowship program in pain medicine at Cleveland Clinic Foundation, before joining the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care at University of California, Irvine as a clinical assistant professor from September of 2016 until June 2018. He will soon start as a faculty member and director of research at Ochsner Clinic Pain Management Division. [top]

Alexander Feoktistov, MD, is the founder of the Synergy Integrative Headache Center in Chicago. In 2002, for his study in medication overuse headache he received a PhD degree in the field of neurology and a Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and Clinical Research. In 2011, he completed pain management fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He co-authored 9 book chapters and over 40 articles on the topics of headache. In 2015 he was named the recipient of the 2015 National Headache Foundation Lectureship Award and from 2019 serves as a President of the American Interventional Headache Society. [top]

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. [top]

Robert  Goldstein, MD, is an associate professor, UVA Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, and Section Chief & Medical Director of the UVA Pain Management Center. After Case Western Reserve Univ (Anesthesiologist Asst),  Medical College of Ohio at Toledo (MD),  Anesthesiology residency at Yale, and private practice in Norfolk & Virginia Beach, he joined the faculty of UVA. Board certified (ABA) in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Hospice/Palliative Medicine and continues to practice in all three disciples. [top]

Johnathan Goree, MD, is an associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where he is the director of the chronic pain division, program director of the pain medicine fellowship, and chair of the opioid stewardship committee. Dr. Goree considers himself a quality of life physician who is focused on improving function through opioid sparing interventional care. His research interests include complex regional pain syndrome, the effects of opioid education, racial disparities in chronic pain care, implementation science, and studying efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in our field. [top]

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 the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and 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, ASIPP and the NANS. [top]

Jennifer Grimmer, DNP, FNP-BC, is clinically practicing as a nurse practitioner in the Pain Clinic at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, with a focus on chronic cancer-related pain.  Previous clinical practice includes experience in the Hospice and Palliative Care settings.  Her education was completed at the State University of New York at Buffalo. [top]

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. [top]

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 is currently the program director of the Weill Cornell pain management fellowship in New York City.  He regularly gives lectures and teaches at workshops on topics involving ultrasound guided pain procedures, interventional procedures in cancer pain management, and neuromodulation techniques for oncologic pain. [top]

Jennifer Hah, MD, 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 with a clinical focus on treating both men and women suffering from a wide range of conditions including endometriosis, pelvic floor myalgias, vulvodynia and painful bladder syndrome. [top]

Salim Hayek, MD, is the chief of the division of pain medicine at University Hospitals and professor in the department of anesthesiology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Following a residency in anesthesiology training at Henry Ford Hospital and University Hospitals of Cleveland, he completed a PhD in cellular physiology at Case Western Reserve University in 2000 and subsequently obtained fellowship training in pain medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.He is well published and serves on the editorial board of most pain journals. He is currently president-elect of the North American Neuromodulation Society. [top]

W. Michael Hooten, MD, is a pain medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  Clinical research interests include investigating the clinical determinants of unintended prolonged opioid use, the clinical effects of smoking on pain outcomes, and clinical implementation of quantitative sensory testing. [top]

Yasmine Hoydonckx, MD, MSc, FIPP, is an assistant professor in the department of anesthesia and pain medicine at the University of Toronto (UoT). Her interest focuses on complex craniofacial and neuropathic pain syndromes. She is leading the craniofacial pain program at the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute. She has leadership roles in national pain organizations and is a member of the Board of the Canadian Neuromodulation Society. She has lectured at (inter)national pain conferences and workshops. She recently finished a master’s in clinical epidemiology and health care research. [top]

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. [top]

Oluwatobi Hunter, DNP, AGACNP-BC, is an adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System. She is an x-waivered provider on the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Service and the Transitional Pain Service. She obtained her bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and master's degree at Columbia University in New York City. She then returned to the University of Pittsburgh to earn her Doctorate in Nursing Practice. She currently services as the Webcast Liaison for the NP/PA/RN SIG. [top]

Heather J. Jackson, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, is a pain specialist nurse practitioner at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center where she also serves as the administrative director of advanced practice and instructor for the Vanderbilt School of Nursing. Dr. Jackson’s research interests include the use of acupuncture to treat pain and relieve symptoms of withdrawal in the adult, pediatric, and neonatal populations. [top]

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. [top]

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. [top]

Nebojsa Nick Knezevic, MD, PhD, is the vice chairman for research and education at the department of anesthesiology and pain management at Advocate Illinois Medical Center, and also a clinical professor of anesthesiology and surgery at the College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago. [top]

Lynn Kohan, MD, is an associate 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. [top]

