Meet the faculty

Dr. Alaa Abd-Elsayed joined the faculty of the Anesthesiology Department at the University of Wisconsin in 2014 to provide Chronic Pain Medicine Services as part of the Interventional Pain Program. He received his medical training at Assiut University Medical School in Egypt, completed a master’s degree in Public Health, research fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, and residency in anesthesiology and pain management fellowship at University of Cincinnati. As part of the Interventional Pain Program, Dr. Abd-Elsayed evaluates patients at the Pain Clinic, and when an interventional pain treatment is appropriate, performs procedures at the Madison Surgery Center.
In addition to his work as a pain specialist, Dr. Abd-Elsayed is an active clinical investigator. Current studies include the use of opioids, genetic variations leading to different individual response to opioids, and the use of neuromodulation and peripheral nerve stimulators for the management of neuropathic pain. He also has research interests in fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and headaches, and is leading a study called “CREATE” to help CRPS patients. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous research grants, published more than 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts and authored several editorials and book chapters. He has presented at more than 60 international and national conferences and has earned more than 15 awards at the state and national levels. In addition, he has served as a reviewer for more than 20 journals and as an editor to several journals.
“Dr. Al,” as he likes to be called, is a member of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA). He was named among the Leading Physicians of the World and America’s Best Physicians in 2016.

Dr. Latrice A. Akuamoah, M.D., M.P.H is originally from Chicago. She is a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management physician at The Spine and Pain Institute of New York.
She graduated from The University of Rochester with a Bachelor of Science in molecular genetics prior to earning her Medical Degree and Master of Public Health at Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in anesthesiology at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, followed by a fellowship in interventional pain management at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Akuamoah uses an evidence-based multimodal approach, often recommending behavioral therapy, physical therapy, medications, and cutting-edge minimally invasive procedures when necessary. She takes the time to carefully listen to her patients so that she can help them reach their goals. She is committed to improving her patients’ quality of life, helping them return to work and other activities that they enjoy. She has a particular interest in helping historically undertreated groups, including women and people of color.

Dr. Al-Kaisy is currently the Clinical Lead of the Pain Management and Neuromodulation Centre at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS trust. He trained in Chronic Pain Medicine at The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Liverpool. He has a fellowship in Chronic Pain Management at the University of Toronto Hospital, Canada. Dr. Al-Kaisy has an international reputation as a leading expert in Pain Management and has extensive experience in working toward the advancement of electrical neuromodulation techniques within this specialty. Dr. Al-Kaisy led the first multicenter and multinational study on the safety and efficacy of 10kHz SCS in the management of Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS). He has subsequently clinically pioneered the use of this novel therapy in the management of different chronic pain conditions including the feasibility study on chronic back patients without prior surgery. He has successfully designed groundbreaking research including a randomized double-blind placebo control study examining different frequencies in the management of FBSS. He is the innovator of a number of techniques including transgrade dorsal root ganglion stimulation using monopolar electrical stimulation. Dr. Al-Kaisy continues to teach and lecture on essential and pioneering topics in pain management in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. He is the chair of the biannual London Spine Pain Symposium at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital.

Adesanya Tolu Alugo, MD, MSC, FDPCOAI, CIME, DCAPM, FIPP, CIPS, ASRA-PMUC is an Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia and Chronic Pain at Horizon Health, Canada. He is also a Researcher/Clinician @ Dailhousie /Newbrunswick health Network.
Dr Alugo is skilled in: Emergency Medicine, Medical Education, Medicine, Hospitals, Critical Care, Healthcare Management, Internal Medicine, Clinical Research, Patient Safety, Healthcare, Critical Care Medicine, Public Health, Healthcare Information, Treatment, Epidemiology, ACLS, Surgery, General Surgery, Anesthesia.

Dr. Akwasi Amponsah is a board-certified Interventional Pain Management consultant and anesthesiologist currently practicing in Rutgers- New Jersey Medical School. He is the Director of Neuromodulation and upcoming program director for the interventional pain medicine fellowship program. Formerly the program director at University of Miami’s pain medicine fellowship program, Dr. Amponsah has nearly a decade of experience in treating complex chronic pain syndromes both in the academic as well as private sectors. He specializes in axial spine and nerve pain utilizing advanced interventional pain techniques such as spinal cord stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery systems, kyphoplasty, percutaneous discectomy, minimally invasive spine and joint procedures. His He is an avid soccer player and an active father to a 6yo girl.

Dr. Steve M. Aydin is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University/Northwell Health, as well as Chief of PM&R and Intervention Pain Management at Kayal Medical Group, in NJ. He completed his PMR training at UMDNJ/Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and his pain management fellowship at the University of Michigan. He is board-certified in both PMR and Pain Management. He has published multiple book chapters, case reports, and research articles on interventional pain medicine techniques and treatments. He is an active member of the ASIPP, NJSIPP, and AAPMR. He also serves on the Board of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP).

Douglas P. Beall, MD, is board-certified in Diagnostic Radiology, has an added fellowship in Musculoskeletal Radiology, is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management and is a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology, the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice and board certified by the World Institute of Pain. He is currently in private practice focused on interventional pain management and minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Dr. Bedoya is an orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, and she is the President of the Colombian Society of Spine Surgery SOCCOL/SCCOT.

Dr. Helen Blake is an Interventional Pain Physician and best-selling author of the book “Move Freely: Get Your Life Back After Injury.” She is board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Management. Her compassionate, patient-centered, comprehensive pain management techniques help her patients manage their pain and minimize their dependence on medications. She strives to give her patients the results they need to live their best life.

Dr. Blake is empathetic, passionate, and inspiring to her patients and staff alike. Her Fellowship training at the Hospital for Special Surgery (Premier Orthopedic Hospital) gave her advanced training in the evaluation of musculoskeletal complaints and sports injuries but it’s her interest in moving knowledge further with continuing education and the relentless study of cutting edge therapies that sets her apart from her peers.

Dr. Ryan Budwany is a board-certified physician with a focus on interventional pain and functional medicine. He completed his medical specialty training at WVU Ruby Memorial Hospital and completed his Medical Degree from Mercer University School of Medicine. Dr. Budwany has a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Emory University, a Master of Public Health in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety from Dartmouth College, and a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from the University of Massachusetts.

For the past five years, Dr. Budwany has served as the Young Physicians Section Chair on the West Virginia State Medical Association where he continues to work on healthcare policy to advocate for improving patient access to integrative pain care. Dr. Budwany is also the Executive Director of Medical Diplomats International, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes in rural mountain communities. Recently he participated in a research project with NASA, at the Johnson Space Center, studying the effects of microgravity and long-duration space travel on spine and back pain. Dr. Budwany has a passion for evidence-based medicine and has published numerous journal articles and book chapters and has presented nationally on his research.

