Meet the Faculty

Dr. Latrice Akuamoah is originally from Chicago. She is double board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. In private practice, at the Spine and Pain Institute of New York, Dr. Akuamoah is committed to improving her patients’ quality of life using a public health-informed, evidence-based, multimodal approach to interventional pain management. She is faculty at the NYU Langone Hospitals and at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and enjoys mentoring residents and fellows. She completed her fellowship training at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and her residency at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

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.

Dr. Shahzad Anwar is an Interventional Spine & Pain Medicine Physician and Regenerative Medicine with over 20 years of experience in the fields of Pain Management, Regenerative Medicine, and Medical Acupuncture. Dr. Shahzad graduated from Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore in 1995. He started his medical career as a Physician and Medical Acupuncturist in 1998 after his postgraduate training at the Beijing University of TCM. He did his Masters in Pain Medicine from Cardiff University UK and also from Riphah International University Islamabad, Pakistan. He has done Fellowship in Interventional Pain Medicine from Pain School International in Hungary, Fellowship in Interventional Pain Practice-FIPP (WIP-USA), and Fellowship in Endoscopic Spine Surgery from Turkey. He is a Diplomat and Member American Academy and Board of Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Shahzad Anwar is the Founding President of the Society for Interventional Pain Medicine (SIPM) Pakistan. He runs his own hospital “Iffat Anwar Medical Complex” with branches in Johar Town and DHA Lahore. He is working as Head of Department Pain & Regenerative Medicine at Azra Naheed Medical College & Superior University Lahore. He is actively engaged in research, teaching, and training of young doctors in the fields of Pain Medicine, Regenerative Medicine, and Medical Acupuncture. He is a Faculty member of the following institutions:

• World Institute of Pain (WIP) USA
• Pain School International Hungary
• World Academy of Endoscopic Spine Surgery Turkey
• University of Lahore Pakistan
• Riphah International University Pakistan

• Interventional pain management private practice since 1994,
• Past President CALSIPP 2021, current Treasurer CALSIPP 2022.
• MBA FROM UC, IRVINE with honors, healthcare, and finance.
• Serving on board of directors for Illumination Foundation, an NGO helping end homelessness in LA and Orange County

Fabricio Assis, MD, FIPP 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 20 years. Twelve years ago, he started a very successful training program in Interventional Pain in Brazil, where physicians from all over the country and neighboring 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 Florida. Just founded in 2022, Dr. Assis is the first president of the Latin American Pain Society (LAPS). 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 at Singular – Pain Management Center, an EPP (Excellence in Pain Practice) Center in Campinas, SP, and is a member of the pain team at Hospital Sao Luiz Itaim, Sao Luiz Morumbi e Vila Nova Star and the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, all in São Paulo.

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).

Dr. Barolat is board certified in Neurosurgery by the American and Italian Boards of Neurosurgery. He is involved with neuromodulation for over 40 years, with almost all aspects of neuromodulation. Almost 10,000 neurostimulator implants. He is the Past President of the INS, and a founding member of the ANS. He is the author of 100 Published Scientific Articles and Book Chapters and had over 260 invited lectures in the following countries: USA, China, France, England, Italy, Turkey, South Korea, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Germany. Dr. Barolat’s current medical practice is dedicated to neurostimulation procedures and management of complex spine problems.

Erica is a board-certified, New York-licensed Physician Assistant. She earned her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Wagner College in 2011 and began her career as a PA with Manhattan Spine & Pain, working primarily at Lenox Hill Hospital as an inpatient pain management consultant. After 5 years in this position, Erica transitioned to a surgical PA position with Lenox Hill Hospital’s Division of Plastic Surgery and also serves as a student preceptor.

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. He then completed a fellowship in Musculoskeletal Radiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he was trained in interventional spine techniques before entering the US Air Force as Division Chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology. Following his service as a Major 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. 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 the Society of Interventional Radiology and 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. Bhayani works as a consultant pain physician at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Bhayani completed his training in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine in the UK. He completed his pain fellowship at the University of Toronto after completing his advanced pain training from Nottingham in the UK. He is certified interventional pain Sonologist & Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice. He completed both these World Institute of Pain Examinations and was awarded top positions in the CIPS examination leading him to the examiner status for these exams.

