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.

Mert Akbas,  MD, is an associate professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management physician at Akdeniz University, School of Medicine in Turkey. He joined the Akdeniz University faculty in 1993. He is the associate professor and clinical instructor at the division of Algology.
He earned his medical degree at Akdeniz University, School of Medicine in 1999. He completed his anesthesia residency at Akdeniz University, Antalya, and started his pain management fellowship program first as an observer doctor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Pain Management Clinic, Lubbock/TX-USA, and later on as a clinical doctor at Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Division of Algology, Istanbul/TURKEY between the years 2004 and 2006.
He is an Algology Board-certified pain specialist in Turkey since 2007, and FIPP since 2006.
His areas of clinical interest are neuromodulation and decompressive neuroplasty.
Dr. Akbas is the current chair of the WIP Turkish Section and a member of WIP, INS, and the Turkish Society of Algology.

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.

Fabricio Assis, MD is one of the founders of the Brazilian Society of interventional Pain Physicians (SOBRAMID) and its first president from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Assis is involved in lots of educational projects and had trained physicians in interventional pain all over the world in the last 10 years. Nine years ago, he started a very successful training program in Interventional Pain in Brazil, where physicians from all over the country and neighbor ones from Latin America come once a month a year. This project was replicated in Budapest in 2017 and named Pain School International. Dr. Assis is also one of the directors of the WIP Workshop in Miami.
Dr. Assis became a certified pain specialist at the Universidad de Barcelona, Spain, in 1998. Since that he began his work in interventional pain management and focused his work mainly on chronic pain patients, performing all kinds of procedures. He had participated in courses and traineeships in Hungary, England, Turkey, the Netherlands, the US, and several other countries. In 2007 he became a WIP-certified Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP). Today Dr. Assis works as director at Singular – Pain Management Center, an EPP (Excellence in Pain Practice) Center in Campinas, SP, and is a member of the pain team at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in São Paulo.

Douglas P. Beall, MD, attended medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and completed his residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Following residency, he was Chief of Interventional Services at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. He then completed a fellowship in Musculoskeletal Radiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he was trained in interventional spine techniques before returning to the US Air Force as Division Chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology. Following his service in the US Air Force Dr. Beall was chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology and Fellowship Director at the University of Oklahoma prior to entering private practice as the Chief of Services. 41 In addition to his expertise in musculoskeletal imaging and interventional spine care, Dr. Beall is actively involved in teaching and research. He 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 Interventional Pain Practice and board-certified by the World Institute of Pain. He is currently in private practice focused on interventional pain management and orthopedic imaging. Dr. Beall has published more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, authored four textbooks and 11 textbook chapters, given more than 500 invited lectures and scientific presentations, and has participated in 37 clinical research trials. He is currently the Chief of Radiology Services for Clinical Radiology of Oklahoma as well as the Division Head of Interventional Spine Care and Director of Pain Management Fellowship Programs at the Spine Fracture Institute and Summit Medical Center.

Aaron Kenneth Calodney, MD is the Past President of the Texas Pain Society and the Past President of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP). He served on the board of the International Spine Intervention Society for many years and was Director of Education. He is the Treasurer of the USA section of WIP. 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. 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.
With a particular interest in Spine and special interests including Neuromodulation and Intrathecal Drug Delivery, Regenerative therapies and Biological treatment of the painful degenerative disc, and Radiofrequency ablation, Dr. Calodney has presented and published many articles and textbook chapters. He is actively involved in clinical research and has delivered hundreds of invited lectures in the US and abroad.

Dr. Calodney is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and many other professional societies.
He is the author of the first Evidenced Based Treatment Guidelines in Interventional Pain and Evidenced Based Guidelines for the Use of Opioids published in the Pain Physician journal. Dr. Calodney was appointed by the governor of Texas to serve on the Advisory Committee on the Regulation of Controlled Substances Act.

Dr. Chang Chien is an interventional physiatrist in Southern California.
Dr. George Chang Chien specializes in musculoskeletal medicine and comprehensive pain management. He is the founder of the GCC Institute where he practices Regenerative Medicine and Medical Aesthetics. He has published over 100 manuscripts on the treatment of pain.

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.

Dr. Harold Cordner, MD is a Pain Medicine Specialist in Sebastian, FL and has over 33 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Cordner has more experience with Spine and Pain Management than other specialists in his area. He graduated from St. George’s University School Of Medicine medical school in 1987. He is affiliated with medical facilities such as Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital and Holmes Regional Medical Center.

Miles R. Day, MD (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock). Dr. Day is the medical director of The Pain Center at Grace Clinic, pain fellowship program director at Texas Tech, and the Traweek-Racz Endowed Professor in Pain Research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology with subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine. He also serves as an examiner for the World Institute of Pain. Previously, he served as the director and associate professor at the Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He serves on the editorial boards of Pain Practice and Pain Physician. He is the past president of the Texas Pain Society and past chair of the Board of Examination for the World Institute of Pain. Dr. Day received his medical degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center in College Station and completed his general surgery internship at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He completed his anesthesiology residency and pain fellowship at Texas Tech as well. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters in well-known publications. He has educated physicians globally to further the specialty of interventional pain medicine.

Dr. Javier De Andrés Ares is a board-certified Anesthesiologist since 1997. He graduated from Universidad Complutense-Madrid in June 1990, completed his anesthesiology residency at Complejo Hospitalario de Toledo in 1996, and is a Fellow in Interventional Pain Practice from the World Institute of Pain 2008. He obtained Hassenbusch Award in 2008 from the World Institute of Pain. He currently is the Head of Pain Unit at Hospital Universitario La Paz-Madrid, and is Director at “Clínica Analgesia y Manejo del Dolor -Toledo” and co-director at “Clínica del Dolor Hospital Santa Elena-Madrid”. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Universidad Miguel de Cervantes and collaborates with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. He is Head of the Spanish Pain Radiofrequency Interest Group, from the Spanish Pain Society (IASP). He is an active member of several societies, including the World Institute of Pain, Spine Intervention Society, and Spanish Pain Society.
He has more than 20 years of experience as a pain clinic director in public and private practice and speaks nationally and internationally on topics of pain medicine and interventional pain management. He has a special interest in Spinal and Facial Pain.
Dr. De Andrés Ares is the current Chair of WIP Iberian Section.