His philosophy in pain management is to individualize the care plan to each patient’s specific goals for functional improvement. His additional specialized board certification training in Occupational Medicine further defines his commitment to his patients, who rely on him to help repair their injuries and to reduce the risk of disability as they seek to preserve their careers and to optimize their performance. Dr. Budwany offers his patients comprehensive pain management with a focus on minimally invasive procedures and regenerative medicine to help improve their function and quality-of-life.

Nicole has been a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist since 2015 with clinical experience focused in interventional pain management since 2017. She obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. However, it wasn’t long before she realized her passion for medicine, driving her to return to the University of Texas to pursue a Masters of Science in Nursing. Nicole believes that the key to pain management lies in creating a partnership for decision making between those that she treats, their families, and their healthcare providers in order to help them reach their pain management and functional goals through a comprehensive approach to care.

George C. Chang Chien is a physiatrist specializing in interventional pain management with a focus on musculoskeletal medicine and regenerative medicine. He has practices in Southern California and can be reached at www.GCCInstitute.org

Dr. Kenneth Chapman is the director of pain management at Staten Island University Hospital, part of the Northwell Health System, and is an assistant clinical professor at NYU Langone Medical Center. He completed his Interventional Pain Management Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, and his Anesthesiology residency at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, New York.
Dr. Chapman directs the fellowship program at the Spine and Pain Institute of NY and is actively involved in teaching and lecturing both nationally and internationally. Dr. Chapman also frequently serves as a pain management Board Examiner for certification on the Fellowship of Interventional Pain Practice Pain Boards. He has won numerous peer validated awards including ‘America’s Best Anesthesiologists’ and ‘Most Compassionate Doctors,’ and was one of the youngest physicians to ever be named as both a NY Times ‘Super Doctor’ and NY Magazine ‘Top Doctor’ when he first received the recognition in 2014. While at the Cleveland Clinic Dr. Chapman also received the “Ethlene R. Smith’s Most Outstanding Fellow” award. He is Vice President of the NYS Interventional Pain Society and on the advisory board to the NYS Worker’s Compensation Board responsible for writing the NYS Worker’s Compensation Guidelines, which all injured workers in the state are treated by.
Dr. Chapman’s interests include translational research pertaining to spinal cord stimulation and dorsal root ganglion stimulation mechanism of action, and studies involving the use of DRG-S to treat conditions traditionally considered to be mechanical pain syndromes.

Ashley Comer is an AANP Board Certified Nurse Practitioner at The Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias. She has become a leader in advanced practice provider education in both the United States and in the international community. Ashley has served on several society committees in leadership positions establishing training protocols and programs to enhance the field of Interventional Spine and Nerve treatment. She also has played a role in many device and procedural studies to achieve Food and Drug Administration approval or enhanced patient access. Born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Ashley attended WVSCTC where she obtained her associate degree in Nursing. Continuing her education, she went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Virginia University. Graduating with honors, she completed her Masters of Science in Nursing with Family Nurse Practitioner specialization from Walden University. Ashley’s professional interests include implantable therapies, minimally invasive procedures, and research.

Pain Physician and Palliative Care. PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil) President Brazilian Society for Studies of Pain- SBED (2024-5). Scientific Director of sinpain sa. Professor of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care – Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil. Chief Editor – Cancer Pain Textbook, Editora Atheneu.

Dr. Deer 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 enduring 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 to improve function and relieve suffering. His work has led to more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, several book chapters, and many classic 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 the Past Chairman of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee of Pain Medicine and a Charter 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 accomplished endurance athlete., with accolades including winning the Ultrarunning World Masters Championship in the Badwater 135-mile run in 2021 and competing in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii on many occasions. Dr. Deer is blessed with a more than 30-year marriage to his wife, Melissa, and has four children.

Dr. Sudhir Diwan, nationally and internationally recognized as a key opinion leader in the field of pain management, is the President, Park Avenue Spine and Pain, New York, Associate Clinical Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. Dr. Diwan was the former Director of the Tri-Institutional Pain Fellowship Program and Division of Pain Medicine at Ivy League Weill Medical College of Cornell University for more than a decade, where he also served as associate professor of clinical anesthesiology, and on the faculty at the world renowned New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Diwan has published extensively in prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals and medical books on a variety of pain management topics. He is on the Editorial Board for the Pain Physician – an official journal of the American Society of Pain Physicians (ASIPP) since 2008, and Pain Practice – official journal of World Institute of Pain (WIP) since 2009. He was invited Guest Editor for Journal of Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management 2009. Dr. Diwan is the Examiner for the Certification Board for American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) and Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) offered by the World Institute of Pain. Dr. Diwan is Co-Editor for Intrathecal Drug Delivery for Pain and Spasticity, Vol 2, Timothy Deer, Series Editor, Elsevier-Saunders 2012, and Co-Editor for Diwan-Staats’s Atlas of Pain Medicine Procedures, McGraw Hill Education 2015, and Advanced Procedures for Pain Management, A step-by-step Atlas, Springer US, 2018.

In addition to his busy pain management practice in New York City, Dr. Diwan lectures extensively and interacts regularly with experts in the field of pain medicine nationally and internationally.  He has been guest speaker for many noteworthy organizations including the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), and State Societies Pain Meetings, the World Institute of Pain, NANS, INS, and numerous International pain specialty societies and congresses nationally and internationally. Currently he is Executive Director of NYSIPP and Course Chairman of the Annual NYSIPP/NJSIPP Pain Medicine Symposium, and President of ASIPP.

Kristen is a native Long Islander. She attended Adelphi University for her undergraduate, where she received a BS in Nursing in 2007. After graduating, she worked in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Stony Brook Medicine for eight years. she completed her MS in Nursing in 2015 at SBU, with a certification in Adult Gerontology. Kristen continued to work as a Nurse Practitioner in the trauma division at Stony Brook for the next three years. She joined the Pain Institute of Long Island in 2018. Here, she is treating patients with various conditions, providing the most cutting-edge and minimally invasive therapies. Kristen has a passion for providing competent and compassionate care to her patients. She enjoys the challenge of pain medicine, the innovation in treatment and procedures, as well as the interactions and relationships she develops with her patients. Additionally, she enjoys educating fellow Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants about some of the most cutting-edge pain management therapies.