Dr. Veronica Carullo is a board-certified pediatric anesthesiologist as well as pediatric pain & palliative care specialist and currently serves as the Director of Pediatric Pain Management at the Children’s Hospital of Mississippi / University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. Dr. Carullo practiced pediatric anesthesiology, pediatric pain and pediatric palliative medicine in New York from 2010-2020. In 2020, she joined the faculty at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as a pediatric anesthesiologist and Director of Pediatric Pain Management to lead the expansion of pediatric acute and chronic pain management services at the Children’s Hospital of Mississippi.  Her research interests include pediatric sickle cell pain management and outcomes in children suffering from chronic pain. She is currently a co-Investigator for the EMBRACE (Education and Mentoring to Bring Access to Care for Sickle Cell Disease) NIH HRSA grant that includes sickle cell centers from the southeastern US. The goal of the project is to improve the quality of care for children and adults with sickle cell disease by forming an alliance of multiple centers working together on QI projects, forming a national patient registry, and educating primary care providers and specialists alike through the use of ECHOs. She is excited and honored to be a part of the program at the NYNJ Pain Symposium once again!

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.

George C. Chang Chien is a Physiatrist, pain medicine specialist. He is the Director for Pain Medicine at Ventura County Medical Center, and the founder of the GCC Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Medical Aesthetics. He has special interest in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries with regenerative medicine techniques. Dr. Chang Chien has authored over 120 manuscripts on the diagnosis and treatment of pain, and musculoskeletal injuries.

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.

Harold J. Cordner, MD, FIPP, ABIPP, is certified in anesthesiology and pain management by the American Board of Anesthesiology and in interventional pain management by the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians. He received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine. Dr. Cordner completed an internship in general surgery and a residency in anesthesiology at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, NJ. He is past-president of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and past president of the Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. He serves on the board of both of those societies as well as numerous national and international pain societies. He frequently lectures and teaches physicians advanced interventional pain procedures nationally and internationally. He serves as an associate clinical professor at Florida State University School of Medicine and is on the editorial board of Pain Physician and Neuromodulation. Dr. Cordner has received numerous prestigious awards from his peers including “Outstanding Clinical Excellence” and “Lifetime Achievement” awards. Consumers Research Council of America named Dr. Cordner one of “America’s Top Physicians.”

Briana Damora is an ANCC Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). Born and raised on Staten Island, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in 2010 and then obtained her Master of Science degree in 2017, both from Wagner College. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Wagner College. Briana started her nursing career at Staten Island University Hospital in a medical-surgical unit that also included orthopedic and bariatric patients. From SIUH she went to work at the Hospital for Special Surgery taking care of post-op hip, knee, and spine patients. She then became a Patient Educator where she had the opportunity to educate spine, total joint replacement, hip resurfacing, and complex joint reconstruction patients as well as their family members and support persons. She also served as a patient education resource for research studies regarding pain management and medication use. Briana joined The Spine and Pain Institute of New York in 2018. She hopes to keep her patients motivated and optimistic about reaching their optimal quality of life.

