Faculty

Mert Akbas,  MD, is an associative professor of Anesthesiologist and Pain management physician at Akdeniz University, School of Medicine in Turkey. He joined the Akdeniz University faculty in 1993. He is the associative proffesor and clinical instructor at division of Algology.
He earned his medical degree at Akdeniz University, School of Medicine in 1999. He completed his anesthesia residency in 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 an clinical doctor in Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Division of Algology, Istanbul/TURKEY between the years 2004 and 2006.
He is Algology Board certified and pain specialist in Turkey is since 2007, and FIPP since 2006.
His areas of clinical interest are neuromodulation and decompressive neuroplasty.
Dr. Akbas is the current chair of WIP Turkish Section and a member of WIP, INS and Turkish Society of Algology.

Dr Al-Kaisy is currently 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 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 frequency in the management of FBSS. He is the innovator of a number techniques including transgrade dorsal root ganglion stimulation using monopolar electrical stimulation. Dr Al-Kaisy continues to teach and lecture on essential and pioneering topics in pain management in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. He is the chair of the biannual London Spine Pain Symposium at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital.

Adesanya Tolu Alugo, MD, MSC, CAPM, FCARCSI, FIPP, CIPS, ASRA-PMUC, CAMH(opioid) is a fellowship-trained interventional pain Specialist. Completed both FIPP&CIPS in one sitting. Currently the Director of chronic pain management services at the Saint John Regional Hospital Canada. Well published and author of book chapters. Special interests include MSK ultrasonography, Complex regional pain syndrome, Persistent spinal pain syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and neuromodulation. He teaches chronic pain both locally and internationally.

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 1996 and is 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 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’ 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 special interest in Spinal and Facial Pain.
Dr. De Andrés Ares is the current Chair of WIP Iberian Section.

Fabricio Assis, MD is one of the founders of the Brazilian Society of interventional Pain Physicians (SOBRAMID) and its first president 2013-2015. Dr. Assis is involved in lots of educational projects and had trained physicians in interventional pain all over the world in he 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 during a year. This project was replicated in Budapest in 2017 named as 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.

Dr. Ronald Barreto is an orthopedic surgeon with a residency at the University of São Paulo. He specializes in knee surgery, with a master’s degree in orthopedics from USP and a Ph.D. in Health from Unit/Sergipe. His doctoral research focused on the use of PRP in treating knee osteoarthritis. He completed a fellowship in cartilage repair at Harvard Medical School and holds an International Pain Diploma from Korean University. As a regenerative medicine researcher since 2005, Dr. Barreto has performed over 150 regenerative procedures using microfragmented fat, 500 knee prostheses, and 1000 procedures using orthobiologics since 2010. Co-founder and instructor of the OrthoBios Pain Course, and author of the book “Arthrosis Without Cuts.”

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 the service in the US Air Force Dr. Beall was chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology and Fellowship Director at the Univiersity 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.

Dr. Bhaskar is the Immediate-Past President of the British Pain Society and has served two terms as an elected member of the Council. Dr. Bhaskar is also the present Chairman of the UK Section, of the World Institute of Pain.  Dr Bhaskar works as a Consultant at the Pain Management Centre, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, and has special interests in complex pain, including cancer pain, neuropathic pain, visceral & pelvic pain, pain interventional procedures and neuromodulation. He has also a specific interest in opioid management. Dr Bhaskar is on the faculty of many courses, including the European Pain School, and is an examiner for the European Diploma in Pain Medicine and also the FIPP examination for the World Institute 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.

Aaron Kenneth Calodney, MD is Past President of the Texas Pain Society and Past President of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP). He has served on the board of the International Spine Intervention Society for many years and was Director of Education. Dr. Calodney is board certified in Anesthesiology and carries subspecialty certification in Pain Management through the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Calodney earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and completed a family medicine internship at St Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York. His residency in anesthesiology and subsequent interventional pain management fellowship was completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at 31 Houston. He subsequently completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesia at the Denver Children’s Hospital. With particular interest in Spine and special interests including Neuromodulation and Intrathecal Drug Delivery, Biological treatment of the painful degenerative disc, Peripheral nerve injury, and Radiofrequency ablation, Dr. Calodney has presented and published many articles and textbook chapters. He is actively involved in clinical research and has delivered over 400 invited lectures in the US and abroad. Dr. Calodney is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and many other professional societies. He is an 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 and on the National Guideline Clearinghouse. Dr. Calodney previously was appointed by the governor of Texas to serve on the Advisory Committee on the Regulation of Controlled Substances Act.