Dr. Brian Durkin is the Medical Director of the Pain Institute of Long Island and leads the team toward the highest quality pain care available. He has been a leader in this field for the last decade and is relentless in his pursuit to provide the most up-to-date pain treatments on Long Island. Dr. Durkin is often “the first” to introduce a new treatment option to either Suffolk County or Long Island. He performed the first MILD procedure in Suffolk County in 2010. He performed the first Nevro HF-10 high-frequency spinal cord stimulator trials and implants on Long Island in 2015. He performed the first Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) spinal cord stimulator trials and implants in Suffolk County in 2016 and was the first physician to offer the Vertiflex option for spinal stenosis in 2017. In August 2018, Dr. Durkin became the first physician in New York and the Northeast part of the USA to perform the Intracept Procedure for patients suffering from chronic low back pain. Dr. Durkin attended medical school near his hometown at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona, and graduated in 2001. He moved east for his training and completed his internship at UMDNJ in Stratford, New Jersey in 2002, before moving to Long Island and completing his residency in anesthesiology at Stony Brook University in 2005. He then completed his fellowship in pain medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, and New York Presbyterian-Cornell in 2006. He was recruited back to Stony Brook University as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology where he began treating patients with interventional pain management. He became the Director of the Center for Pain Management and Division Chief of Chronic Pain in 2009. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012. Dr. Durkin left Stony Brook University in 2015 to establish the Pain Institute of Long Island. Dr. Durkin is involved in several national and international pain societies and is currently the President of the New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.

Megan Filoramo is a nurse practitioner with two decades of experience in the field of pain management. As a member of the Altair Health team, she serves patients at Morristown Medical Center and is a member of the Master Faculty at the American Society of Pain Management Nurses (ASPMN).

Recognized as an Advanced Practice Pain Management Nurse by ASPMN and certified as a nurse coach by the International Nurse Coach Association, Megan plays an active role in helping patients reduce their pain and educating pain management providers. She is dedicated to empowering patients and nurses to take an active role in setting and achieving personal goals.

Megan’s work has been published in the Journal of Pain Management Nursing – and she speaks regularly at national conferences for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and ASPMN.

Megan received her Master’s Degree in Nursing Science from Rutgers University and graduated magna cum laude with her undergraduate degree from Seton Hall University. She is completing her certification as an Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse.

Meredith George has over 30 years of experience in medical coding/billing, working with health plans and medical device manufacturers. Throughout her career, she has cultivated an intimate understanding of Medicare and Third-Party payor coding, coverage, and payment systems. She has been successful at securing numerous procedure coverage policies, as well as establishing candidacy criteria. Meredith is actively involved with various Pain Management organizations such as ASIPP, Texas Pain Society, NY/NJ Pain Symposium, and the World Institute of Pain often lobbying on behalf of Pain Management coverage and reimbursement issues. She has testified on behalf of interventional pain on various issues with State Workers Compensation groups as well as Medicare Administrative Contractors. In 2011 she developed a “Business of Practicing Medicine” program for Pain Fellowships and has lectured to more than 30 programs annually across the country. Meredith is credentialed through the Board of Medical Specialty Coding as a Specialty Coding Professional in Pain Management, as well as a Coding, Compliance, and Practice Management Expert from the American Society for Interventional Pain Physicians.

Christopher Gharibo, MD is a Professor with the Departments of Anesthesiology, Peri-Operative Care & Pain Medicine as well as Orthopedics at NYU School of Medicine and serves as the Medical Director of Pain Medicine at NYU Langone Hospitals Center. Dr. Gharibo obtained his M.D. degree from Rutgers Medical School in 1992 and completed his anesthesiology residency at NYU Medical Center. He served his Pain Medicine fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology and holds subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine. His acute pain experience has included developing system-wide use of interventional techniques in combination with nonopioids and opioids as part of multimodal pain management pathways. He has been instrumental in developing and overseeing the pain medicine department at NYU that has been able to develop pain medicine policy and procedure focused on acute and chronic pain, from implementing a system of pain assessments based on functional gains to making pain visible on NYU’s census boards to opioid prescribing policy and pain safety oversight that focuses on pharmacological and interventional pain management. His areas of clinical expertise also includes low back and neck pain of musculoskeletal and spinal origin and neuropathic pain syndromes such as painful peripheral neuropathies and CRPS. His areas of technical expertise include nerve blocks, peripheral and spinal injection techniques for diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain syndromes including joint injections, epidural steroid injections, nerve root blocks, facet injections, facet nerve blocks, radiofrequency rhizotomy as well as drug delivery systems and spinal cord stimulators. Many of these injections can provide diagnostic answers and be tailored to provide prolonged pain relief and functional improvement when used as part of an overall plan of care.

Dr. Ale Ismael Gonzalez Cazares, MD, is a highly skilled doctor specializing in anesthesiology, palliative medicine, and interventional pain medicine. With qualifications from prestigious institutions such as the National Cancer League and the World Institute of Pain, Dr. Gonzalez has gained expertise in treating complex pain conditions.

He practices at various esteemed institutions in Mexico City, including RegenerAge Elite Clinic, Alive Pain Clinic, San Angel Inn University Hospital, Angeles del Pedregal Hospital, and Longevity Center in Durango. Dr. Gonzalez’s dedication to alleviating pain and improving the quality of life for his patients sets him apart in the field.

His extensive experience and training in pain management make him a trusted healthcare provider for those seeking relief from chronic pain. With a focus on innovative treatments and a compassionate approach to patient care, Dr. Gonzalez is known for his commitment to excellence in pain medicine.

Casey Grillo is a certified Nurse Practitioner at The Spine & Pain Institute of NY and has recently transitioned into the role of Lead Advanced Practice provider for the practice. She collaborates with her physicians, managing and educating patients of all ages with chronic pain. Casey received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Seton Hall University and a Master’s degree in Science of Nursing from Wagner College. Casey stays engaged in the field of pain management through participation in various pain societies, serving as faculty for NYNJSIPP, ASPN, and NANS. One of her goals as a nurse practitioner is to promote and educate the advancement of other APP’s, maximizing their roles in the field of neuromodulation in order to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Gritsenko is a Professor of Anesthesiology, Family & Social Medicine, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; She is Program Director for the ACGME accredited Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine fellowship and core member of the Montefiore Multidisciplinary Pain Program. She has a passion for teaching and spends a significant portion of her clinical time training residents and fellows in both acute pain and chronic pain settings. She also has authored multiple textbooks and articles on topics related to chronic pain, regional anesthesiology, and acute pain medicine. She is honored to be part of Nysipp year after year and considers this meeting her academic family and home.

Anesthesiologist and pain specialist with over 20 years of uninterrupted clinical and teaching experience at Fundacion Santa Fe in Bogota, Colombia. Associate Professor at University El Bosque and University of Los Andes in Bogota. Former Director of the Specialization Program in Pain Management and Palliative Care at University El Bosque. Fellow in Interventional Pain Practice at the World Institute of Pain (WIP). President of the Quality in Medical Care Committee at Fundacion Santa Fe in Bogota. Former President and current Treasurer of the Colombian chapter of the World Institute of Pain (WIP), and founding member and current Treasurer of the Latin American Pain Society (LAPS)

Dr. Gupta is a board-Certified, fellowship-trained interventional pain Management Physician. He is the president and CEO of KSIPP (Kansas Society of Interventional Pain Physician). He was the Chairman Of the Department of Surgery at St Luke’s Cushing Memorial Hospital from 2014-2018. He had served as President of the House Staff Association at Jhon H. Stroger Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL.