Dr. Sukdeb Datta is the Founder, CEO, and President of Datta Endoscopic Back Surgery and Pain Center. Under his leadership, the Center has grown to 9 locations serving the states of New York and New Jersey. He is a Diplomat, American Board of Anesthesiology and Diplomat, American Board of Pain Medicine with Subspecialty Certification in Pain Management. He is also certified as FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) and by the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians as a DABIPP (Diplomat, American Board of Interventional Pain Practice). He is an ASIPP lifetime member. Dr. Datta has served on the Board of Directors of ASIPP for two consecutive terms (2007-2011) and as Secretary of ASIPP from 2011-2013. Executive committee, ASIPP 2017-2021; Treasurer, ASIPP; Vice President, Strategic Affairs 2019-2021, ASIPP; Vice President, Strategic Alliance 2017-2019, ASIPP. He has been intimately involved in different activities of ASIPP such as publishing systematic reviews, being on the editorial board of the Pain Physician journal as well as performing as Faculty on the Cadaver Workshops for the past several years. Dr. Datta also strongly believes in the advocacy arm of ASIPP and has participated actively in the legislative sessions for the past several years. Board of Directors ABIPP; Board of Examiners, ABIPP; Economic and Finance Committee, ASIPP; 2011-Internet and Social Media Committee, ASIPP; 2011-Research Committee, ASIPP; 2014-Committee on Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Spine, ASIPP. He is a two-time winner (2012,2014) of ASIPP “Outstanding Achievement in Research” for work on Endoscopic discectomy and the New Techniques of performance of Cervical Epidural Injection. He was the Section Editor, of Endoscopic Spine, of Pain Physician Journal 2017-2022.

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. 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. Charles Oliveira is the current president of the Brazilian Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (Sobramid), vice-chairman of the Brazilian Section of the World Institute of Pain (WIP), and a member of the FIPP Board of Examination. A board-certified anesthesiologist with years of experience in the fields of anesthesia and interventional pain management of acute and chronic pain, he has also spoken to and taught pain physicians in Brazil and around the world. Dr. Oliveira has trained and taken courses in Spain, Hungary, England, Turkey, the Netherlands, and the US, to name a few. A specialist in fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided pain interventional procedures, he provides pain care in his private practice and at the Singular Pain Management Center in Campinas, SP, Brazil, which he co-founded in 2009. It was the first multidisciplinary pain clinic in Latin America to become a WIP EPP (Excellence in Pain Practice) award center (2011). His background in continuing pain education includes teaching fellows at his Campinas, São Paulo, pain center and helping to develop a highly regarded year-long training program in Interventional Pain in Brazil, where physicians from all over the country and neighboring Latin American nations come once a month for training during the year. Recently he has also organized hands-on workshops on ultrasound-guided pain interventional procedures. He has co-authored a report in “ASIPP Pain Management Reports” (Skin Burn after SI Denervation following RF Procedures) and a chapter on Genitofemoral Nerve Entrapment: Abdominal) in the pain textbook “Peripheral Nerve Entrapment – Clinical Diagnosis and Management” (Trescot).

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. Díez Tafur did his Pain Medicine Fellowship at McGill University. Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit- Montreal General Hospital, Canada. He is Certified by the World Institute of Pain (WIP) with both, FIPP and CIPS certifications and has an MSc degree in Pain Study and Treatment from Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Spain. He is a BOARD Certified Physiatrist with an Expert Diploma in MSK Ultrasound trained at Severo Ochoa University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. Born and raised in Lima, Perú. Dr. Díez Tafur moved back to Lima in 2018 aiming to provide high standards of care for pain-suffering patients and educate in this field. He is currently leading a private hospital’s pain service and is the Medical Director of two private pain centers in Lima, Peru.

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.

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.

• Board Certified Functional Neurosurgeon
• Director Functional Neurosurgery
• Neurosurgical Associates of Lancaster
• Board of Directors, International Neuromodulation Society
• Senior Advisor, Past Secretary, North American Neuromodulation Society
• President Elect-Executive Pain Committee, Congress Neurological Surgeons/American Association Neurological Surgeons
• Executive Officer of the Board, American Society Pain and Neuroscience

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. He has spent more than 35 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 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’ 24th 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 at www.AnesthesiaPainCare.com.

Meredith George has over 27 years’ 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.  She has also worked as an independent consultant on various projects involving chart auditing, practice management, and revenue management. Meredith is actively involved with various Pain Management organizations such as ASIPP, Texas Pain Society, 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 25 programs annually across the country.  She is an invited lecturer for several pain organizations.
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.

Christopher J. Gilligan, M.D.
Chief, Division of Pain Medicine
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
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.