Sandra L. Kopp, MD, is a professor of anesthesiology & 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. Her research interests include regional anesthesia and analgesia for orthopedic surgery, peripheral nerve injury, and anticoagulation. [top]

Melinda M. Lawrence, MD, is an associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. She is the program director of the pain medicine fellowship at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Her interests include education in the field of pain medicine, interventional pain procedures, cancer related pain, and neuromodulation. [top]

Christina Le-Short, MD, is an assistant professor at the University of Texas/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. She completed her medical degree at Tulane University, anesthesiology residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, and pain medicine fellowship at MDACC. She serves as Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Director and Chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee. [top]

Imanuel Lerman, MD, is an assistant professor at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine (UCSD) within department of Anesthesiology. He currently directs the Interventional Ultrasound Division at the Center for Pain Medicine at UCSD while also teaching advanced ultrasound techniques to fellows, residents and medical students. Dr. Lerman's research lab explores the mechanisms and efficacy of advanced neuromodulation techniques on pain, headache, stress and mental health disorders. [top]

Timothy Lubenow, MD, is a professor of anesthesiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL.  He has received many awards including Castle Connolly Guide to “Top Doctors in the Nation,” New York Times 2010; 70 of the Best Pain Management Physicians in America, Beckers ASC Review 2011; U.S. News Top Doctors, selected by U.S. News Media Group 2011; Patients’ Choice Award by PatientsChoice.org 2012; Distinguished Service Award Illinois Society of Anesthesiologists 2013; Chicago Super Doctors 2013; and Chicago Top Doctors 2014, 2015, 2016. [top]

Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, is chief of the division of pain medicine and Redlich professor of anesthesiology, neurosciences and neurology at Stanford University. He is the Immediate Past President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Dr. Mackey received his BSE and MSE in bioengineering from University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in electrical and computer engineering as well as MD from University of Arizona. Dr. Mackey is author of over 200 journal articles, book chapters, abstracts, and popular press pieces in addition to numerous national and international lectures. [top]

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 chonic pain with metabolic health and womens health. [top]

Nagy Mekhail, MD, PhD, is a full professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine; he is also the director of Evidence-Based Pain Medicine Research and Education in the Department of Pain Management. An accomplished author, Dr. Mekhail has published more than 163 original articles. In addition, he has instructed at more than 202 CME lectures and 202 lectures as a visiting professor. He has served in leadership positions of professional organizations; as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Examination Board of the World Institute of Pain, a member of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Research Committee, as well as a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Pain Committee. Dr. Mekhail served as the Director and Chairman of the Department of Pain Management at Cleveland Clinic from 1997-2010. In 2010, Dr. Mekhail was awarded the Carl E. Wasmuth M.D. Endowed Chair in Anesthesiology, and recognized by the Ohio Society of Interventional Pain Physicians as the 1^st recipient of its achievement award. He was also recognized by the West Virginia Society of Interventional Pain Physicians in 2011 and the New York and New Jersey Interventional Pain Physicians in 2016.  He was also given the 2019 John J. Bonica award by ASRA. Dr. Mekhail earned several degrees at the University of Ain Shams School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt; Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honors, Master of Science (Anatomy) and Doctor of Philosophy. His internship in Internal Medicine, Residency in Anesthesiology, and Fellowship in Pain Management/Neuroanesthesia were completed at the Cleveland Clinic. [top]

Maged Mina, MD, is adjunct faculty with UTHSC San Antonio, writing four chapters on pediatric pain in a textbook for the department. As chief resident at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center (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 CRPS. [top]

Antoun M. Nader, MD, is a professor in the department of anesthesiology and orthopedics at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. He is the section chief for regional anesthesia and acute pain management at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the medical director for acute pain medicine. He is also the fellowship co-director for the adult and pediatric regional anesthesia and acute pain management fellowship at McGaw Medical center, Northwestern University. Dr. Nader is board certified in anesthesiology, with a subspecialty certification in pain management. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, ASRA, and the Association of University Anesthesiologists. With interests in neuroanesthesiology and pain management, he is engaged in numerous activities, including authorship, editorial work, grant review, lecturing for many societies. During his medical career in pain management, he has authored and coauthored more than 150 original peer-reviewed articles, editorials, reviews, books, commentaries, case reports, and technical notes. He is very involved in the development of institutional pathways for regional anesthesia and pain management protocols that have resulted in publications in major anesthesia journals. [top]