Dr. George C. Chang Chien specializes in musculoskeletal medicine and comprehensive pain management. He has authored over 100 manuscripts on the diagnosis and treatment of pain and musculoskeletal injuries. He is currently the Director of Pain Management at Ventura County Medical Center, and Director of the GCC Institute where he practices Regenerative Medicine, and Medical Aesthetics.

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. At present, he is the incoming President-Elect of the World Institute of Pain (WIP). 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. Christ Declerck MD, FIPP, CIPS, ASRA-PMUC is a board certified in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine. Since 2019 he has been the Head of the Multidisciplinary Pain Center in Bruges, Belgium. The MPC Bruges consists of five full-time Pain Physicians in the Tertiary Referral Hospital Saint Jan and General Hospital Saint Lucas. He is teaching for the WIP organization and is an examiner for the FIPP and CIPS certification at the World Institute of Pain in Miami. He teaches at the Pain International School in Budapest and also at the ISURA organization. Dr. Declerck ’s interests include basic and advanced interventional pain therapy more specifically US-guided nerve ablation techniques, Neuromodulation, cryoneurolysis of peripheral nerves, SI joints, and cervical facet syndromes.

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.

FELLOWSHIP TRAINED INTERVENTIONAL PAIN PHYSICIAN | SENIOR SPECIALIST INPAIN MEDICINE AT HOSPITAL CLÍNIC DE BARCELONA

Dr. Dos Santos (“Gui”) works as a Senior Specialist and Responsible Clinical Lead for the Education and Training Excellence Center in Pain Medicine at the Division of Pain Medicine, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (2023 – Present), accredited by the European Society of Regional Anesthesia and PainTherapy. Gui earned his Medical Degree from the University of Lisbon (2008 – 2014) and completed a 5-year Residency Program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Unidade Local de Saúde São José (2016 – 2020). During his training, Gui was an Invited Clinical Research Scholar at the Department of Pain Medicine, Mayo Clinic (2018; 2021), under Mark Friedrich Hurdle, MD. He then completed a Clinical Fellowship in Chronic Pain Medicine under Anuj Bhatia, MD PhD, Paul Tumber, MD, and PhillipPeng, MBBS Founder (Pain Medicine), at the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto (2022).

Dr László Entz is a neurosurgeon and interventional pain therapist. He completed his general medical studies at Semmelweis University, Bonn and Buffalo medical universities. In 2006, he began his research career as a student of professors Péter Halász and István Ulbert at the current National Institute of Mental Neurology and Neurosurgery.

In 2009, he’s got a one-year Fulbright Fellowship in New York (Northwell Health, NY).

From 2010, as a student of Dr. Loránd Erőss, he gained a broad insight into the treatment of diseases at the border of neurology and neurosurgery, such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and various chronic pain syndromes, as well as spasticity. He also participated in the introduction of many innovative surgical techniques in Hungary.

In 2015, he obtained a PhD degree (clinical neurosciences) and then a neurosurgery exam with summa cum laude. In 2016, he obtained the qualification of Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP).

Since 2017, he has been a student of Professor Dezső Jeszenszky in the international spinal surgery training program of the Schulthess Clinic in Switzerland, and then the institute’s deputy chief physician.

Since the end of 2019, he has been a colleague and student of Professor Robert Reisch at the Endomin Zentrum at the Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich. Transnasal endoscopic skull base surgery is the focus of the center, which is a leader in the application and education of minimally invasive and endoscopic neurosurgery techniques.

From 2021, he is the chief neurosurgeon at the Hirslanden Clinic, the head of the spine surgery profile at the Endomin Zentrum, a member of the skull base surgical team, and an invasive pain therapist.

In 2022, he established the Endomin Center in Budapest at the MiND Clinic together with Professor Dr. Róbert Reisch, in close cooperation with the Endomin Zentrum in Zurich.

He is a member of several international companies and the treasurer of the Hungarian section of WIP. He is a regular lecturer at domestic and international conferences. At Semmelweis University, he participates as an instructor in the postgraduate courses of the Department of Neurosurgery.