As a board certified Pain Medicine Physician, Dr. Golovac is the former President and CEO of Space Coast Pain Institute, in Cape Canaveral Florida. He has collaborated with, and educated physicians all around the world, on advanced interventional pain procedures, both as a private consultant and as an assistant clinical professor of anesthesia at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Medical Center.    In addition, Dr. Golovac is the editor Image Guided Spine Interventions, of Space Coast Medical News, serves as the medical director of Surgery Partners, is writing a new chapter on spinal cord stimulation (SCS), is a member of seven different medical societies, serves on many committees, has been a visiting professor in places like Brasil, Chile, Norway, Finland, Copenhagen, Belgium, Columbia, and most major US Cities; He is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. He is a loving husband to his wife Elena, and their two beautiful children, Alexandra and Conrad – one attended Boston University and the other following in his footsteps at the University of Miami. Dr. Golovac has improved the lives of thousands of patients by offering spinal cord stimulation early in his algorithm of treatment. He has a focus on wellness and healing and defining the root cause of their problems.

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.

Amitabh Gulati is an anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician currently practicing in New York City. He is an associate professor and Director of Chronic Pain, specializing in interventional cancer pain management, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, completed his anesthesiology residency at Emory University School of Medicine, and obtained his pain management fellowship diploma from Weill Cornell School of Medicine in 2007. Furthermore, Dr. Gulati completed his acupuncture certification at the Helms Medical Institute in 2007 and is licensed to practice in the state of New York. He is currently the program director of the Weill Cornell pain management fellowship in New York City. He regularly gives lectures and teaches at workshops on topics involving ultrasound-guided pain procedures, interventional procedures in cancer pain management, and neuromodulation techniques for oncologic pain. His current research involves the use of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of neuropathic pain and the study of interventional paradigms for cancer pain medicine. He is involved in multiple educational societies as a teaching faculty or board member in the field of pain medicine. He is currently the President of the World Academy of Pain Medicine United (WAPMU).

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 Physicians). 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 a special interest and experience in the management of facial pain, migraine headaches, and complex back and neck pain with a failed surgery. With his expertise, he offers advanced procedures, including ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve stimulation and radio-frequency ablation. He is one of the few physicians in the country to perform ultrasound-guided occipital nerve radio-frequency ablation for headaches and radio-frequency of splanchnic nerve for chronic abdominal pain and chronic pancreatitis. Dr. Gupta’s current medical practice focuses on complex spinal procedures, implantable devices, therapeutic BOTOX injections for migraine headaches and cervical dystonia, kyphoplasty, and radiofrequency ablation.

Dr. Neeraj Jain is a Senior Consultant & international faculty of Interventional Spine & Pain Super-Speciality. He heads Department of spine & pain medicine at Max superspeciality Hospitals, New Delhi & Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute & Action Cancer Hospital, New Delhi, India & is Director of Spine & Pain Clinics. He is a fellow of interventional pain practice (FIPP) from Cleveland Clinic, USA. He also attained CIPS (Hungary) Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist in 2017. He was conferred Fellowship of International Medical Sciences Academy (FIMSA) held at Ajman. He furthered advance training on spine endoscopy at Miraj and stitchless lumbar (MISS) disc surgery at Pune by Dr. Gore accredited by the Asian Academy of Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, International Musculoskeletal Laser Society, and International Intradiscal Therapy Society. He participated in & attended “Dannemiller Intensive Pain Review Course 2010” in Chicago, USA.

He has pioneered non-surgical percutaneous fluoroscopic, ultrasound or CT-guided pain management interventional procedures. His innovative work on balloon neuroplasty is the biggest series in the world followed by South Korean group.