Ameet Nagpal, MD, is division chief of pain medicine at UT Health San Antonio's Joe R. & Theresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, medical director of UT Health Pain Consultants, and an associate professor/clinical in the Department of Anesthesiology. He is board certified in physical medicine & rehabilitation and pain medicine. He has a Masters of Science in Physiology & Biophysics and a Masters in Education in Healthcare Curriculum & Instruction. His clinical and research interests include abuse-deterrent opioid therapy, neuromodulation, and interventional treatment for chronic pelvic pain. [top]

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 president of ASRA. He recently 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. [top]

Christine Oryhan, MD, is a board certified anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, Washington. She completed medical school at the University of Illinois - Chicago and residency training at the University of Chicago. She is passionate about medical education and is currently the program director of the Virginia Mason Pain Medicine Fellowship. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, she came to Washington for her fellowship training but fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and decided to make it home. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two children. [top]

Einar Ottestad, MD, FIPP, CIPS, joined Stanford faculty in 2007 and became director of the acute pain service in 2009. As such, he manages acute, post-operative pain, acute-on-chronic inpatient pain consults, and cancer pain at Stanford Hospital. He is committed to the Stanford Pain Center’s multidisciplinary, comprehensive approach when treating clinic patients with chronic pain. Dr. Ottestad possesses expertise in ultrasound-guided procedures in treatment of pain. [top]

Amy Pearson, MD, is a board-certified pain medicine physician and anesthesiologist practicing at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She is the ASRA Fall 2022 annual meeting chair. She is also the immediate past president of Women in Anesthesiology and is the Co-Chair for the University of Iowa Anesthesia Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team. She has authored and presented over 30 publications on interventional pain management, physician workforce development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. [top]

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, Distinguished Service Award from ESRA-Spain and another Distinguished Service Award in Canadian Pain Society. He has delivered more than 350 lectures and workshops nationally and internationally. He has edited 8 books. [top]

Erika Petersen, MD, directs the Section of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center. She is a professor in the department of neurosurgery at UAMS and program director for the neurosurgery residency. Dr. Petersen is a board certified neurosurgeon whose clinical practice focuses on neuromodulation, treating movement disorders, spasticity, and chronic pain through surgical procedures and stereotactic radiosurgery. Dr. Petersen's research interests focus on developing new devices, indications, and methods for treating chronic pain using neuromodulation. [top]

Jeffrey Petersohn, MD, practices in Linwood, NJ and Englewood, CO.  With a B.A. Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University and M.D. from Hahnemann University College of Medicine, he completed residency training in internal medicine and anesthesiology at Hahnemann, returning to serve a decade at Drexel University training anesthesiology residents.  Interested in anatomy, biomechanics and neurophysiology, spinal diagnostics and advanced imaging, he advocates for use of  RF lesioning for spinal and peripheral pain as well as a full array of minimally invasive surgical techniques including spinal endoscopy. [top]

Carlos Pino, MD, is a member of the Board of Directors of ASRA, chair of the Faculty Development Committee, and former co-chair of the CME Committee. He currently works in the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine center of the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and is former professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. He also serves as a member of the Pain Medicine Committee and Education in Pain Medicine Subcommittee of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. [top]

Lawrence Poree, MD, MPH, PhD, started his neuromodulation career as a graduate student at UC Berkeley where he investigated the antinociceptive  properties of CNS hormones on spinal neurons as part of his doctoral thesis. He continued his research in neuromodulation at Johns Hopkins University in the department of biomedical engineering where he investigated the neural pathways involved in spinal cord stimulation and control of the sympathetic nervous system. He went on to conduct research at Stanford University on the analgesic properties of alpha-2 agonists. [top]

David Provenzano, MD, is the president of Pain Diagnostics and Interventional Care in Pittsburgh, PA. 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. He serves as an external member of the Robert Morris University IRB. He serves as treasurer on the ASRA Board of Directors and secretary on the North American Neuromodulation Society board of directors. In addition, he serves on the Educational Track Subcommittee on Pain Medicine for the American Society of Anesthesiologists. 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. [top]

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. [top]

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. [top]

Andreas Rauschecker, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor in the department of radiology & biomedical imaging at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), specializing in neuroradiology. He received his MD/PhD at Stanford University with a PhD in Neuroscience, where he studied the organization of the human brain's visual system using fMRI and DTI. Currently, through UCSF’s Center for Intelligent Imaging, he is actively engaged in using artificial intelligence to better understand the brain in health and disease. [top]

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. [top]

Vafi Salmasi, MD, is an interventional pain specialist and anesthesiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2004. He completed his anesthesiology training at Cleveland clinic where he had already completed a research fellowship at department of outcomes research. He then joined Stanford University for fellowship in pain medicine. Dr. Salmasi’s research interest is focused on advancing clinical knowledge in perioperative and pain medicine by integrating comparative effectiveness research and clinical care. He is an active member of neuromodulation team at Stanford Pain Management Center. [top]