Dr. Gupta has been awarded multiple awards for research presentations in nationally recognized conferences. Dr. Gupta is an internationally recognized speaker on numerous topics relating to pain management. He has been actively involved in training and education throughout the united States and abroad. He currently serves on the medical editorial board of multiple accredited pain journals.

Dr. Randa Jaafar is an American graduate of Wayne state University in her home town of Detroit Michigan, who completed her internship and residency at Case Western University in Cleveland Ohio in Anesthesiology. She developed an interest in pain management after working under her world renowned pain management mentor, Dr. Salim Hayek. She traveled to the big apple to complete a pain fellowship at Cornell University medical college in Manhattan’s Upper east side.

Dr. Jaafar practiced at Maimonides medical center in Brooklyn New York as an anesthesia and pain management attending. Now she has made her way into private practice in Manhattan’s financial district. She has vast interests in pain, she specializes in ultrasound based procedures to minimize radiation exposure and an interest in minor cosmetic procedures.

Dr. Neeraj Jain MD, FIMSA, CIPS, FIPP

Director & Principal Consultant at Spine and Pain Institute Yashoda Medicity & Super speciality Hospitals, New Delhi, India. MBBS in 1982 from MAMC & MD in 1988 from Delhi University, New Delhi, Senior Residency in 1989 from AIIMS New Delhi, FIPP (Cleveland Clinic) in 2010, CIPS (Hungary) in 2017, FIMSA at AJMAN, UAE in 2012. Training in pain management from AIIMS, John Hopkins, spine pain clinics, New Jersey & Texas, USA.
240+ national, international presentations & lectures, Conducted live interactive web Pain Conferences., Pioneer in Advance Interventional Pain Management procedures & Endoscopic Discectomy.
Innovator of NJ Balloon Epiduro-Neuroplasty, NJ Disc Endoscopic Disc-Meshplasty & NJ TransDiscal Ultrasound of Spinal Canal.
Owns 1.4 Million Views YouTube Channel
Published many papers in different journals of national & international repute & is on editorial board of many.
Coordinator & Trainer for cadaver workshop at International Conferences
Teaching & mentoring upcoming Pain specialists by routinely Conducting numerous Live Pain workshops cum CMEs. Examiner WIP- FIPP/ CIPS Exams, Taipei, January, 2025.

Evan Jay is a graduate of the Quinnipiac University Physician Assistant program where he excelled in both Pain Management and Sports Medicine. He is dual-credentialed as a Certified Athletic Trainer, graduating from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s degree and from East Stroudsburg University with a Master’s degree in Athletic Training. His extensive background in physical medicine and rehabilitation along with his understanding of internal medicine allows him to provide a high level of well-rounded care to his patients. He thrives to coordinate care amongst the healthcare team in order to develop personalized treatment plans to minimize pain and maximize patient recovery. As a healthcare professional, Evan takes advantage of his ability to connect with patients to create a comfortable, positive experience.

Dr. Kalia specializes in interventional spine and cancer pain management with special expertise in advanced neuromodulation procedures. He earned his medical degree from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore; India and a Master’s degree in Public Health from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY. His first residency was in Preventive Medicine & Public Health followed by Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Rochester. He subsequently completed an ACGME-approved Pain Medicine fellowship at the University of Rochester and additional FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) certification from the World Institute of Pain. Dr. Kalia is a member of numerous national/international professional societies and sits on various sub-committees. He is on the Board of Directors for NYSIPP (New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians); ASPN (American Society of Pain & Neuroscience) and President-Elect of Monroe County Medical Society. As part of the faculty at national and international hands-on cadaveric workshops for interventional spine and pain procedures, he is involved in teaching young neuromodulators and interventional spine & pain physicians. He also is an examiner for the reputable FIPP certification course through the World Institute of Pain. Dr. Kalia has presented his work on cancer pain and advanced neuromodulation at multiple national and international conferences including publications in peer-reviewed journals in the field of Pain Medicine. He served as an Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Clinical Medical Research & Health Care Delivery open access Journal and currently serves as section editor or part of the editorial board for numerous pain and neuromodulation journals. He successfully started the Interventional Spine & Cancer Pain fellowship program at Rochester Regional Health System. He currently serves as the founder and CEO of the Center for Research and Innovation in Spine & Pain (CRISP) and Managing Director of Savya Spine & Pain, Invisionhealth in Rochester, NY.

Leonardo Kapural, M.D., Ph.D. is a Pain Physician at the Carolinas Pain Institute and Center for Clinical Research. He is also a member of the clinical faculty of Wake Forest University, School of Medicine. Dr. Kapural served as a Professor of Anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University and Wake Forest University over the last 15 years. Dr. Kapural’s interests include spinal cord stimulation, discogenic low back pain, and visceral abdominal and pelvic pain. Dr. Kapural is an active member of a number of professional organizations including the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, North American and International Neuromodulation Societies, and the World Institute of Pain. In addition, he is an invited speaker to many national and international meetings. He served as Director-At-Large of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and International Neuromodulation Society, and currently is the Director-At-Large of the North American Neuromodulation Society. 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 160 journal articles, more than 200 abstracts, two books, and 35 book chapters. He is listed by his peers in the “Best Doctors in America”.

Dr. Kaufman is an award-winning educator and physician. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the Columbia-Presbyterian Anesthesiology Program and the Harvard/Longwood Pain Fellowship. Currently he is a Professor of Anesthesiology at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, directing the Division of Pain Management and the Pain Fellowship Program.

Jennifer Kirschenbaum, Esq., counsel to the NY/NJ Interventional Pain Symposium, is  the managing partner of K&K’s healthcare department, and represents ASCs and physicians with contracts, compliance, patient and employee issues.    Jennifer is available at the Symposium to discuss employment contracts, buy-ins, practice purchase / sale, ASC syndication, private equity backed initiatives and general practice matters.   Jennifer can be reached at (516) 747-6700 x. 302 or Jennifer@Kirschenbaumesq.com.   To join K&K’s free healthcare newsletter, visit K&K’s booth at the Symposium.

Dr. Kohr is a dedicated, board-certified neurosurgeon and pain physician who has focused the past three years exclusively on pain management, with a particular emphasis on interventional pain therapies, especially neuromodulation. As a consultant neurosurgeon at the Pain Clinic Loewenstein, one of Germany’s leading centers for pain treatment, Dr. Kohr is the head surgeon and senior consultant in interventional pain therapy training. Additionally, she leads the Outpatient Clinic for Neuromodulation, spearheading efforts to provide cutting-edge treatments and significantly improve patients’ quality of life.