Dr. Jain has been pivotal in many national & international pain conferences as chairman, speaker, panelist, judge of competitions & trainer of cadaver workshops. He is on the faculty for certified basic & advanced interventional pain management technique courses. He has pioneered non-surgical percutaneous fluoroscopic, ultrasound, or CT-guided pain management interventional procedures Dr. Jain has been pivotal in many national & international pain conferences as chairman, speaker, panelist, judge of competitions & trainer of cadaver workshops. He is on the faculty for certified basic & advanced interventional pain management technique courses. He has conducted numerous International “Live Spine, USG & Pain workshop cum CME” which are highly rated & widely attended by doctors from India & abroad. He was the Coordinator for the cadaver workshop at International Conference on Interventional Pain Management (ICIPM) 2012 and FIPP Review Course with Cadaver workshop organized by World Institute of Pain-India & Dr. B.R.A. Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH), AIIMS. He has been appreciated as a great teacher and mentor to upcoming pain specialists.

Dr. Jain made more than 180 national & international presentations & guest lectures. He actively participated in multiple world congresses on pain in 2016 in New York where he was Invited as an Examiner (observer) for FIPP Fellowship Exam conducted by the World Institute of Pain, 2014 in Maastricht &  2012, in Miami, USA, 2010 in Montreal, Canada, 2008 in Glasgow, UK, 2005 in Sydney, Australia & first world Pain Symposium 2013. 2017 Medan Indonesia & 2017 Budapest, Hungary. 2019 Stem Cell Int. Congress Havana, Cuba. He also presented his work at World Biomaterials Annual meet at Nantes, France on May 5-7, 2014. He presented his innovative work in WCMISST 2016, World Congress of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Techniques at Jeju Island, South Korea on June 2016.

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
as well as the Pain Fellowship Program.

Dr. Khelemsky, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine and Neurology, is the Program Director of The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Pain Medicine Fellowship and serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. He is also the Chair of the Pain Medicine Committee of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists. His clinical practice focuses on the interventional treatment of headache and neck pain.
His recently published book, Academic Pain Medicine, is the standard text for Mount Sinai’s ACGME Accredited Pain Fellowship Program.

Dr. Kiesel is the Senior Director of Functional Programs and Education at Mainstay Medical, the Functional Movement Systems Fellowship Program Director, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Evansville. His areas of research include motor control of the core and functional movement testing and training. Dr. Kiesel is an expert in the rehabilitation of patients with low back pain and is actively engaged in education and the clinical adoption of Reactiv8, a new technology to treat patients with low back pain. Because of his long-standing interest in musculoskeletal health and low back pain, his research has also led to significant work related to core function and movement screening, testing, and assessment. His research has focused on the clinical measurement of core function, basic movement, breathing parameters, and how these measures affect MKS health and performance. He has authored approximately 40 peer-reviewed publications and regularly presents his work nationally and internationally, engaging in teaching and research in 20 different countries. He serves as a consultant for professional and college sports teams as well as the military where he assists with injury prevention and implementation of the functional movement systems model. He has extensive experience teaching lecture and lab courses emphasizing core training and functional movement appraisal and intervention including both the Functional Movement Screen and the Selective Functional Movement Assessment.

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.

Robert M. Levy, M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon, and currently holds the position of Editor-in-Chief of Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. He is the immediate Past-President of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS). He earned his medical degree and Ph.D. in neurosciences from Stanford University and the Stanford University Medical School. He performed post-doctoral fellowships at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco. During his academic career, he has been a tenured full Professor of Neurosurgery, Physiology, and Radiation Oncology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He has served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery and Co-Director of the University of Florida Health Sciences in Jacksonville, Florida. 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, Florida. He has been the recipient of many national and international honors and awards and has been listed in the Best Doctors in America. He has authored several textbooks and published over 300 peer-reviewed 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 devices.

Sean Li, M.D. 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. 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 Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ, and Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ. Dr. Li serves on the Education Committee and Young Neuromodulators Committee at the International Neuromodulation Committee (INS), is a director at large for the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), and is the current president of the New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (NJSIPP). 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.

Dr. Chih-Peng Lin is the active president of the Taiwan Pain Society (2021-2023). He works as 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 also actively participates in many professional societies including the World Institute of Pain, Taiwan Society of Neuromusculoskeletal Ultrasound, and the Taiwan Association of Interventional & Therapeutic Ultrasound. His major research interests are mechanisms and possible therapeutic approaches for neuropathic pain and opioid tolerance and 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 also the vice chair of the Residency Review Committee, Taiwan Society of Anesthesiologists.