Dr Episkopou has been working as an Anesthesiologist for the last 16 years at Metropolitan Hospital in Athens. As a senior member of an anesthesiologist team she performs an average of 100 operations for ENT, Urological robotic, General laparoscopic surgery, obesity, arthroscopic orthopedic surgeries, spinal cord surgeries, and Brachytherapy for cervical, prostate, breast and upper airway cancer per month. She is also experienced in child anesthesia especially for autistic children.

The last five years Dr Episkopou has been practicing chronic pain management for cancer and non cancer patients. She attended several workshops in London, Germany (ESRA anatomy department ) Denmark and Barcelona for pain management neuromodulation, spinal cord stimulation and ultrasound guided blocks for pain management. In 2019 she was Certified as Interventional Pain Sonologist CIPS. Dr Episkopou has ALS, PALS, ATLS, PHTLS certificates and she is an ALS instructor and PALS national director.

Prof. Serdar Erdine is a professor of Anesthesiology and Algology (Pain Medicine),He is the founder of Pain Medicine- Algology in Turkey . He is also the founder of the Turkish Society of Algology and had been the president between 1987-2012,and Honorary President since then. He is also the founder of the Turkish Society for Regional Anesthesia and had been on the board of ESRA between 1993-2001. He had been the past president of EFIC, and one of the five founders and past president of World Institute of Pain-WIP since 1993, He has the Trail Brazzers award by World Insitute of Pain in 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 PhD 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 reasearch group in the field of epilepsy, chronic pain. He developed new intraoperative localisation method for invasive recordings in epilepsy surgery. His activity includes 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.

Dr. Ferraro holds a degree in Medicine from the School of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo, a postgraduate degree (medical residency) in Anesthesiology from the Paulista School of Medicine of the Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP) and a PhD in Sciences from EPM-UNIFESP. He is currently an adjunct professor of the Discipline of Anesthesiology, Pain and Intensive Medicine, EPM-UNIFESP, Co-responsible Instructor of the Teaching and Training Center of the Discipline of Anesthesiology, Pain and Intensive Medicine, coordinator of the Regional Anesthesia and Ultrasound Group, Instructor of the Advanced Course in Regional Anesthesia. Member of the Regional Anesthesia Center of the Society of Anesthesiology of the State of São Paulo (SAESP).

Prof J C Flores Anestesiólogo, Prof Universit; FIPP and CIPS, Phd; Director of CAIDBA Premiado EPP Award 2011-2015; President of CAIDBA Foundation; Assoc Prof of Anatomy Univ Nacional de La Plata, Argentina; Past Chairm Latin American Sect WIP 2 times; Chief of Pain Medicine Clínica San Camilo from 1994 (29 years); Director Workshop Universitario CAIDBA Técnicas Interv Tratamiento del Dolor Refractario (24 Workshops CAIDBA); Director “Postgraduate Universitary Training” in Interventional Ref Pain Fund CAIDBA and Univers Nacional de La Plata. JCF organized 1st Cadaver Workshop Latin América May 2001 (Racz, Calvillo y Fundación Dolor) and has worked with WIP and CLASA since 2004 como Instructor y Examinador. Past President FAAAAR, Pain Foundation, Textbook Pain Medicine, Research in anatomy.

As an anesthesiologist, pain medicine specialist, and clinical epidemiologist, Dr. Hah’s research interests span development of novel psychotherapeutic interventions at the intersection of pain, prescription opioid addiction, and psychology. As an NIH-funded researcher she is working to develop novel interventions (behavioral, medical technology, medical device) to prevent continued pain and opioid use after surgery. Her clinical interests include treatment of chronic pelvic pain conditions including painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, pelvic floor myofascial pain, pudendal neuralgia, peripheral nerve entrapments, pelvic adhesions, vulvodynia, and chronic constipation.

Prof. Dominic A. Hegarty
BSc., BMedSc., MB., MSc. (Pain Management), PhD. FCARSCI, FFPMCAI, FIPP
Consultant in Pain Management and Neuromodulation, Mater Private Hospital Cork, Ireland.
Clinical Director Mater Private Hospital Cork, Ireland.
Assoc. Professor in Pain Medicine, UCC & ASSERT, Ireland.
Honorary Consultant, Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, England.
Clinical Lead Neuromodulation Research, Tyndall National Institute, Ireland.
Clinical Director Pain Relief Ireland (www.painreliefireland.ie)
President-Elect World Institute of Pain (WIP)

Carolina Hernández-Porras MD is a Mexican anesthesiologist, specialized in interventional pain management. She is Associate Professor of the Fellowship Interventional Pain Management and at the National Cancer Institute, and founder of the Mexican Society of Ultrasound in Pain Medicine (SMUD).