Dr. Jose De Andrés qualified from the School of Medicine at Valencia University, and is now its Tenured Professor of Anaesthesiology of the Valencia University School of Medicine, also in the General University Hospital in Valencia, Spain, he holds the position of Chairman of Anaesthesia, Critical Care, and of the Multidisciplinary Pain Management Department.
He is involved in ongoing research in pain, and current areas of investigation include the expression of pain and its control through neuromodulation techniques, through neuroimaging markers, and genomic expression. In addition, the computerized prediction designs of programming models and the design of neuromodulation systems. He is on the editorial boards of several national and international journals and Vice Chairman of the examining board. European Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA) to obtain the European Diploma of Chronic Pain Management (EDPM). Committee Member of “Society Liaison and Advocacy” International Neuromodulation Society (INS), Since 2016 and continuing

Dr. Deer is the President and CEO of The Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias and the Center for Pain Relief, Inc. 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 man” approved devices. Dr. Deer has provided cadaver-based training to over 1000 physicians in novel methods of pain relief without the need for opioids. His work has led to more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, several book chapters, and full textbooks. Dr. Deer’s publications have included guidance for the proper use of Neuromodulation to improve safety and efficacy. His textbooks have included comprehensive guidance on pain, and implantable devices, and his current project Deer’s Illustrated Guide to the Treatment of Pain has become a text for many of those doing implantable therapies. His new book, Deer’s Treatment of Pain, will be inclusive of other interventional options as well as the physiology and noninvasive treatment of pain.
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 of the West Virginia Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (WVSIPP). He is the 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.

Marshall Devor is the Alpert Professor of Pain Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI). He was born in Toronto, Canada in 1949. His bachelor’s degree is from Princeton University (1970) and his Ph.D. from MIT (1975). He was a postdoctoral fellow with the pain research pioneer Prof. P.D. Wall at University College London and subsequently at HUJI. There he progressed from Research Associate (1977) to Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and finally Professor in 1988. His research has focused on the neurobiology of neuropathic pain, and more recently also on mechanisms involved in the loss of consciousness and pain-free surgery. His laboratory has published extensively in the pain field, with work of a notably integrative nature involving neurophysiology, computer simulations, neuroanatomy (light and electron microscopy), genetics, and behavioral models. He is author of ~310 publications, career citations ~24,000, h-index = 77.

Dr. Sudhir Diwan, nationally and internationally recognized as a key opinion leader in the field of pain management, is the President of 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 an 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 – the official journal of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) since 2009. He was an invited Guest Editor for the Journal of Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management 2009. Dr. Diwan is the Examiner for the Certification Board for the 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 a guest speaker for many noteworthy organizations including the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), 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.

Dr. Eckmann received his Bachelor’s in 1998 from Texas A & M University. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine, in 2003. Dr. Eckmann completed his anesthesiology residency program at the University of Michigan Health System in 2007.  In 2008, Dr. Eckmann continued with his postdoctoral Fellowship at The University of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Elenes is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Prof. Erdine is a Founder and Past President of the WIP. He is the Founder and President of the Turkish Society of Algology (1993-2015); Founder and Past President of the Turkish Society of Regional Anesthesia (1993- 1995, 1998-2003); and has served in numerous other founding and leadership roles in professional societies through the world. Prof. Erdine is the recipient of the Young Leader in Medicine Award by the Turkish Jaysees (1991); the Lifetime Achievement Award Medical Chamber of Istanbul (2012); and the TrailBlazer award by the World Institute of Pain (2017).

Dr. Lorand Eross is the head of the Functional Neurosurgical Department and Center of Neuromodulation at the National Institute of Clinical Neurosciences in Budapest. He is the Director of Research and Innovation. He leads the Epilepsy Surgery Program at the institute. He got his Ph.D. degree at Semmelweis University in 2010 in epilepsy surgery. His main interest is epilepsy surgery, movement disorder surgery, neurosurgical treatment of pain, spasticity, and neuromodulation. He has an active research group in the field of epilepsy and chronic pain. He developed a new intraoperative localization method for invasive recordings in epilepsy surgery. His activity includes the research and development of in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological and optical investigation methods. He is a lecturer at the Medical Faculty of the Semmelweis University and at the Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Faculty of Information Technology in bionical sciences.

Alexander Feoktistov, MD, is the founder and the president of the Synergy Integrative Headache Center in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Feoktistov is board-certified in Headache Medicine by the United Council of Neurological Subspecialties and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pain Medicine. He is also board-certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Feoktistov graduated in 1998 with a diploma with the Highest Honors (Summa Cum Laude) and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Moscow Medical Academy where he also completed his residency at the Department of Neurology. In 2002, Dr. Feoktistov received a Ph.D. degree in the field of neurology at the Moscow Medical Academy. His dissertation was devoted to the problems of medication overuse headaches or rebound headaches. As a result of his research, he received a Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and Clinical Research from the President of the Russian Federation for a one-year fellowship of his choice. He was approved to study headache medicine at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, working directly with Seymour Diamond MD and where he remained until 2007. In 2010, Dr. Feoktistov completed residency in internal medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago. From 2010 through 2011, he completed a fellowship in pain management at the Cleveland Clinic. From 2011 and through 2020 Dr. Feoktistov worked at the Diamond Headache Clinic as a staff physician and director of clinical research. 