Prof. Mavrocordatos is the founder and CEO of the Swiss Pain Institute, Lausanne, Switzerland. The Institute is dedicated to interdisciplinary pain patient care, education, teaching, and clinical research. Board-certified in Anesthesiology in 1995, he moved from Switzerland to Australia to complete his fellowship in Multidisciplinay Pain Management (Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney). Back in 1997 in Switzerland after 2 years, he was appointed « Head of the Department of Anesthesiology Intensive Care and Pain Management » in the Ensemble Hospitalier Nord Vaudois, (eHnV). In 1999 he also founded the Multidiciplinary Pain management in Clinique Cecil in Lausanne, ISO 9001 certified in 2004. In 2002, he developed with his colleagues the interventional pain clinic in Geneva University Hospital. Fellow of Interventional Pain practice (FIPP) since 2006, he has been an examiner for the Budapest FIPP exams since 2008 and Chairman of WIP for Switzerland since 2008 until 2015. Since, he served as honorary secretary in the Executive Board of the World Institute of Pain and now as member of the examination board. Since 2014, he is invited Professor at Athens University. His clinical activity now is mainly in the Swiss Pain Institute in Lausanne. Lecturer in numerous international pain management meetings worldwide every year he is also the chairman and organizer of the National Swiss Pain Congress since 2009. The Swiss Pain Institute is training nurses, physiotherapists during three month internships, part of the HES program (Hautes Ecoles Specialisées). The institute is also in charge for the pre-graduate education in pain (Geneva University). Every year 3 positions are opened for a 1 year international fellowship dedicated to train advanced pain physician from Switzerland and abroad. Lecturer in numerous international pain management meetings worldwide every year. Persistant spinal pain, visceral pain, neuropathic pain and cancer pain are the most common pathologies seen in our pain institute. Our team includes 6 pain physicians, 5 nurses, 2 physiotherapist, 1 psychologist and 1 psychiatrist. The institute is recognized as center class A by the Helvetic Medical Federation.

Patrick McGinn is a nationally certified physician assistant specializing in interventional pain management at National Spine and Pain Centers in Shrewsbury, NJ. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in sociology and concentration in health care delivery at Roanoke College. He then went on to earn his Master of Science in Physician Assistant studies at Stony Brook University. He has worked in the Interventional Pain Management space for approximately seven years. He takes great pride in problem-solving and formulating an individualized treatment plan for each of his patients. Patrick currently resides in Central New Jersey and enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and spoiling his nieces and nephew.

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.

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 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 and in Regenerative Medicine by 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 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.

Deirdre O’Flaherty is the Senior Director of Patient Care Services at Lenox Hill Hospital and has over 25 years of progressive clinical, administrative, orthopaedic nursing practice. Research, publications and presentations in resilience, empowerment and orthopaedic nursing and also Is an adjunct Professor at Hunter- Bellevue School of Nursing.

Dr. Jen-Li Pan is a board-certified physiatrist specializing in ultrasound-guided regenerative pain interventions focused on systemic thinking and the root causes of pain. In practice, Dr. Pan has been integrating platelet-rich plasma (PRP), dextrose prolotherapy, percutaneous needle tenotomy(PNT), hydrorelease/hydrodissections (HR/HD), and intra-articular hyaluronate (HA) injections into orchestrated protocols for various clinical pain syndromes. Dr. Pan is currently the Executive Director of the Taiwan Pain Society (TPS), Director of the Taiwan Branch of the World Institute of Pain (WIP), and Academic Consultant of the Taiwan Association of Prolotherapy and Regenerative Medicine (TAPRM). He runs a solo practice clinic (PAN Regenerative Pain Clinic) in Taipei and serves as an attending physician in the department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Taipei Medical University Hospital.