Dr Porras has several publications and has participated with chapters in Spanish, Portuguese and English books. Dr Hernádez-Porras is certified as Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) and Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist (CIPS) by the World Institute of Pain and has a master degree in clinical analysis and is a member of the Editor Board of Pain Physician Journal.

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. Liem was born in Leiden, The Netherlands. He graduates at the Free University College of Medicine in Amsterdam. He completed his residency in anesthesiology, intensive care, and pain management at the St Antonius Hospital in Utrecht. He is board certified in Anesthesiology as well as Pain Medicine by the Dutch Society of Anesthesiology. Dr. Liem has, since 1981, extensive experience in the use of interventional pain procedures and implanting neurostimulators to treat chronic pain. After leading the multidisciplinary Pain Unit at the St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, he now works at Maastricht University as a consultant in MUMC +, Dept Anesthesiology and Pain Management.

Furthermore, he is a Fellow of International Pain Practice according to the World Institute of Pain and was a founder and president of the Benelux Neuromodulation Society. He has been Treasurer of the International Neuromodulation Society and a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Neuromodulation. He has been the principal investigator on several clinical trials and is participating in international consensus and appropriateness boards on pain and spasticity. He has published several articles and book chapters on pain and neuromodulation and often speaks at national and international conferences in the Netherlands and abroad on pain topics and he is frequently invited to train physicians in the use of pain management techniques. In 2010 Dr. Liem received the Sam Hassenbusch Prize in Budapest. Over the last few years, he has focused on completing his scientific work on stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion for the treatment of chronic pain and obtained his Doctorate of Philosophy at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in January 2016.

Dr. Giuliano Lo Bianco, a physician specialising in Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, Oxygen-Ozone Therapy, radio/echo-guided Percutaneous Interventional Procedures, has experience working with leading Italian and international pain therapy experts.

• Analgesia and Percutaneous Surgery Operating Unit’s Director of the Hospital Foundation Institution Giglio, in Cefalù
• Lecturer at the University of Palermo and Pavia at the 2nd Level Master in Pain Therapy
• Phd in Neuroscience, focused on advanced research in Pain Therapy at the University of Catania
• FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) certification of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) on September 12, 2022
• European Diploma in Pain Medicine (EDPM) of the European Pain Federation (EFIC) 16 September 2022
• Lecturer at the Specialization Course in Algological sciences ISAL Foundation
• Two-year Master in Pain Therapy at Advanced Algology, in 2017.
• Graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Palermo, with a grade of 110/110 with honors, mention and Nicolosi award. At the same University, he obtained the Specialization in Anesthesia, Resuscitation, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy with a score of 50/50.

Interventional Pain Physician at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein – São Paulo

​​Expertise in Pain by the Brazilian Medical Association

International Title – “FIPP – Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice” – World Institute of Pain

International Title – “CIPS – Certified of Interventional Pain Sonologist” – World Institute of Pain

Higher Education Degree in Anesthesiology by the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology

Former Coordinator of the Pain Module of the Postgraduate Course in Anesthesiology at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein

President of the Brazilian Chapter of the World Institute of Pain

Member of the Education Committee of the World Institute of Pain

Diplomate of American Interventional Headache Society Board

I am Dr. Carlos Morales, an anesthesiologist and specialist in regenerative medicine and pain management. My goal is to improve my patients’ quality of life through innovative and minimally invasive methods. With training from the University of Navarra and experience as an anesthesiologist, I have founded and led pain units in various hospitals in Málaga. I have been nationally recognized for my dedication to pain treatment, being a finalist in the Doctoralia awards for three consecutive years. I actively participate in conferences and medical societies, contributing to the advancement of regenerative medicine and pain treatments. Since this year, I am the coordinator of the Expert Master in Regenerative Medicine at the Francisco de Vitoria University.

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 coauthored 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 at 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.