Dr. Feoktistov is an experienced researcher and has presented at numerous national and international headache and neurological conferences. He co-authored 9 book chapters and published over 40 articles on the topics of headache and neck pain. In 2015, he was named the recipient of the 2015 National Headache Foundation Lectureship Award. From 2019, Dr. Feoktistov serves as the President of the American Interventional Headache Society.

Dr. Kenneth Finn is a graduate of the University of Texas at Houston in 1990 and he completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1994. He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine. He has been on the Exam Council for the American Board of Pain Medicine since 2001 and is also Level II accredited to perform impairment ratings for injured workers in the State of Colorado. Dr. Finn is a member of 1. American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2. the American Academy of Pain Medicine, 3. the Spine Intervention Society. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast, has been a medical advisor for Running and Fitness Magazine, and enjoys treating patients with spine and sports-related injuries.

Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos Flores is Fellow Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) and Medical Doctor; Director of CAIDBA Pain Center (EPP Award) and President of CAIDBA Foundation; Associate Professor of Anatomy of La Plata School of Medicine Buenos Aires Province, Argentina; Chairman Latin American Section World Institute of Pain; Chief of Pain Medicine of Clínica San Camilo; Director del Workshop Universitario CAIDBA sobre Técnicas Intervencionistas para Tratamiento del Dolor Refractario 2014/2019; Director Postgraduate Universitary Training in Interventional Pain Procedures for Refractory Pain; Autor Textbook: Medicina del Dolor, Perspectiva Internacional. JC Flores Ed Elsevier. Prof Flores works from 2005 with World Institute of Pain globally and specially in the Latin American Section very close with educational objectives in cadaver workshops and examination activities. And works in research developing new techniques and hybrid simulators and finally with CAIDBA Foundation group are helping resourceless patients.

From May of 2001 when Dr Racz visited Buenos Aires Dr Flores is giving Cadaver Workshop every year. Director Centro de Atención Integral del Dolor Buenos Aires CAIDBA www.caidba.com EPP Award 2011-2015 ; Director del Workshop Universitario CAIDBA sobre Técnicas Intervencionistas para Tratamiento del Dolor Refractario 2014/2019 (Workshop with Ultrasonography and Fluoroscopy under Cadaveric and Hybrid Human Simulators) ; Profesor Asociado de Anatomía Cátedra Prof Galli Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Director of Laboratories of Unit Anatomo-Clinic of Pain Cathedra of Anatomy Prof Galli UNLP (La Plata School of Medicine) ; Director del Área de Investigaciones Básicas y Aplicadas en Medicina del Dolor de la UNLP (La Plata School of Medicine) ; Chairman Latin American Section World Institute of Pain ; Past-Chairman WFSA & CLASA Training Center Pain Medicine ; Jefe Sección Medicina del Dolor Clínica San Camilo Miembro del Comité Editorial Pain Practice, Rev Españ del Dolor, Rev Uruguaya de Anestesiología y Reanim y Past – Rev Argentina de Anestesiología ; Past President Argentinian Federation of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Reanimation ; Past President Pain Foundation (Fundación Dolor) Argentina; Past Director Carrera de Médicos Especialistas en Anestesiología de la Universidad de Buenos Aires ; Past Director del Curso Universitario de Expertos en Medicina del Dolor y Cuidados Paliativos de la Fundación Dolor y la Universidad de Buenos Aires; and actual President of ADAIDAR Academy.

After completing his residency in anesthesiology and pain at Monmouth Medical Center in New Jersey, Ira B. Fox, MD, DABPM, FIPP, ABIPP founded Anesthesia Pain Care Consultants. The former chief anesthesia resident has spent more than 30 years treating patients with acute and chronic pain. Dr. Fox maintains five board certifications: Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP); American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP); World Institute of Pain (WIP); American Board of Pain Medicine (DABPM); and the American Board of Anesthesiology with added certification in Pain Management. He also serves as an examiner for the FIPP Board Certification and prior ABIPP Interventional Practical Examination. As past chairman of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) Committee on Project Development, Dr. Fox’s mission was to help patients across the world find solutions to ease their suffering. In addition, he is a past Chairman of the Advisory Board, Honorary Treasurer, and had been a member of the Executive Board for 7 years. He also served as a trustee for the World Institute of Pain Foundation and is the current president of the World Society of Pain Clinicians, as well as a lifetime member of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, Dr. Fox holds the distinction of being the Inaugural Executive Examiner at the WIP and American Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasonography (AAPMU) 1st Annual WAPMU International Congress. On both a national and international level, Dr. Fox has conducted Comprehensive Review Courses and Cadaver Workshop conferences. He co-founded an annual conference and FIPP Board Examination in Miami that is bi-lingual and attracts physicians from throughout the US and southern hemisphere. Dr. Fox has focused on expanding the field of interventional pain management across the world to offer pain relief to citizens of less developed countries by helping train local physicians. That’s why he had organized and sponsored the Anesthesia Pain Care Consultants’ annual Pro/Am Charity Golf Tournament for six years, raising thousands of needed dollars to provide scholarships to these dedicated physicians. Since 1996, Dr. Fox and his dedicated staff of interventional pain management physicians and paraprofessionals have been committed to providing continuing education for area physicians, healthcare clinicians, and workers’ compensation professionals. This will be Anesthesia Pain Care Consultants’ 22nd year conducting the APCC Pain Symposium, which features leaders in the field of pain management, and provides continuing education in the area of pain medicine. The hard work and commitment Dr. Fox and the APCC team devote to helping those who suffer from acute and chronic pain has not gone unnoticed. He was elected “America’s Top Physician” by the Pain Management Consumers’ Research Council of America and is listed as a Top Doctor in Broward County by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. every year for more than a decade. Anesthesia Pain Care Consultants won the South Florida Business Journal Award for Excellence in Health Care in 2008. He has been published extensively and is frequently called on as an expert by print, television, and online media reporters and editors. He lectures internationally and has had numerous media appearances which can be seen on the Anesthesia Pain Care Consultants website.