Barrett Larson is a physician, researcher, and educator who is passionate about developing new technologies to improve patient care. Barrett did both medical school and residency training in anesthesiology at Stanford, where he is now a Clinical Assistant Professor. Beyond clinical practice, he leverages his medical training to help facilitate the development of innovative medical technologies. Barrett was the Co-Founder and CEO of Leaf Healthcare, which developed a wireless patient monitoring system designed to improve the activity and mobility of hospitalized patients. Leaf Healthcare was acquired by Smith+Nephew, where Barrett now serves as the Vice President of Clinical Education. Outside of industry work, Barrett partnered with Chris Rishel to develop WikiAnesthesia. By operating at the interface between clinical medicine, academics, and industry, Barrett is able to facilitate the rapid commercialization of innovative medical technologies.

Giuliano Lo Bianco, MD, PhD, FIPP, EDPM, is an Italian anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist renowned for fluoro‑ and ultrasound‑guided percutaneous procedures and neuromodulation. Since 2020 he has directed the Analgesia & Percutaneous Surgery Unit at Fondazione G. Giglio, Cefalù, uniting high‑volume clinical practice with translational pain research. He earned a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Catania, fellowship in Neuromodulation and Pain Medicine. Certified FIPP and EDPM in 2022, Dr Lo Bianco lectures on pain therapy at the Universities of Palermo and Pavia, organises the Mediterranean Pain Forum, and serves as Section Editor for Pain Education and Early Career Investigators in the Journal of Pain Research.

Dra Camila Lobo é paraense, formou-se em medicina pela Universidade Estadual Do Pará, aonde recebeu o prêmio de melhor aluna da turma pelo seu desempenho acadêmico durante o curso.
Após concluir a graduação, mudou-se para São Paulo aonde seguiu um longo caminho para uma formação sólida e de excelência… Justamente esta formação de excelência, somados à sua enorme dedicação, lhe fez adquirir destaque no cenário Nacional e Internacional.

Fez residência em Anestesiologia no IAMSPE (Hospital do Servidor Público de São Paulo)
Após concluir esta etapa, fez residência em Dor na UNIFESP (Universidade Federal de São Paulo), uma das universidades mais respeitadas do País.
Em seguida, continuou sua formação com mais dois anos de Fellowship em Intervenção em Dor na Singular, centro de controle de Dor reconhecido mundialmente e pioneiro em trazer tratamentos minimamente invasivos para o Brasil.
Ao final de toda sua longa formação, totalizou 6 anos de residência médica, sendo 3 anos voltados apenas ao estudo da Dor para tratar com excelência a complexidade que é um paciente de dor crônica.
Tem área de atuação em Dor e Título Internacional de Intervenção em Dor guiadas por Ultrassonografia (Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist -CIPS), tendo sido a mulher mais jovem do mundo a obter este título.

Hoje integra a Diretoria Executiva da LAPS (Sociedade Latino Americana de Dor), o Comitê de Síndrome da Dor Complexa Regional da SBDE (Sociedade Brasileira para Estudo da Dor) e o comitê de Medicina Regenerativa da LAPS.

Paul Lynch, MD, is the founder and CEO of US Pain Care, a vertically integrated healthcare company that provides strategy, marketing, and management support to healthcare practices, vendors, and insurance companies. US Pain Care focuses on evidence-based clinical protocols that reduce costs while also providing life-changing care to patients suffering from chronic pain.

He is additionally the founder and CEO of Nirvana, a healthcare billing and compliance company that utilizes emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to decrease the cost of revenue cycle management while simultaneously increasing compliance.

Dr. Lynch is a double board-certified and fellowship-trained pain management physician and anesthesiologist, with 17 years’ experience treating all types of chronic pain conditions. Throughout his career, Dr. Lynch has focused on providing comprehensive and evidenced-based treatment, with vigilant attention to the standard of care and best practices. He has managed pain practices in 15 different states and is currently licensed to practice in 9 states. He also has experience as an expert witness, performing legal reviews and providing deposition testimony since 2010, with involvement in over 100 cases.

Dr. Lynch’s personal goal is to help save 1 million lives through US Pain Care’s innovative approach to treating those suffering from chronic pain and opioid use disorder.

Dr Jesus Medina is a Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist (CIPS) and Former President of Sociedad Mexicana de Ultrasonido en Dolor (SMUD). Dr. Medina earned his Medical Degree from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara College of Medicine in Guadalajara, Mexico, and specialized in Anesthesiologist and Pain Management and Palliative Medicine from the University of Guadalajara (CUCS). He’s been dedicated to his practice for more than 10 years, and opts for non-surgical treatments, when indicated, before considering the option of surgery.

Pankaj Mehta, MD, DABA, DABPM

Dr. Mehta is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist trained at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. He then completed an interventional pain fellowship at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Mehta has gained national recognition for his contributions to Interventional Pain Medicine.
During his training, Dr. Mehta was awarded a Harvard fellowship for NIH-sponsored research exploring the need for alternative medicines in chronic opioid therapy. His research on post-war chronic pain was highly acclaimed and published as a review article in a leading national journal.
His goals are to help people suffering from pain, optimize pain control, enhance their abilities to function, improve physical and psychological well being. His practice focuses on a multidisciplinary approach that closely meets individual needs, (PERSONALIZED MEDICINE) technologically advanced treatment modalities, alternative and complementary therapies, and REGENERATIVE MEDICINE.
Dr. Mehta is considered a key opinion leader in the field of pain management and is committed to partner with the community to manage pain in an optimal way. He runs various pain wellness programs in collaboration with local physicians, which encompasses multiple interventional strategies for SPINE PAIN, HEADACHES/PTSD/ABDOMINAL/PELVIC PAIN AND NEUROPATHY. Dr. Mehta’s main focus is on spine pain, headaches, spinal stenosis, abdominal and pelvic pain with a prime interest in neuromodulation and minimally invasive therapies.
Dr. Mehta is one of the first proctors of various new therapies for spine pain and CRPS. He is considered a leading neuromodulation specialist in Texas and is referred patients from all corners of the state. He lectures all over the country on the latest breakthroughs of interventional pain and has numerous publications to his credit. He is an educator and instructor for several health care companies who research and develop treatments for chronic pain.
Dr. Mehta is the Director of research at PSA and conducts cutting edge clinical research involving therapies used for chronic pain.
Dr. Mehta is an active member of most leading professional organizations including the North American Neuromodulation Society, International Neuromodulation Society and American Society of Interventional PainPhysicians.