Dawood Sayed, MD, is the Immediate Past President of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN). Dr. Sayed is an associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Kansas Hospital, where he serves as the Chief of Pain Medicine, and the Program Director of The Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship, which he established. Additionally, Dr. Sayed serves as the Medical Director of Interventional Pain at the University of Kansas Comprehensive Spine Center as well as the Director of the Center of Neuromodulation at University of Kansas Hospital. He completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of Kansas and pain medicine fellowship from the Tri-Institute at Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Sayed has served on the Advocacy and Policy, Education, and CPT committees of the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS). He lectures and serves as teaching faculty for ASRA, NANS, and the American Society of Pain Physicians (ASIPP). His clinical interests include spinal cord stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, implanted intrathecal drug delivery, vertebral augmentation, cancer related pain, spinal tumor ablation, and minimally invasive spine surgery. He has lectured both nationally and internationally and has published and written textbook chapters on various pain related subjects. [top]

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 and the ASA. [top]

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 University of California Irvine Health. Dr. Shah completed her residency in anesthesiology from Cornell University and a combined fellowship in adult and pediatric chronic pain at Harvard Medical School. She has been featured in Time Magazine, The Doctors, NBC Nightly News, Business Insider, and is a frequent guest on NPR on the topic of safe pain care options. Dr. Shah currently serves as the Founding Chair on the Committee of Pain Medicine at the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA) and is President-Elect of the California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (CALSIPP). She completed her MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management with a certificate of distinction in finance and entrepreneurship. Dr. Shah is strongly committed to pain advocacy and healthcare regulatory reform both in the state of California and nationally to improve healthcare experiences for patients. [top]

Hariharan Shankar, MBBS, is a professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA. 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. [top]

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 (CPS); Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS); American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), and has published nearly 100 peer reviewed publications and 8 book chapters. [top]

Prasad Shirvalkar, MD, PhD, is a neurologist and interventional pain medicine specialist at University of California San Francisco who provides the full spectrum of care for chronic pain conditions. Dr. Shirvalkar's research aims to develop new therapies for hard-to-treat pain disorders, such as post-stroke pain and phantom limb pain, by harnessing technologies such as brain and spinal cord stimulation. He is conducting a study using intracranial electrodes to understand how individuals interpret pain signals, with the goal of personalizing brain stimulation therapies for refractory pain. He is also interested in how sudden, severe pain episodes can progress to become chronic and in whether early intervention can prevent chronic pain. Dr. Shirvalkar earned his doctoral and medical degrees at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He then completed a residency in neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he served as chief resident. He completed a fellowship in pain management at UCSF. In addition to medicine and science, Shirvalkar has a passion for percussion. He plays jazz drums in his free time and used to play with the Oakland Raiders' band. [top]

Laura Simons, PhD, is an associate professor in the department of anesthesiology, perioperative, and pain medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She directs the Stanford Biobehavioral Pediatric Pain (BPP) Lab and is clinical psychologist who evaluates and treats children and adolescents who present with chronic pain in Pediatric Pain Management Clinc at Stanford Children's Health. Dr. Simons' research spans assessment scale development, treatment intervention, nd experimental and neuroimaging methods. [top]

Brian Sites, MD, MS, is professor of anesthesiology and orthopedic surgery at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He is the medical director of the Acute Pain Medicine Service. Dr. Sites’ clinical passion and research centers around the role of image guidance for regional anesthesiology. His public health research centers around the prescription opioid drug crisis as well as value-based care. He is actively involved with best practices for education and training of medical students, residents, and staff. Dr. Sites has authored more than 70 publications on regional anesthesia and sonopathology and developed numerous educational videos. He is the editor-in-chief of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. He has spoken nationally and internationally more than 100 times and is considered an international authority on ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia. [top]

Eellan Sivanesan, MD, is faculty and director of neuromodulation of the Johns Hopkins department of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, division of pain medicine. He treats patients with chronic back, joint, abdominal, pelvic, headache, neuropathic, cancer, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), post-amputation, and other pain conditions at the Blaustein Pain Treatment Center. Dr. Sivanesan utilizes a wide variety of neuromodulation techniques to treat a range of chronic pain conditions. His neuroscience research at Johns Hopkins aligns with his clinical practice as he investigates the effects of spinal cord stimulation. He is particularly interested in the use of neuromodulation for cancer pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. [top]