Since 2008 Chairman and Professor at the Mare Clinic Kiel Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology.
Since 2006 Senior Consultant and Professor at the Technical University Munich.
Since 2010 Chairman and Professor at the Medical University of Kiel – Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology.

Clinical focus: Joint Arthroplasty, Revision, Surgery, Joint preserving techniques, Tumor Surgery, Spine Surgery, Pain management.

Scientific focus: Clinical Trials, Evidence-based Medicine

Awards

1. SICOT Award 2002
2. SICOT Award 2003
3. DIGEST Preis 2003 (Deutschsprachige Internationale Gesellschaft für Stosswellentherapie)
4. AAOS Award outstanding lecture
5. DIGEST Preis 2005
6. Lecture Award outstanding lecture Korean Orthopaedic Association 2006
7. ACFAS Award 2007

Christopher J. Gilligan, M.D. is the Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA.

Medical School: Yale University, 1996
Residency: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Surgery, 1998; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Emergency Medicine, 2007
Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital, Anesthesia/Pain Medicine Fellowship, 2008
Certifications: Emergency Medicine, 2008; Pain Medicine, 2009
Clinical Interests: Back pain; cancer pain

Dr. Gilligan’s original training is in Emergency Medicine, with subspecialty training in Pain Medicine, where he has focused on pain of spinal origin. Dr. Gilligan’s clinical expertise is focused on the treatment of pain related to disorders of the spine. He also treats patients with a wide range of pain conditions, including cancer-related pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and post-herpetic neuralgia. Dr. Gilligan’s research focuses on clinical trials of new interventions, devices, and medications for the treatment of pain.

Dr. Jennifer Hah 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 for 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.

Dr. Dominic A. Hegarty is a Consultant in Pain Management & Neuromodulation at the Orthopaedic and Spine Center, Mater Private Hospital, Cork.  Dr. Hegarty is recognized as one of the country’s foremost interventional pain management doctors who is constantly developing new pain techniques to deal with the most complex cases in this area. He is the holder of a doctrine degree (Ph.D., UCC), Master of Science (MSc., Edinburgh) a Fellowships in Ireland, USA (FIPP), and London (Royal College of Medicine) in the area of Pain Management.

He has specialized in pain management over the last 2 decades and his expertise in this area is regularly sought by national media and in the High Court on medical-legal matters. Dr. Hegarty has secured over €3 million in research grants and sponsorship over the last 3 years. He continues to collaborate with innovation centers and industry in order to provide the best solutions to help individuals who have to deal with chronic pain on a daily basis.

In addition to his teaching posts, Dr. Hegarty was awarded the unique position of Honorary Consultant in Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital, London. He co-founded the division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine Cork at University Hospital and South infirmary & Victoria Hospital in Cork, where he served as a consultant for 8 years in the Health Service Executive (HSE) before joining the Mater Private Hospital Cork.

Dr. Hegarty has served as WIP Honorary Treasurer prior to his current term as WIP President-Elect.

Dr. Carolina Hernández-Porras graduated as an anesthesiologist and specialized in cancer anesthesia, pain medicine, and interventional pain management at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of Mexico, she also has a Master in Clinical Trials. She is certificated as FIPP and CIPS by the World Institute of Pain. She works as an Associate Professor of the Fellow Interventional Pain Management by UNAM at the NCI in Mexico City and has participated in several chapters written in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and edited a book in Cancer Pain in 2017 she is also a member of the editor board of Pain Physician Journal.

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery since 1989 -University Paris XII

Member of the International Hip Society

SICOT (International orthopaedic association) Board member (Treasurer)

Past president of SOFCOT (French orthopaedic society)

Topics:

• Bone marrow grafting and stem cell research
• Hip surgery
• Knee surgery

Dr Jan Willem Kallewaard, MD, PhD, FIPP did his anesthesiology training at the Academic Hospital in Utrecht (UMCU) (1993-1998). During his residency, he was a member of the residents’ board and member of the board of the NVA.

In 1998 he obtained the registration as Anesthesiologist and Pain Physician. Since his registration, he worked as an anesthesiologist in the Rijnstate Hospital in Arnhem.
He obtained a scientific affiliation with the University Medical Center Maastricht. He obtained the certificate of Fellow in Interventional Pain Practice in 2011 as the winner of the Hassenbush prize. Since 2017 he has also practiced pain medicine at the University Medical Center Amsterdam. Since 2018 he is head of the Pain department in the AMC. Since 2005 he is a member of the board of the Professional Interest Committee (Beroeps Belangen Commissie) of the NVA. He was Vice president of the NVA between 2008 and 2010 and was president of the NVA from 2011 to 2014.

Dr. Kallewaard was president of the pain section of the NVA in the period 2014-2018 and still acts as vice president. He was a member of the sounding board group of the MinT study: Dutch cost-effectiveness study of the effects of RF treatment for specific low back pain. He participates in the sounding board group neuromodulation with Zorginstituut Nederland (ZIN) and in the project implementing PROMS, practice variation, quality outcome measures in pain, and neuromodulation in the Netherlands.

He stimulated the update of the practice guidelines on Evidence-based interventional pain medicine. At this moment studies are running for discogenic low back pain, neuropathic knee pain, VR, and multiple studies on neuromodulation. Dr. Kallewaard frequently conducts epiduroscopy trainings and cadaver workshops for Neuromodulation and the World Institute of Pain. He also is demanded as a speaker on discography, epiduroscopy, and neuromodulation.
Jan Willem finished his Ph.D. on Diagnosis and minimal invasive treatments fr discogenic low back pain in November 2019.