Dr. Arpit Patel is a managing partner at Excel Pain and Spine, a multidisciplinary, patient-centric practice in the Tampa Bay market, which focuses on treatments to address a wide range of acute and chronic pain syndromes. Dr. Patel is double board-certified in Interventional Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). Dr. Patel completed his training at the ACGME accredited Interventional Pain Medicine Fellowship at the University of South Florida Morsani School of Medicine and was voted by the faculty as “Fellow of the Year.” Dr. Patel is active in many diverse national and international pain societies and enjoys teaching advanced interventional pain and spine procedures. He serves as an Assistant Professor for the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Central Florida as well as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the University of South Florida’s Pain Medicine fellowship. He continues to incorporate academic-level medicine in the outpatient setting. As a testament to his hard work and dedication, Dr. Patel has received numerous prestigious awards and distinctions, including being voted Tampa Bay’s “Top Doc.” The University of South Florida named him Pain Medicine Faculty Attending of the Year.

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.

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.

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 The University of Liverpool Medical School, completed his residency at SUNY Upstate Medical Center and served at SUNY from 1966-1977 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 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 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 Distinguished Professor Award for Lifetime Achievement from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the Lifetime Achievement Award(s) from 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 tenure at Texas Tech.

He has published over 200 book chapters and journal articles and three books describing his techniques in 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.

Dr. Louis Raso specializes in Interventional Pain Management and holds board certifications in both Pain Management and Anesthesiology from the American Board of Anesthesiology. Currently, he is a pain specialist at The Raso Pain Center in Jupiter Florida. Dr. Raso received his M.D. degree in 1985 from Rutgers Medical School and completed his training in Anesthesiology and Pain Management Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He has traveled throughout the United States and abroad lecturing and instructing other physicians on Spinal Cord Stimulation, and other interventional procedures. Dr. Raso participates in leading technology and research. He has published numerous journal articles and book chapters on Spinal Cord Stimulation and interventional pain management. The patients who come to Dr. Raso often have pain that has not responded to treatment by other physicians. They often have chronic pain that has been with them for a long period of time. Other physicians also send patients to Dr. Raso for conditions that may benefit from early or specialized treatment. Common problems include pain from nerve injuries, low back and neck pain, and cancer pain. Dr. Raso is passionate about ridding our country of the opioid epidemic. He has helped the State of Florida develop guidelines for approaching the opioid epidemic. His greatest compliment is seeing a patient walk out of his office pain-free.

Lauren Ronde is a board certified Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Lauren obtained her nurse practitioning degree at New York University College of Nursing. Lauren currently works at Advanced Spine on Park Avenue, primarily as a pain management consultant at Lenox Hill Hospital. She has over five years experience working as an operating room Registered Nurse at Hospital for Special Surgery.

Madeline Rosenberg is a Certified Nurse Practitioner serving NYU Langone Health. Madeline obtained her B.S in Health and Exercise Sciences from Skidmore College in 2014 and her B.S.N From NYU in 2016. Madeline worked 5 years as a surgical RN, and in 2020, received her Master’s in Advance Practice Nursing. She currently practices at Langone Orthopedic Center in the department of Spine Surgery.

Dr Rubin trained with Dr Diwan at New York Presbyterian Hospital Cornell. He graduated in 2006. He has been in private practice on Long Island NY since 2008. He is the outgoing President of the New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and is a board member of the Nassau County Medical Society. He represents Nassau County as a delegate to Medical Society of the State of New York. He has been involved in the NY/NJ pain meeting as a co director and treasurer for the last 6 years.

Steven Sampson D.O. is an internationally recognized pioneer in orthopedic regenerative medicine. Dr. Sampson is a Diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Sampson founded the Orthohealing Center, a premier medical clinic in Los Angeles, California specializing in non-surgical orthopedic and cell-based medicine. Dr. Sampson established the Orthobiologic Institute (TOBI) annual international symposium with cadaver labs featuring foremost experts and leading industry in tendon, cartilage, and spine disease. Dr. Sampson also created TOBI Networks, promoting online education, standardization, data collection, and physician mentorship. Dr. Sampson is an Emeritus Board Member of the Arthritis Foundation. He has authored over 35 peer-reviewed research articles and textbook chapters in regenerative medicine. Dr Sampson has been a speaker at over 40 lectures including the United Nations in Geneva, United States Congress on Capitol Hill, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Dr. Sampson’s work is dedicated to promoting an ethical, scientific, and data-driven approach with global collaboration to advance the field of regenerative medicine for orthopedic conditions.