Dr Padilla del Rey studied Medicine at the University of Murcia (Spain), specialized in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at Morales Meseguer University Hospital in Murcia, and completed fellowship training in Pain Medicine at Cécil Clinic Multidisciplinary Pain Center in Lausanne (Switzerland). She became a FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) in 2014, got the European Pain Federation Diploma in Pain Medicine (EDPM) in 2017, and became a CIPS (Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist) in 2019. She has a Master’s Degree in Health Management and a Master’s Degree in Nutrition & Dietetics.
She has presented numerous posters at national and international congresses and has also been the author of articles in pain journals and chapters in some pain books.
Dr. Padilla del Rey is a reviewer for the Spanish Society of Pain Journal and forms part of the Spanish Society of Pain Master’s Degree faculty. She is a member of the Murcian Society of Pain, the Spanish Society of Pain, and the World Institute of Pain.
She has worked as an anesthesiologist and pain physician at Morales Meseguer University Hospital and since 2018 she is working at Santa Lucía General University Hospital in Cartagena (Spain)

Ovidiu Nicolae Palea was born in Blaj, a small town in the heart of Transylvania, and was raised in Bucharest, Romania.

He graduated from the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1989 and continued on graduating from his residency program in Anesthesiology at George Washington University Hospital, Washington DC, USA in 2003.

After graduating from an Intensive Care fellowship at the same University Hospital a year later, he continued to work at Washington University Hospital until the end of 2007 when he returned to Romania.

He started his pain management practice in 2011, being the first Romanian to be accredited in Pain Management by the World Institute of Pain in August 2017.

In 2018, his practice became the only Medical training facility in Eastern and Central Europe to be approved as a training facility by the European Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy.

He has extensive expertise in spine endoscopy,  holds regular workshops in a wide variety of minimally invasive pain management procedures across the world, and has been included in the list of approved examiners by the World Institute of Pain.

Board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. Will publish with over 40 publications. Multiple pain lectures and cadaveric courses globally. 30 years experience as a pain physician.

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 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 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.

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 Edit Racz has more than 30 years of experience in chronic pain management, with anesthesia and critical care background. She got involved with the World Institute of Pain (WIP) in 1994 and initiated the yearly Budapest Congress with Professors Prithvy Raj, Gabor Rácz and late Jim Heavner. She was one of the first to establish chronic pain care in Hungary and was the first Hungarian Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice.
Since 2013 she serves as a board examiner for WIP and she is the President of the Hungarian Chapter of the WIP.
She was a Chief Anesthesiologist, Intensivist and Pain physician at Péterfy Hospital, Budapest between 1999 and 2018. Since 2018 she has been practicing in private practice at Saint Magdolna Hospital. She performs most fluoroscopy and ultrasound guided pain interventional procedures, as well as teaches more advanced procedures to pain physicians from all over Europe. Regenerative medicine has been a part of her practice since 2006.
Currently she works in chronic interventional pain and anesthesia in Budapest at St Magdolna Private Hospital.
Her main clinical interests are treatment options for lumbar hernias, failed back surgery syndrome and regenerative medicine techniques (such as PRP and prolotherapy for various spine and musculoskeletal conditions).

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. Kristóf Rácz is an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist. He graduated from Semmelweis University in 2000, and in 2006 he passed the specialist examination. He has 19  years of experience in cardiovascular anaesthesia, heart transplantation, artificial heart anesthesia and intensive therapy.
He has been working at Semmelweis University since 2004, and between 2007-2009 he gained valuable experience as an employee of Imperial College London and Harefield Hospital NHS Trust.

In 2020, he joined the anesthesiologist team at Saint Magdolna Private Hospital, where he has been learning pain management from Dr. Edit Rácz, Dr. Ágnes Stogicza and Dr. Balázs Bartos.

In addition to cardio-vascular anesthesia and intensive therapy, he is also interested in chronic musculoskeletal and cancer pain treatment with ultrasound- and X-ray-guided procedures, as well as the fields of application of regenerative medicine.

Dr Reddy trained as a specialist registrar in anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine from the London south east thames school of anaesthesia and passed the The Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthesia, FRCA. He further completed the advanced pain medicine fellowship training from Guys & St. Thomas’ and King’s College Hospitals and was awarded Fellowship of The Faculty of Pain Medicine of
The Royal College of Anaesthetists, FFPMRCA. He passed The European Diploma in Regional Anaesthesia, EDRA conducted by the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia, ESRA in Bordeaux, France. He later passed his Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice, FIPP conducted by the World Institute of Pain, WIP in Budapest,
Hungary and Certified Interventional Pain Sonologist, CIPS conducted by the World
Institute of Pain in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Dr Reddy’s special interest is ultrasound guided interventional pain & musculoskeletal procedures. Dr Reddy is faculty and examiner for the Certified interventional Pain Sonologist CIPS examinations conducted by the World Institute of Pain in Miami & Budapest. He is the clinical director for chronic pain management services and educational director for pain medicine fellowship programme at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent, UK.
He is the course director for the Annual World Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasound conference (WAPMU) London and UK chapter chairman of The World Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasonography. Dr Reddy is the President Elect of The World Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasonography, WAPMU.
As invited faculty he helps conduct workshops for World Institute of Pain (WIP), World Academy of Pain Medicine Ultrasonography (WAPMU), European Society of Regional Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine (ESRA, Innsbruck), London Society of Regional Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine (LSORA, London), Society for Ultrasound in Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine (SUA, London) and Pain School International (PSI, Budapest).