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 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 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. Robert M. Levy, MD, Ph.D., an internationally recognized neurosurgeon, is currently holding the post of President of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS). He is a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from Stanford University, has done post-doctoral fellowships from Stanford and UCSF, and obtained his medical degree at Stanford Medical School.
He has served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery and Co-Director of the UF Health Jacksonville Neuroscience Institute at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville, FL. He most recently served as the Founding Director of the Marcus Neuroscience Institute and Director of the Harvey Sandler Center for Neurosurgery in Boca Raton, FL. He has been the recipient of many national and international honors and awards and has been listed as the Best Doctors in America. He has authored several textbooks and published 300 peer-review journal articles
His current research involves novel applications of neurostimulation and targeted drug delivery to the brain. In addition, he has assisted with the design and implementation of multiple neuromodulation technologies and instruments.

Sean Li, M.D. sees patients in Premier Pain Center’s Shrewsbury, Freehold, and Brick New Jersey offices, where he specializes in interventional pain management. His clinical interest is in neuromodulation therapy such as spinal cord stimulation, high-frequency stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, and peripheral nerve stimulation. “Advancements in neuromodulation therapy is offering new hope and freedom to patients who have been imprisoned by their pain,” Dr. Li said.

Prior to joining National Spine & Pain Centers, Dr. Li served as the medical director of Premier Pain Centers LLC. In addition to his work at National Spine & Pain Centers, Dr. Li continues to serve as an attending physician at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ. He has published numerous professional articles and written textbook chapters on the topic of pain and is actively involved in clinical research that will help advance the field of interventional pain medicine.

Dr. Li serves on the Ethics Committee at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, the Education Committee and Young Neuromodulators Committee at the International Neuromodulation Committee, on the Mentoring Committee for the North American Neuromodulation Society, and is secretary of the New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.
Dr. Li earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and underwent residency training in general surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and later in anesthesiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He completed his fellowship in interventional pain medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

“Having trained in general surgery and anesthesiology, interventional pain medicine is a perfect career choice for me to apply my surgical skills and understanding of pain pathophysiology to treat patients suffering from chronic pain,” he said. “It is my job to help patients find a clear diagnosis or cause of their pain and advocate for the best treatment with the most evidence and least risk.”
In his free time, Dr. Li enjoys traveling, playing with his sons, and pretending to be a foodie.

Dr. Lin is the division chief of pain medicine, department of anesthesiology at the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), with a joint appointment as an attending physician in the department of oncology. He is also the program director of residency and fellowship of the department of anesthesiology. His major research interests are mechanisms and possible therapeutic approaches for neuropathic pain and opioid tolerance/hyperalgesia, new interventional technique development, and outcome research of image-guided interventional procedures. He is passionate about education and interventional management for chronic pain, especially refractory cancer pain, with additional expertise in multimodality-guided pain intervention. He is the vice-chair of the 1st and 2nd World Institute of Pain Taipei annual symposium and interventional pain workshop and course organizer of the ultrasound tract.

Dr. Macrea was born in Hermannstadt / Romania started his academic training in Targu Mures / Romania and graduated from Lübeck / Germany. He started his medical training in surgery at the university hospital in Lübeck and completed his residency in anesthesiology, intensive care, and pain management at the university hospital in Geneva / Switzerland. He became a FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) in 2007.

He gained further experience in the interventional pain field and in the multidisciplinary evaluations at the Swiss Paraplegic Center in Nottwil and had a pain research fellowship at the University Hospital of Zurich. He worked in the Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic Cecil in Lausanne / Switzerland and in the Swiss Pain Institute in Lausanne. Currently, he leads the Interventional Pain Practice in Lucerne and works as a consultant in Basel’s Schmerzklinik

He was treasurer and chairman of the Swiss Section of the WIP (World Institute of Pain) and is a member of the educational committee of WIP since 2018. He is a member of the Executive Board of the Swiss Interventional Pain Society. He is very interested in pain evaluation and performs many neurophysiological measurements to evaluate pain perception (QST -quantitative sensory testing, CHEP’s contact heat evoked potentials, nociceptive reflex measurement, skin biopsies, etc.). He presents and teaches at various international conferences and served as WIP Instructor and Examiner for the FIPP Examination.

Dr. Andre Mansano is a physician at Singular – Pain Management Center Brazil with an anesthesia and pain management background. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in 2013. He became a FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) in 2015 and now is a member of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) Education Committee. He also serves as an observer for the FIPP exam. He has specialized training in fluoroscopic guided minimally invasive interventional acute and chronic pain procedures as well as regional anesthesia techniques; and medication management for medically challenging chronic pain patients within a multidisciplinary pain clinic. He has been a teacher for Brazilian Singular Fellowship for 3 years, which is the inspiration for the Pain School International.

Dr. Annu Navani is the Founder and CEO of Comprehensive Spine and Sports Center, the leader in interventional and multidisciplinary spine, musculoskeletal, and orthopedic care. Over the last decade, she has scaled a solo practice to a large multispecialty group practice with more than 20 service lines that operate via multiple state-of-the-art centers in Northern and Southern California.
Dr. Navani is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at the 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 at 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 the American Board of Anesthesiology, in Interventional Pain by the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, and in Regenerative Medicine by the American Board of Regenerative Medicine.
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 the first in its right illustrating the 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.

Carl Noe, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Pain Management and Anesthesiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and serves as Medical Director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management. Board-certified with subspecialty certification in pain management, Dr. Noe is a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology, certified in the subspecialty of pain medicine, and a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice. Dr. Noe has published a number of scholarly articles, authored and co-authored more than 30 book chapters, and delivered scores of invited lectures on topics related to pain management. He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 1991. Dr. Noe earned his medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He completed an anesthesiology residency and pain management fellowship at Texas Tech University, as well as a cardiothoracic anesthesiology residency and a critical care medicine fellowship at Stanford University. A founding member of the Texas Pain Society, Dr. Noe is a member of other professional organizations that include the American Pain Society, Texas Medical Association, and Texas Society of Anesthesiologists. He has served as a reviewer for publications that include The Spine Journal and Pain Practice. Dr. Noe is married and has two grown children.