Konstantin Slavin, MD, FAANS, is a professor, chief of section, fellowship director for stereotactic and functional neurosurgery in the department of neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is the past president of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and current vice-president of the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. He is also the secretary of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) and past Secretary of the North American Neuroodulation Society. [top]

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 Ultrasonography in Pain Medicine Special Interest Group (SIG) and one of the leaders of ASRA’s Regenerative Medicine SIG. [top]

Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, is director of health services research for Cedars-Sinai where he directs a multidisciplinary team that investigates how digital technologies, including wearable biosensors, smartphone applications, and virtual reality, can improve people’s lives. His team developed one of most widely documented medical virtual reality program at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Spiegel has published numerous medical textbooks, editorials, and more than 230 articles in peer-reviewed journals. In 2020 he published the book VRx: How Immersive Therapeutics Will Transform Medicine. [top]

Amy Turner, RN, BSN, MMHC, CPC, 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 21 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 is currently the Director of Advisory Services for abeo Management Corporation. [top]

Armando Villarreal, MD, is a clinical associate professor at the neurological surgery department at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He has concentrated his research in the area of neuromodulation where he has been involved on several multicenter clinical studies on spinal cord stimulation outcomes and has given several national and international lectures in the field. He is the former chair of ASRA’s Neuromodulation Special Interest Group. Dr. Villarreal also is an active member of the educational/CME committee for the American Academy of Pain Medicine, among other roles in national pain organizations. Dr. Villarreal completed his residency program at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, and his pain fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University also in Philadelphia. He is board certified in anesthesiology and pain management. [top]

Eugene Viscusi, MD, is professor of anesthesiology, chief of pain medicine, and director of acute pain management at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.  His studied include pain management techniques, outcome studies, and novel agents and delivery systems. He has been a primary investigator for most emerging pain technologies in the last 25 years. Dr. Viscusi has lectured extensively and authored over 100 book chapters and abstracts and contributed more than 75 peer-reviewed articles JAMA, Anesthesiology, Anesthesia & Analgesia, and Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. His research has been covered by Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today as well as nationally televised interviews.  Dr. Viscusi served as president of ASRA from 2019-2021. [top]

Kevin Vorenkamp, MD, FASA, is chief of the division of pain medicine at the Duke University department of anesthesiology where he is also associate director of patient safety and quality and associate professor. He is a vice-chair of the ASRA Practice Management committee and former co-chair of the ASRA Headache Special Interest Group and pain medicine lead for the ASRA News. He is past chair of the 2017 ASRA Annual Pain Medicine Meeting. He also serves on the American Society of Anesthesiologists committees on economics and pain medicine and is past vice chair of the Spine Intervention Society health policy division. He has now serving his second term on the American Medical Association CPT editorial panel member after beginning his service in 2015. [top]

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. [top]

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. He has created a fellowship with an interventional focus and multidisciplinary foundation. His mission is to create an academic environment which fosters the growth of pain medicine by education and investigation/development of new devices and techniques.  Dr. Wahezi has authored more than 80 publications in peer reviewed pain journals, book chapters, abstracts, and posters. He has presented over 40 lectures at national meetings and has given more than 150 academic lectures in Pain Management. He is actively involved in basic science and clinical studies in pain management. His basic science interests include the physiology of neuropathic and orthopedic pain. His clinical research interests include innovative percutaneous pain treatments. [top]

Mark Wallace, MD, received his MD from Creighton University School of Medicine in 1987. He completed an anesthesiology residency at the University of Maryland followed by an NIH training grant fellowship and a clinical pain fellowship in the department of anesthesiology, University of California San Diego (UCSD). He is currently a professor of anesthesiology and the chair, division of pain medicine in the department of anesthesiology, UCSD School of Medicine and Director, Division of Clinical Research in the UCSD Clinical and Translational Institute (CTRI). Dr. Wallace is the recipient of numerous awards including the Award for Excellence in Clinical Care, American Pain Society Center of Excellence Award, and the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. Dr. Wallace has authored and co-authored more than 300 articles, abstracts, books, and book chapters concerning pain research and management, including research on the use of medical cannabis to treat pain. He has also authored numerous book chapters and review articles on medical cannabis to treat chronic pain. He has extensive experience with all phases of clinical trials. [top]

Nafisseh Warner, MD, ScM, is an anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She is an assistant professor and serves as the associate director of pain research at Mayo. She is also the director of opioid and pain medicine education within Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. Nationally, she serves as an associate editor and social media editor for the journal Pain Medicine. She was recent awarded an NIH K23 award through the National Institute of Aging. [top]