Dawood Sayed is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and Vice Chairman of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience. He is the Chief of Pain Medicine and Program Director at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Professor Sayed has published and lectured across the globe on multiple topics in the field of Interventional Pain Medicine.

Dr. Schatman is a clinical psychologist who has spent the past 35 years working in multidisciplinary chronic pain management. He is currently on the faculties of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, & Pain Medicine and the Division of Medical Ethics in the Department of Population Health, both at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Schatman is the author of over 150 journal articles and book chapters on various aspects of chronic pain management, and lectures regularly on pain management on local, national and international bases. He is also the editor of Ethical Issues in Chronic Pain Management and Chronic Pain Management: Guidelines for Multidisciplinary Program Development, both of which were released by Informa Healthcare in 2007. Much of his current research is on opioid risk mitigation, with an emphasis on appropriate utilization of state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. Dr. Schatman is a member of the Editorial Boards of numerous journals. For the past 8 years, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pain Research. He is the past-Chairperson of the Ethics Special Interest Group of the American Pain Society, is currently the Chair of the Ethics Committee of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and is on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Pain Educators – which named him 2011 Clinical Pain Educator of the Year.

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. 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 in Pain Medicine at University College London Hospitals and Associate Professor at UCL Division of Surgery and Visiting Professor of Anaesthesiology at SSHAE. He is a consultant at Harley Street Clinic and Cleveland Clinic London. He serves as Secretary for the Pain Section at The Royal Society of Medicine. Special interests: Chronic Pain Management, Neuromodulation, Spinal Cord stimulators, Sports Medicine, Pelvic pain, CRPS

Current Roles:

• Chief Medical Officer (Pain and Neuromodulation), NuroKor.
• Principal investigator NIHR Portfolio study. Oxford University, 2020
• Core committee member: London School of Regional Anaesthesia
• Senior Fellow and Council Member: London Pain Forum
• Lead for Neuromodulation UCLH
• Course director Abdomino-pelvic pain symposium
• MSc Neuromodulation Module Lead: University College London.
• Reviewer: Neuromodulation, British Journal of Pain, BMJ
• Research Interest: Neuromodulation, Neuropathic pain, back pain, pelvic pain

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.

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. Agnes Stogicza is a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain physician with more than 15 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 in Budapest at Saint 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, and Asia for the World Institute of Pain (WIP), the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), the American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA), World Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasonography (WAPMU) 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 cancer pain, spinal pain, and related conditions (headaches, arm and leg pains) 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.

Andrea Trescot, MD is past president of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), past president of the Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (FSIPP), past president of the Alaska Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (AKSIPP), a former professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and the previous director of the pain fellowship programs at the University of Washington and the University of Florida.
She was a pain clinic director in private practice for 10 years before she moved to academics. She has returned to private practice, where she splits her time between Alaska and Florida. She is also the Chief Medical Officer of Stimwave, a wireless stimulation company.
Dr. Trescot has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters, and she is the editor and senior author of a 900-page pain textbook (Peripheral Nerve Entrapments – Clinical Diagnosis and Management). She is also co-author of PainWise – A Patient’s Guide to Pain Management, as well as co-editor of the three-volume pain review textbook Pain Medicine & Interventional Pain Management – A Comprehensive Review. She speaks nationally and internationally on topics of pain medicine and interventional pain management.

Amaresh Vydyanathan is an Associate Professor and Interventional Pain Physician at Montefiore Medical Center. He is also a consultant and executive at Clearing, a healthcare startup in the field of pain. He is an empathetic physician who is a patient advocate. He also is passionate about research and has many peer reviewed publications. Finally, he enjoys teaching and is involved in many teachingendeavors at the local, regional and national level.

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.