Kiran V. Patel MD is an Interventional Pain Management physician board-certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology. Dr. Patel practices at the Spine & Pain Institute of New York and is also the Director of Neurosurgical Pain at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Dr. Patel oversees the neuromodulation program at Lenox Hill Hospital as well as inpatient pain service. Dr. Patel is an assistant clinical professor at the Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine as well as the Program Director for Hofstra-Northwell’s ACGME PAIN MEDICINE FELLOWSHIP. She precepts the Pain Medicine rotation for Hofstra Anesthesiology residents and medical students.
Dr.Patel earned her medical degree from New Jersey Medical School and went on to complete an internship in Internal Medicine at Yale University. Dr. Patel has practiced medicine in India and Africa and has organized efforts to address the undertreatment of pain in these regions. She completed her Anesthesiology residency and Interventional Pain Medicine Fellowship at Columbia University. She also studied medical acupuncture at Harvard University.
Dr. Patel is an active member of the North American Neuromodulation Society’s Board of Directors. During her first term on the board, she served on the committee to reform the NANS nomination process. She also worked with ION and NANS to address the reporting of explanted devices. Dr. Patel is currently part of ION’s Neuromodulation Glossary project. For the past five years, she has been active in the Residents & Fellows section, coordinating the WIN participation in this program. Dr. Patel herself has been a mentor for the past five years. Dr. Patel has been an abstract reviewer for the Annual meeting for the past six years and an active member of the Scientific Planning Committee for the past five years. Dr. Patel currently serves as co-chair for the July 2021 NANS Mid-Year meeting. Dr. Patel has contributed to NANS education by participating as faculty for the cadaver lab and lecture portions of the Fellows & Residents, Engineers, and Advanced Practitioner courses since 2015. Dr. Patel is co-chair for the July 2021, September 2021, and January 2022 cadaver labs. She has moderated both plenary sessions and concurrent sessions at the annual and summer series meetings.
Dr. Patel is an advocate for women in neuromodulation and pain medicine. She is a founding member of WIN as well as Women Innovators in Pain Medicine (WIPM). Since its inception, Dr. Patel has played an active role in the planning and execution of the WIN reception, mentorship program, and NANS newsletter contributions. Dr. Patel has chartered and run the WIN Chapter of Greater New York for the past 5 years. Dr. Patel is a board member of WIPM and is on the scientific meeting planning committee for this organization. Dr. Patel will serve as faculty for the lecture and cadaver portion of the 2021 WIPM meeting.
Dr. Patel conducts original clinical research and industry-supported research. Her work has been published in Neuromodulation and Pain Physician. Dr. Patel has contributed to several abstracts presented at the NANS annual meeting and has also been selected for the oral presentation of her research.
Dr. Patel is active within NY/NJSIPP. Dr. Patel’s scientific work and presentations have won awards at the NY/NJSIPP meetings. Dr. Patel has served as faculty for WVSIPP PAIN 2017, PAIN 2018, and PAIN 2019 meetings. Dr. Patel also chairs the INS Women In Neuromodulation committee. She has also been involved in patient advocacy thru medical broadcasting regarding pain medicine and neuromodulation in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Patel is currently a consultant and educator for Abbott Neuromodulation and serves on the DRG advisory board. She is also a consultant for Boston Scientific neuromodulation. Dr. Patel has previously consulted for Medtronic, Nevro, Vertiflex, and Vertos Medical.

Dr. Vikram B. Patel is an anesthesiologist and a board-certified interventional pain specialist with nearly 25 years of experience and has trained numerous pain physicians in the USA and across the globe. He is the past program director for pain fellowship at Loyola University Hospital in Chicago and was an associate professor at the Department of Anesthesiology. Currently, he is the Director at Phoenix Interventional Center for Advanced Learning near Chicago, USA, and Associate Medical Director of Clinical Operations for AIM Specialty Health in Chicago, USA. He has published numerous book chapters and journal articles and has directed cadaver courses for several years at ASA, ASRA-PM, CCF, etc. He is an examiner for FIPP and DABIPP examinations and has served as a Board member for the FIPP Board of Examination in the past.

Dr. Philip Peng is a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the 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 and ESRA-Spain Distinguished Service Award. He has delivered more than 350 lectures and workshops nationally and internationally. He has edited 8 books and published more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Specialist in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Management.
Chairman and founder of Pain Clinic Department in National Institute of Cancer on México (INCan)
Main Professor of Pain Medicine and Interventional Pain Management postgraduate courses, which are dictated at the National Cancer Institute and endorsed by Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM).  Contributing to the formation of 5-6 human resources per year in each of the courses, with 180-trained fellows in 34 years from Mexico and different countries of Latin America. Additionally, he has participated as the main author or co-author of research works carried out as part of the academic requirements of these two courses.
Academic Director of the Latin American Academy of Pain Interventionists (ALMID). Full member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National System of Researchers, México (SNI). Member of the Editorial Committees of Pain Practice Journal in Spain, Inter-Institutional Boding and Divulgation Council of the National Academy of Medicine, and of the submission committee of Surgery for Academy Medicine in Mexico.
He has 82 articles published in various indexed journals and participated in the broadcasting of his work in workshops, conferences, and national and international symposiums.
Author of nine books in the area of ​​anesthesiology, pain medicine, and palliative care, as well as 90 chapters of texts on these areas.

Grover Murray Professor and TTUHSC Endowed Chair
Professor and Chairman Emeritus Department of Anesthesiology
Past President of Texas Pain Society
Founder and Past President of World Institute of Pain

Dr. Racz graduated from The University of Liverpool Medical School, completed his residency at SUNY Upstate Medical Center, and served at SUNY from 1966 to 1977 when he moved to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center where he served until 2016 as co-director of Pain Services at Grace Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas.  Dr. Racz is a founder and past president of the World Institute of Pain and Texas Pain Society.  He is the first Grover E. Murry Professor named after the first President of the Texas Tech University School of Medicine.   He was director of the TTUHSC Pain Symposium since its inception 33 years ago and is also Director of the annual Budapest Conference since it began 23 years ago.  He was the first President of the Texas Pain Society.