Neel D. Mehta, M.D., is the Director of the Weill Cornell Pain Management Center and an Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He also serves as a Co-Director of the Center for Comprehensive Spine Care. He is President of the Eastern Pain Association and Director-at Large-of the New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Dr. Mehta completed his fellowship in Interventional Pain Medicine in the Tri-Institutional Pain Medicine Fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Jee Youn Moon is a tenured professor at the Dep. of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine of Seoul National University (SNU) College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. She is the Chief Director of the Pain Center at the SNU hospital. She is currently a Director of the International Coop and Academic Board of the Korean Pain Society, CRPS SIG Secretary in IASP, and BoE member in WIP. Her clinical interests are in managing CRPS, cancer pain, ultrasound-guided pain interventions, and epidural and facet blocks. She has published about 100 articles, including “Botulinum toxin type A for lumbar sympathetic ganglion block in CRPS (2022)” in ANESTHESIOLOGY. Jee Youn received an Award for Excellent Research Prize 6 times from the Korean Pain Society and won the Best Speaker Award from the same society for the field of ultrasound-guided pain medicine.

Andrea Murphy is a nationally board-certified Adult Primary Nurse Practitioner with extensive experience in headache diagnosis, treatment and management. She has been a practicing nurse since 2009 and went on to help establish the first headache medicine program at Hartford Healthcare (HHC) in 2015. From her diverse background in internal medicine, she applies a unique patient-centered approach where each person with headache is seen as an individual and offered a tailored treatment plan.

Andrea has a deep commitment to medical education and works to educate clinicians and patients in the approach to headache. Andrea is most passionate about migraine advocacy and empowering others to improve their own health and well-being. Areas of clinical interest include holistic non-pharmacological treatments of headache, migraine during pregnancy, chronic migraine, and menstrual-related migraine.

Dr. Annu Navani is the Chief Medical Officer of Boomerang Healthcare, the leader in interventional and multidisciplinary spine, musculoskeletal, and orthopedic care. Boomerang is a large multispecialty group practice with 350 medical providers that operates via multiple state of the art centers in Northern and Southern California and Nevada.
Dr. Navani is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at Division of Pain, Stanford University School of Medicine. She also serves as an Advisor to Le Reve Regenerative Wellness, the center for cutting edge restorative and regenerative solutions for clinical applications and research.
Dr. Navani completed her Anesthesiology residency from Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Fellowship in Pain Medicine from the University of California, Davis. She is board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine by American Board of Anesthesiology, in Interventional Pain by American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice and in Regenerative Medicine by American Board of Regenerative Medicine and American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians.
She sits on the Editorial board of the journal, Pain Physician and serves on the board of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, California Society of Industrial Medicine and Surgery and California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Association of Interventional Pain Physicians, The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and The Postgraduate Assembly in Anesthesiology.
She has extensive publications in the field of Interventional spine and Regenerative medicine and has contributed via several peer reviewed journal articles, visionary editorials and book chapters. Her book, “Essentials of Regenerative Medicine” is first in its right illustrating latest interventional techniques in spine and musculoskeletal interventions. She has also been instrumental in authoring several National Guidelines including the ones on Opioids, Interventional Spine Epidural procedures, Facet joints, and Biologics in Lumbar spine.
Her vision is to forward the field of Interventional Pain and Regenerative Medicine by using technological innovations to improve access, decrease health care costs and maximize quality and efficacy.

Dr Victor Pacheco (Brazil)- Specialist in Orthopedics and Traumatology – UNICAMP; Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon by SBOT; Board Certified Pain Physian by the Assoicação Médica Brasileira; Board Certified – Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice FIPP – World Institute of Pain; Board Certified – American Academy of Regenerative Medicine; ‌Coordinator of Advanced Regenerative Medicine; Board of the Latin American Pain Society and sinpain course of interventional pain. ‌Former Santos Futebol Clube Team Psysician.

Daniel J. Pak, MD, is a double board-certified and fellowship-trained anesthesiology and pain medicine physician specializing in interventional pain management.
Pak is also an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and the Associate Chief of chronic pain services at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
Pak received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed his residency in anesthesiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medicine, where he received the Sadel Wortis Klein Award for Excellence in Clinical Performance. He then completed a pain medicine fellowship at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Prior to joining UTHealth Houston, Pak was on faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Weill Cornell Medicine, where he was awarded multiple faculty teaching awards.

Juan de la Cruz Pineda Pérez MD FIPP

Medical Staff Member of Hospital Aranda de la Parra, León Guanajuato Mx.
Acute Pain, Chronic Pain, Regional Anesthesia, Interventional Pain Management.

Pain Medicine Fellow for Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan) Mexico City. Master in Palliative Medicine & Supportive Management Cataluña University Spain. Regional Anesthesia, Acute Pain, Cancer Pain Interventional Management in Montreal General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal Qc, Canada Certified for World Institute of Pain (WIP) as a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) Board of Asociación Mexicana para el Estudio y Tratamiento del Dolor (AMETD) 20-22 and 22-24 Member of Sociedad Mexicana de Ultrasonido en Dolor (SMUD).

Prof. Plancarte, trained in Anesthesiology and intensive care, to later specialize in interventional pain management. He founded the Pain Clinic of the National Institute of Cancerology in Mexico and has been the creator of 5 original techniques in interventional pain management, which are already part of the armamentary of interventional cancer pain treatment. He is a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has a Doctorate in Medicine research and is a member of the National System of Researchers in Mexico.

Dr. Puttaniah is a board-certified anesthesiologist with additional expertise and training in pain medicine. As a member of both the Anesthesiology Service and the Pain Service in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, his clinical work involves delivering anesthesia as well as treating postoperative pain. He also treats cancer pain using medications, nerve blocks, intrathecal drug delivery systems, radiofrequency techniques, and neurolytic blocks. He regularly supervises and teaches clinical fellows.

Dr Rapcan currently works at EuroPainClinics / Norrlands University Hospital, Sweden EuroPainClinics (EPC). It is an independent healthcare network clinic with a first-class record of achieving quality, innovation and efficiency in providing interventional pain healthcare to patients. Our Clinical Advisory Board consists of five members – Theodor Gorozseniuk, Andrzej Kroll, Ash Shetty, Arun Bhaskar and Sherdil Nath. Clinics are located in Slovakia (Bardejov, Kosice, Bratislava) and Czech Republic (Prague, Hradec Kralove, Ostrava and Brno). EPC provides specialised interventional pain diagnostic/ treatment services and movement impairment diagnostics and treatments. At EuroPainClinics he performs all mini – invasive spine procedures including epiduroscopies and advanced endoscopic procedures (discectomy, facet and SI joint denervation). In collaboration with University Hospital Bratislava, Neurosurgical Clinic, he also provides complex neuromodulation care, including implantations of spinal cord stimulators for not only FBSS but also for pelvic, abdominal pain and headaches.