President, Founder, and CEO (1987)
Clinica Vertebra- Barcelona / Madrid
Spine & Pain Surgery Centers, Spain

Founder (2001) & President (2005 – 2009) of the Catalan Pain Society, Academia de Ciencies Mediques i de la Salut. Barcelona

Vice-President (2012 – ), World Federation of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Societies

Founder (1993) & President (2011-2013) of World Institute of Pain, USA

Promoter ( 2016 – 2020) of Taiwan WIP East – South Asia FIPP /CIPS Program at Taiwan National University, Taipei, Taiwan

Advisor & Hon. Member ( 2020) of Taiwan WIP Registered Society

Dr. Sahinler was born in Turkey. He spent a large portion of his childhood in Washington D.C. where his family served as diplomats. He later received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Ankara with honors. Once he had his medical degree he returned to the United States and began his Anesthesiology residency at Texas Tech University School of Medicine. After residency, he completed his interventional pain management fellowship also at Texas Tech University. He was given the prestigious Dr. Racz/ Dr. Raj award for outstanding Pain Management Fellow. He has been in private practice in Lubbock Texas since 2004. Dr. Sahinler is married to Dr. Michelle Sahinler who is a Gynecologist and they have two children, Seth and Jake. He is a die-hard Red Raider and enjoys tailgating, spending time with his family, and hunting. He is proud and excited to be a partner at Lubbock Spine Institute. His special clinical interests are neuromodulation, implantable drug therapies, and kyphoplasty for the repair of osteoporotic fractures. Dr. Sahinler is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology with added qualifications in pain management.

In Prof.dr Monique Steegers’ patient care, research and education, the daily clinical practice of patients influensing 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 the pain. She works extensively with national and international education groups and will always look for national and international connection in her research. As 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 that 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).

Karolina Szadek was born in Poland. She started her medical education at the Silesian Piast Princes Medical Academy in Wrocław, Poland and graduated in 2000. In 1998 she visited the department of anesthesiology at the VU University Medical Center for the first time, where she was inspired to become an anesthesiologist and was offered anesthesiology training by prof. dr. J.J. de Lange. After her medical education she returned to Częstochowa to do her postgraduation internschip, which was predominantly focused on anesthesiology. In 2001 she got a postition as an intern at the department of nephrology in Hospital of W. Orłowski in Częstochowa, which she continued for 8 months. In June 2002 she moved to Amsterdam to learn Dutch and prepare herself for medical final exams required for registeration as a medical professional in the Netherlands. After successfully passing her medical exams in Maastricht and Nijmegen, she received her registration in 2003. From 2004 until 2010 she performed her PhD studies on sacroiliac joint pain, which involved anatomy, clinimetrics, and invasive pain treatments under supervision of prof. dr. W.W.A. Zuurmond and dr. R.S.G.M. Perez. Starting from 2008 till 2013 she followed her anesthesiology residency training at the department of anesthesiology of the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam under the supervision of prof. dr. S.A. Loer. From 2013 till present she works as an anesthesiologist at the VU University Medical Center, where she continued and finished her scientific studies described in this thesis. Next to her anesthesiology training she followed a pain and pain treatment fellowship at the same institute under supervision of prof. dr. W.W.A. Zuurmond to become a pain physician. She also followed palliative care training. From 2012 she is involved in development of the health care at the San Francisco Hospitaal in Bonaire, where she works as an anesthesiologist, pain and palliative care physician and flight doctor. Medical Specialist, Anesthesiology

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 internationally on topics of pain medicine and interventional pain management.

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 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 PhD students in his topics of interest. He organized 7 international congresses and workshops. He was a member of several scientific committees of congresses.