Dr. Racz is board-certified with the American Board of Anesthesiology, the American Board of Anesthesiology subspecialty in Pain Medicine, and holds the certificates of Diplomat with the American College of Pain Medicine, Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice awarded by the World Institute of Pain, and the Diplomat American Board of Interventional Pain Practice  (DABIPP) certification awarded by ASIPP and WIP.  He is an advocate for high standards of certification and training among pain physicians and works toward the advancement of those goals.

He has received numerous recognitions and awards from organizations around the world including the Distinguished Professor Award for Lifetime Achievement from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the Lifetime Achievement Award(s) from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, ASIPP keynote speaker lecture series named for Raj/Racz, and the MORICCA AWARD, the highest award presented by the Italian Pain Society. He educated over 1,000 Pain Physician visitors during his tenure at Texas Tech.

He has published over 200 book chapters and journal articles and three books describing his techniques in the spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation, neurolysis, radiofrequency thermocoagulation, and other interventional procedures.  Today, Dr. Racz continues to practice in Dallas, Texas, hosts Racz Labs Interventional workshops, and travels around the world presenting lectures and workshops.

Former president & Founder, Clínica Vertebra and World Institute of Pain (WIP)

Dr. Konstantin Slavin’s clinical interests are diverse applications of surgical neuromodulation and functional neurosurgery. This includes treatment of pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, and psychiatric diseases with a particular interest in the treatment of facial pain, cancer-related pain, Chiari malformation, stereotactic radiosurgery, brain tumors, and spinal problems. He has received many clinical and professional awards, including “Most Compassionate Doctor,” and for many years has been included in the prestigious “Top Surgeons” and “Best Doctors” lists in the USA. Dr. Slavin is a professor of neurosurgery and head of the Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery section at UIC. He is the Past-President of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Director-at-Large of the North American Neuromodulation Society and the International Neuromodulation Society. He also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Facial Pain Association (formerly Trigeminal Neuralgia Association). He has authored and co-authored more than a hundred chapters and peer-reviewed articles, edited three books on Peripheral Nerve Stimulation, and presented at countless educational events and professional conferences. He is now an associate editor of Neuromodulation, Neurosurgery, Surgical Neurology International, and a member of editorial boards of several other professional journals. Dr. Slavin’s research interests parallel his clinical expertise and include practical aspects of neuromodulation, a multitude of prospective clinical studies, and pioneering research in spinal cord stimulation for cerebral vasospasm, surgical treatment for migraines, and deep brain stimulation for tremor, Parkinson’s disease, and depression.

Dr. Staats was the founder of the division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he was the division chief and director for over a decade. In this capacity, he was the youngest major division chief in the history of Johns Hopkins Hospital and was the first anesthesiologist to obtain surgical privileges at any academic university. In 2003 he became a founding partner in Premier Pain Centers in New Jersey which merged with National Spine and Pain Centers (NSPC), the largest pain practice in the United States. He is currently the chief medical officer of National Spine and Pain. He serves on the United States Health and Human Services Pain task force subcommittee.
He is boarded by the American Society of Anesthesiology, the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP), and the World Institute of Pain (FIPP). He has edited or co-authored 11 textbooks on pain medicine and written over four hundred articles, book chapters, and abstracts on neuromodulation and the diagnosis and management of complex pain problems. His publications have appeared in prominent journals including JAMA, Lancet, Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, and others. He has chaired hundreds of meetings devoted to innovation in pain and neuromodulation around the world.
He is listed in America’s Top Doctors, New Jersey Top Doctors, and Best Doctors in America. He is the Past President of (ASIPP), The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), the southern pain society the New Jersey Society of interventional pain physicians (NJSIPP), and was the first chair of the American Society of Anesthesia’s committee on Interventional pain. He served as chairman of the Board of Examination World Institute of Pain (WIP) and is currently President-Elect of the WIP.

In Prof. Dr. Monique Steegers’ patient care, research and education, the daily clinical practice of patients influencing the quality of life of patients with acute and chronic pain and in the palliative care setting is still the starting point. Prof. Dr. Steegers focuses mainly on the development of acute and chronic pain medicine. She focuses on the question of multidimensionality and interdisciplinary action in the chain care of pain. She works extensively with national and international education groups and will always look for national and international connections in her research. As a full professor dr. Steegers wants to further develop solid networks with professionals working in the field of pain medicine and palliative care influencing the quality of life.

Dr. Agnes Stogicza is a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain physician with 15+ years of experience in interventional pain management. She completed her pain fellowship at the University of Washington, where she was on 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 in Budapest at St Magdolna Private Hospital.
She is a member of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) Education Committee, Vice-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.
She regularly lectures and teaches interventional pain procedures in the US, Europe, South America, India, and Africa for the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), World Institute of Pain (WIP), American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA), World Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasonography (WAPMU), Singular and other societies.
She is a co-founder of Pain School International which provides interventional pain education in Budapest for doctors from all around the world.
She has authored and co-authored numerous book chapters and papers in chronic pain management.
Her main clinical interests are neck pain and headaches, peripheral nerve entrapments, and regenerative medicine techniques (such as PRP, BMC, and prolotherapy for various spine and musculoskeletal conditions).

Dr. Stojanovic was the principal founder of the interventional pain program at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School where he served as its Director for 12 years. He is the current Chair of the Education Committee for the World Institute of Pain, and an examiner for the Fellow in Interventional Pain Practice Examination.