Dr Rapcan is also teaches endoscopic procedures for MaxMore company (Germany) and neuromodulation for Medtronic (USA). Eight weeks a year he works at the Norland University Hospital in Umeå, Sweden in a position of Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Pain Medicine.

Dr. Rathi is a leading specialist in interventional pain medicine and the treatment of complex spinal and musculoskeletal disorders. He has greater than ten years of experience in performing cutting edge procedures including minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery, spinal cord stimulation, and regenerative medicine using Stem Cell Therapies. He is board certified in Pain Management as well as Physical medicine and Rehabilitation.

A native of New Jersey, he was selected to participate in a prestigious accelerated medical degree program through Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. After earning his Doctorate of Medicine from Jefferson, Dr. Rathi went on to complete his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York University Langone Medical Center. While in training, he served as chief resident at Bellevue Hospital, authored numerous publications and participated extensively in both inpatient and outpatient care at the NYU Langone Medical Center, Hospital for Joint Diseases and the Manhattan Veteran’s Administration Hospital. Following residency, Dr. Rathi completed an Interventional Spine Fellowship at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Spine Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Rathi has been in private practices since 2009. He spent eleven years at Shore Orthopedic Group before opening a new practice at Shore Spine and Pain.

Dr. David Reece DO, FAAPMR, FAANEM is an Interventional Spine & Pain Physiatrist. He is an Osteopathic Physician (DO) obtaining his Medical Degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. His primary specialty Board Certification is in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) with additional subspecialty Board Certifications in Interventional Spine & Pain Medicine, as well as Neuromuscular Electrodiagnostics. Dr. Reece is also certified in Medical Acupuncture. He completed his internship and residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and completed an ACGME accredited joint Interventional Pain Fellowship at WRNMMC with Johns Hopkins, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Dr. Reece specializes in treating complex pain and neuromuscular disorders, acute and chronic musculoskeletal sports injuries, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, headaches, and polytrauma amputee rehabilitation. Dr. Reece incorporates an expansive variety of fluoroscopically and ultrasound-guided interventional procedures, neuromodulation, along with regenerative medicine injections, minimally invasive spinal intervention, acupuncture, osteopathic manipulation, and other complimentary alternative medicine modalities into his comprehensive pain management strategy. Dr. Reece is currently the Director of Neuromodulation and Interventional Physiatry at Absolute Pain Management in Rockville, MD. Additional Leadership roles have included: Chief of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation/Pain Medicine at WRNMMC as well as the MSK/Pain Specialty Consultant for the White House Medical Unit

• General medicine (University Autonomus of Coahuila)
• Anesthesiology (University of Monterrey)
• Pain Management and Palliative Care (National Institute of Cancerology, Mexico)
• Interventional Pain Management (National Institute of Cancerology Mexico)
• Master of Medical Sciences.
• Fellow Interventional Pain (FIPP) Practice by World Institute of Pain.
• Degree of Pain Ambassador

Dr. Rubin did his residency in Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell in Manhattan. After residency, he attended the Quad Institution Fellowship in pain management at Weill Cornell, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Dr Rubin is currently in private practice on Long Island, New York. Dr. Rubin is a strong supporter of New York Medical Societies. He is the current Treasurer and former President of the New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians a Board Member of the Nassau County Medical Society and delegate to the Medical Society of the State of New York.

Professor Ricardo Ruiz-López, MD, Neurosurgeon, FIPP, is President and Director of Clínica Vértebra, Barcelona / Madrid, Spain & Pain Surgery Centers, founded in 2014 by the Barcelona Pain Clinic (1987).

Ricardo Ruiz-López is Founder and Past President of the World Institute of Pain-WIP-(USA, 1993). He is also Founder of the European Federation of IASP ( International Association for the Study of Pain ) – EFIC – ( 1993 ) and President of its II Congress in Barcelona “Pain in Europe” in 1997.

He has been Founder of the Spanish Pain Society (1989) and Founder President of the Catalan Pain Society (2001) as well as of the International Spine Society World Federation of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (WFMISS). He has been President of the 4th World Congress of WIP, Barcelona, 2004, and of Workshops, Symposia, etc. in the last decades.

His academic work includes several books on Interventional Spine Specialty, numerous book chapters and journal publications in the Specialty of Spine Surgery, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery ( MISS ) and Regenerative Medicine.

He participates in several Editorial Boards of journals in the specialties of MISS, Interventional Pain and Regenerative Medicine and currently gives educational lectures at Universities and International Meetings around the world.

Naum Shaparin, MD, MBA, is Professor and Vice Chair of Business Affairs in the Department of Anesthesiology at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He also serves as Director of the Montefiore Multidisciplinary Pain Program. After graduating magna cum laude from Boston University, Dr. Shaparin received his medical degree from Rutgers — New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ. He then completed his residency in anesthesiology at Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital and completed a fellowship in pain medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Most recently, he completed his MBA at the NYU Stern School of Business. He is a Past President of the Eastern Pain Association and is a member of numerous organizations and committees. Dr. Shaparin has lectured and published extensively on various topics related to regional anesthesia, acute pain medicine and chronic pain medicine.

Dr. Ruchi Sharma is a board-certified anesthesiologist and fellowship trained, board certified in Interventional Pain Management. She completed her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. She went on to pursue her internship and residency in Anesthesiology at University Hospital/Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She completed her fellowship training in Intervention Pain Management at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.

Dr. Sharma’s goals are to optimize pain control while enhancing functional ability and quality of life. Her interests include, but are not limited to, musculoskeletal pain of the back, joints, neuropathic disorders, and cancer pain. She also specializes in inpatient pain management and regional anesthesia in the perioperative setting.

Prof Shetty trained at Cambridge University Hospitals and underwent a clinical fellowship in pain management at Guys & St Thomas Hospital in London. He is a consultant lead in Pain Medicine at University College London Hospitals and an Associate Professor at UCL. He is a consultant at Harley Street Clinic and Cleveland Clinic. Special interests: Chronic Pain: Neuromodulation, Spinal Cord stimulators, Sports Medicine, Pelvic pain, CRPS

Interventional pain management professor at the Tecnológico de Monterrey and University of Guadalajara. Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice FIPP and Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist CIPS.

Dr. Vanila Singh is an American physician, educator, policymaker, and patient advocate. She has dedicated her career to clinical medicine and public health issues and is currently tackling one of the nation’s most widespread, expensive, and devastating epidemics of our time: the opioid and greater drug epidemic. As a double-board certified faculty physician in both anesthesiology and pain medicine, Dr. Singh has brought her background in molecular and cell biology and economics in understanding the underlying mechanisms of complex acute and chronic pain as well as other medical conditions. Dr. Singh has spent over 17 years at the Stanford University School of Medicine as a Clinical Associate Professor where her practice focuses on pain management, regional anesthesia and advanced ultrasound-guided procedures.

In 2017, Dr. Singh was appointed by the White House to serve as the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). She was later concurrently appointed by the Assistant Secretary for Health as the Acting Regional Health Administrator for Region 9 (CA, NV, AZ, HI, and the Pacific Islands) and served dual leadership roles through her HHS tenure.

In her role as the U.S. Department of HHS Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Singh was integral in shaping the Department’s opioid policy recommendations. She served as Chairperson of the highly regarded Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force, for the CARA Legislative Act of 2016, where she brought together and led 29 expert Task Force members in pain medicine, addiction, mental health, minority health, Veterans’ health, as well as professional medical organizations representatives and respected members from FDA, CDC, NIH. Under her leadership, the Task Force submitted a comprehensive Report to the U.S. Congress on May 30th 2019, that received over 150 endorsements from various stakeholder organization, included over 500 scholarly references and 10,000 public comments, and utilized artificial intelligence/machine learning to analyze new and emerging trends in the pain management landscape.

Dr. Singh has received numerous awards and most recently is the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Philipp M. Lippe, MD Award, given to a physician for outstanding contributions to both the social and political aspects of pain medicine. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians 2018, and has been recognized as a woman in leadership. She continues to provide news commentary locally and nationally on matters related to health care, policy, COVID, and other subjects. She is frequently invited to keynote and speak on her experiences and expert background. Dr Singh sits on the board of various private, public and non-profit organizations, and she is the president of the California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (CALSIPP).

Hannah Sisti is a certified physician assistant with experience in primary care and currently working in the field of interventional pain management and addiction medicine. She is currently employed at Premier Pain Centers in Toms River, NJ. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her nieces and nephews.

Konstantin Slavin, MD, FAANS is a Professor, Chief of Section, and Fellowship Director for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Dr. Slavin graduated from medical school in Baku, Azerbaijan in the Soviet Union, and completed his neurosurgery residency in Moscow. He then completed his second neurosurgery residency at UIC and a fellowship in functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR. Dr. Slavin is the current President of the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and the Past President of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. He is also the President-Elect of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) and past Secretary of the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS). For many years, he was an Executive Committee member of the Joint Section on Pain of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Slavin is published in many books and peer-reviewed journals and is an associate editor or editorial board member for a number of publications, including Neuromodulation, Neurosurgery, Brain Sciences, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Acta Neurochirurgica and others; he is the current editor-in-chief of Progress in Neurological Surgery. His first book on Peripheral Nerve Stimulation was published in 2011; another book, co-edited with Sam Eljamel on Neurostimulation: Practice and Principles, came out in 2013; the third one, Stimulation of Peripheral Nervous System: The Neuromodulation Frontier was released in 2015. The most recent book on Neuromodulation for Facial Pain came out in 2021.

Dr. Anne Marie Stilwell, MD, is a Board-Certified Anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain Management Specialist with over 25 years of clinical experience. She earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester and completed her anesthesiology residency at The New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Stilwell was the inaugural fellow in the Tri-Institutional Pain Medicine Fellowship, receiving advanced training at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her expertise includes regenerative medicine modalities such as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and cellular therapies, which she integrates into her pain management practice. Dr. Anne Marie Stilwell is noted for her active involvement in community initiatives, reflecting her commitment to making a positive impact beyond her medical practice.

Dr Agnes Stogicza is a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain physician with 20 years of experience in interventional pain management. She completed her pain fellowship at the University of Washington, where she served as faculty from 2010 to 2017. As a clinician-educator she treated pain patients and taught fluoroscopy and ultrasound guided minimally invasive interventional pain procedures, regional anesthesia techniques and medication management for complex chronic pain patients to pain fellows and residents. Currently she works in chronic interventional pain and anesthesia at PSI PAIN CLINIC, in Budapest and teaches pain management at the University of Szeged.

Dr Stogicza is a member of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) Education Committee, Chair of the Hungarian Section of WIP and serves as an examiner for the FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) and CIPS (Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist) Board Certification. Dr Stogicza is a co-founder of Pain School International that provides interventional pain education in Budapest for doctors from all around the world and trained over 200 physicians.

Dr Stogicza regularly lectures and teaches interventional pain procedures in the USA, Europe, South America and Asia for the World Institute of Pain (WIP) and other societies. Dr Stogicza has authored and coauthored numerous papers and book-chapters in chronic pain management. She is the lead author of the book titled Interventional Pain, A Step-by-Step Guide for the FIPP exam, that is used by fellow doctors in preparation for the FIPP exam.

Dr Stogicza’s main clinical interests are spinal pain and related conditions (headaches, whiplash associated disorder) and the application of regenerative medicine (such as PRP, stem cell and prolotherapy) for various spine and musculoskeletal conditions.

Dr. Tiso is the founder and President of the New York Spine and Wellness Center – a large multidisciplinary pain treatment center in central NY. He is also the president-elect of the NY Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Dr. Tiso places a strong emphasis on compassionate, patient-centered care and advocates on their behalf both locally and nationally. He is also the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles. Pain Medicine is undergoing a dramatic transformation over the past several years. The challenge will be to navigate this change positively from both a clinical and administrative standpoint. He is hoping to help lead us through this change.

Dr. Wahezi 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 Musculoskeletal 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 an 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 that fosters the growth of Pain Medicine by education and investigation/development of new devices and techniques. Dr. Wahezi is a long-standing member of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), New York Pain Society (NYPS), Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP), New York Pain Society (NYPS), American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), Eastern Pain Association (EPA). He is a nominated AAPMR delegate representative for the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Expert Panel on Pain Management, a nominated representative on ASIPP’s expert lumbar stenosis panel, serves on the Board of Directors for the NYPS, and is a member of the AAPM Membership Committee Council. He is a graduate of the Academy of Academic Physiatrists’ (AAP) Program for Academic Leadership (PAL) and a member of Montefiore’s esteemed Professional Leadership Program, President-Elect for the Academy of Pain Program Directors (APPD), Co-Chair of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) Educational Committee, and elected member of the Spine Intervention Society (SIS) Evidence Analysis Committee. He is also a Reviewer and Editor for the Pain Physician Journal and the Pain Medicine Journal. Dr. Wahezi is a nominated member of the Associate Professor Promotions Committee at Montefiore/Einstein. In addition, he is a nominated Super Doctor®, as identified by the New York Times Magazine, and included in the list of Best Doctors in America®.

Dr. Woska completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Columbia University, New York Presbyterian Hospital. He completed a fellowship in interventional spine and pain medicine with Dr. Charles Aprill at LSU in New Orleans.  Dr. Woska is in private practice and performs spinal diagnostic injections as well as electrodiagnostic testing.  Dr. Woska is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Sports Medicine.  Dr. Woska is the Executive Director Emeritus of NJSIPP and remains active in legislative affairs.