He also served as Chief, Pain Medicine, Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School where he is currently teaching fellows, and is the current Director of the Interventional Pain Clinic at Edith Nourse Rodgers Memorial VA Hospital. He had the unique experience of training and mentoring many respected leaders in the field of interventional pain for the last 27 years.

Dr. Stojanovic is the inaugural Editor-In-Chief, Interventional Pain Medicine journal, the official journal of the Spine Intervention Society, and is credited with more than 60 publications.  He also served as a Director at Large for the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and is on the Board of Directors of the Spine Intervention Society. Dr. Stojanovic was a co-founder and co-owner of the Spine and Pain Institute of New England. He did his post-doctoral residency training in internal medicine, pediatrics, and anesthesiology, and completed two pain management fellowships. Dr. Stojanovic has a very unique experience, combining many years of both academic and private practice in interventional pain medicine. He has dedicated his career to improving technical expertise and excellence in interventional procedures, outcome measurement, teaching, and clinical research.

Robert van Seventer, MD, PhD, qualified in medicine at Leiden University Hospital (LUMC), The Netherlands, and completed his residency in anesthesiology at the same hospital.
After attending the First World Congress on Pain in 1975 in Florence, Italy, he became founding member of the Dutch IASP chapter in 1976.
Van Seventer continued his work in the field of pain at the Amphia Pain Clinic, founded in 1977, which is located at the Amphia Hospital in Breda and he initiated in 2012 a Pain Medicine and Research Centre at the Victoria Kliniek Zierikzee.
Currently working as a part-time consultant EMC, Rotterdam
His original research efforts in Epiduroscopy, Nucleoplasty, Cavityplasty, Vertebroplasty, SCS, Cordotomy and other minimal invasive techniques under real time direct vision with the use of a fiberoptic cannula and needle, at a one screen combination with ultrasound for the treatment of pain, are well recognized.
As a clinician his work in interventional as well as non-interventional pain treatment and management is patient-centered and closely follow clinical practice.
He is an expert on neuropathic pain and treatment options as his thesis was titled “Neuropathic Pain, Back to the Patient (2011) “.
Van Seventer has considerable experience of clinical trials by participating multi-centre studies over the last 20 years. He has been a member of several DSMB’s.
He lectures and is teaching nationally and internationally in the field at numerous conferences, courses and symposia and original papers on pain were published.

Jan Van Zundert is an anesthesiologist, professor in Pain Medicine at the Maastricht University Medical Center, and head of the Multidisciplinary Pain Centre of the Hospital Oost Limburg, Genk/Lanaken Belgium. He obtained a doctoral degree in Medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, completed a 5 years residency in anesthesiology and reanimation at the University hospital Antwerp in 1995, and specialized in pain medicine at the Radboud University Nijmegen. He obtained his Ph.D. at the Maastricht University in 2005 with the thesis: “The use of pulsed radiofrequency in the treatment of chronic pain”. He followed a postgraduate training in Health Policy and Management at the Catholic University of Leuven and wrote a thesis on “The treatment of (chronic) low back pain in a multidisciplinary pain center: effects and costs” He also completed postgraduate training in Health Law and Health Ethics at the University of Antwerp and wrote a thesis on “The scope and enforceability of practice guidelines” He authored 94 publications in PubMed indexed journals. He was (co)author of 38 book chapters. He holds functions in the editorial board of several journals and is the past editor of the Dutch and English versions of the international guidelines “Evidence-based interventional pain medicine according to clinical diagnoses”. He is a member of the Board of Examination of the World Institute of Pain (WIP).

Kris Vissers is an anesthesiologist, professor in Pain and Palliative Medicine, and chairman of the Radboud Expertise Center of Pain and Palliative Medicine of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands. He is also the chair of the Acute Pain Care improvement program of the academic hospital.

He obtained his graduation in Medical Sciences at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and his graduation as an Anesthesiologist at the University of Antwerp and the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) in 1993. He specialized in pain management in Leuven (B) and Nijmegen (NL), with Prof. Dr. H. Adriaensen, Prof. Dr. H. van Aken, Prof. Dr. L. Booij and Prof. Dr. B. Crul. As of 1995, he was a staff member of the University-affiliated Hospital East-Limburg, Genk, Belgium where he founded the Multidisciplinary Pain Center. He was visiting consultant for the palliative care unit and hospital team. He was a consultant for the home care organization in Palliative Care “Pallium” in Limburg (B).

He obtained the degree of doctor in the medical sciences Ph.D. in 2004 at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, The Netherlands. Also, he graduated as a Fellow in Interventional Pain Practice for the World Institute of Pain (U.S.A.) in 2004.

Since 2005, he is Professor in Pain and Palliative Medicine. He is Chair of the Board of Examination of the World Institute of Pain, Honorary Secretary of the Benelux Chapter of the World Institute of Pain, and the first chairman of the Dutch Society of Multidisciplinary Palliative Care Professionals[1], chapter of the European Association of Palliative Care (EAPC) and board member of the Dutch Pain Society, chapter of the IASP.

His main research interests are (1) translational approach and research on neuropathic pain, (2) practical and ethical application of palliative sedation, (3) proactive care and identification of patients in a palliative trajectory, (4) quality indicators of the organization and practice of pain and palliative medicine, (5) e-health and telemedicine in transmural care programs (6) decision making in palliative care and end-of-life and (7) the description of competences and performances for the education and training in pain and palliative medicine.

He succeeded together with his young research group in getting external funding resources for major research projects in pain and palliative care (Europall, 7th framework, ZonMw, NWO, KWF, STW).

He is the author of more than 160 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and contributed to more than 20 textbooks. He contributes to local and national education with regular articles in Belgian and Dutch journals for physicians and for the lay public. He is frequently asked as a speaker during national and international congresses and teaching courses. He is the promotor of 26 Ph.D. students in his topics of interest. He organized 7 international congresses and workshops. He was a member of several scientific committees of congresses.