Meet the Faculty

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

Dr. Abdallah, President of APICO Pain Management. He completed his MD and PhD at the Medical University of South Carolina, his Anesthesia residency at Rush University in Chicago, and his Pain Medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as Chief Fellow. He is board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. He served as faculty at Temple University Health and Chief of the Interventional Pain Division at the University of Vermont Health. He then transitioned to private practice.
Dr. Abdallah offers expertise in the treatment of headaches, back and neck pain, cancer pain, knee pain, abdominal pain, chronic post-surgical pain, fibromyalgia, industrial and accidental injuries, complex regional pain syndrome, and other complex pain syndromes. He tackles pain treatment in a multimodal fashion by coordinating pharmacotherapy, interventional therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic therapy, and psychotherapy. His interventional treatments span from simple spine injections to cutting edge therapies and implantable devices.
Dr. Abdallah is actively involved and serves as teaching faculty in the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, North American Neuromodulation Society, International Neuromodulation Society, World Academy of Pain Medicine United, among others. He is actively involved in pain research in the quest to advance pain therapies.
Dr. Abdallah strongly believes that every patient should be treated like a family member.

Dr. Mansoor Aman, MD works in Oshkosh, WI as a Pain Medicine Physician.
Dr. Aman is board certified in Anesthesiology and graduated from Windsor University School of Medicine. Dr. Aman has has worked on more claims relating to All Headaches (incl. Migraine) and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) than other providers in the area. At present, Dr. Aman has received an average rating of 2.0 from patients and has been reviewed 8 times. Dr. Aman is affiliated with Aspirus Wausau Hospital and Aurora Medical Center-Oshkosh. Dr. Aman’s office is not accepting new patients at this time. Dr. Aman practices at Practice in Oshkosh, WI and has additional offices in Wautoma, WI and Fond du Lac, WI.

Dr. Magdalena Anitescu, associate professor of anesthesia and critical care, is the program director for the multidisciplinary pain medicine fellowship and the section chief of pain management services at the University of Chicago Medicine. She completed a surgical internship at the University of Iowa and an anesthesia residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Following a pain medicine fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, she joined the faculty at the University of Chicago. She is an accomplished national and international educator, author of numerous textbook chapters and scientific papers, and a member of many professional organizations and scientific committees that review the academic curriculum for various pain medicine meetings.
As program director of pain medicine at the University of Chicago, Dr. Anitescu created novel educational experiences for the curriculum by organizing and hosting interdisciplinary and multi-institutional meetings. Among them are the annual Chicago Pain Summit, the bi-annual Regional Collaborative Case Conference, and multi-disciplinary rounds. The aim is to give pain fellows access to the practices at other institutions, to exchange ideas, or to present scholarly work or clinically challenging cases.
As a council board member of the Association of Pain Medicine program directors, Dr. Anitescu’s efforts were directed to the pain medicine match and to the development of educational materials for pain fellows nationwide. Dr. Anitescu focuses research on improving the quality of life of patients with acute, chronic, or cancer pain through multi-modal, multi-faceted interventions. Her main area of research resides in outpatient infusions for the treatment of chronic pain conditions as well as efficacy of interventional pain procedures in cancer survivorship; correlation between psychiatric co-morbidities and presence of chronic pain is also a main area of research interest for Anitescu.
She is also the secretary/treasurer of the Committee for Subspecialty Program Directors in the Association of Academic Anesthesiologists where she served for 2 years and participated in the scientific planning committee of the SAAAPM. She is committed to the scope of the organization and is hoping to continue to serve as its President-Elect.

Fabricio Dias 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 then, 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.

Douglas P. Beall, MD, is board-certified in Diagnostic Radiology, has an added fellowship in Musculoskeletal Radiology, is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management, and is a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology 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 minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Dr. Christina Brooks, MD works in Appleton, WI as an Anesthesiologist.
Dr. Brooks is board certified in Anesthesiology and graduated from St. Georges University School of Medicine. Dr. Brooks is affiliated with ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. Dr. Brooks’ office accepts new patients and has telehealth appointments. Dr. Brooks practices at Practice in Appleton, WI.

Dr. Candido, award winning physician, board certified in pain management, has led the pain management efforts at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical center since 2007.  A graduate and resident at New York Medical College, Dr. Candido completed his residency and pain management fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

A double board-certified interventional pain and spine specialist and anesthesiologist, Dr. Didier Demesmin is a leader in treating the full spectrum of various joint and spinal disorders with the most advanced and novel therapies. Dr. Demesmin serves as an expert consultant on emerging technologies in healthcare and is involved in ongoing clinical research to remain at the forefront of medicine. He is an associate program director of the Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship program at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute and director of the Pain Medicine Department at Saint Peters University Hospital in New Jersey. He is also an assistant professor at Rutgers RWJ Medical School and has both lectured on and taught minimally invasive surgical procedures nationally and internationally, including as a faculty member for the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience and the Latin American Pain Society. He has written numerous chapters and peer reviewed journal articles focusing on minimally invasive pain procedures, which have been featured in several textbooks and peer reviewed medical journals widely employed by pain physicians worldwide.

MEDICAL TRAINING: Rutgers RWJ Medical School (MD); SUNY Downstate Medical Center (residency); Columbia University/St. Luke’s–Roosevelt Medical Center (fellowship).

Miguel de la Garza, M.D., Dedicated to the practice of pain management and treatment, Dr. Miguel de la Garza is committed to the study and advancement of pain medicines and therapies in the treatment of pain associated with physical injury and chronic disease.

Background

Dr. de la Garza finished anesthesia residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida in 2006. He received his Doctor of Allopathic Medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. Board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine he completed an interventional pain management fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in July 2007. He then joined Comprehensive Pain Management Partners in August of 2006.

Professional

He is licensed to practice in Ohio and Florida. Dr. de la Garza has published abstracts and articles on peer reviewed journals on anesthesia and pain management. He has special interests in the treatment of disc bulges pain with new minimally invasive techniques which require no surgery. He also performs spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation. He is a frequent lecturer on the topics. He is a member of the ASRA, FSA, IASP, ASA, and ABPM

David Dickerson, MD, is the Section Chief of Pain Medicine and the Medical Director of Anesthesia Pain Services at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to this he served as Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago and as the Director of the Acute Pain Services at University of Chicago Medical Center where he worked extensively with MALS patients before, during, and after surgery. He has authored numerous articles on pain management and has held leadership roles with the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA). He received his Bachelor of Science at the University of Indiana Bloomington and his Doctor of Medicine from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.

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. He was past President of ASIPP. Currently he is Executive Director of NYSIPP and Course Chairman of the Annual NYNJ Pain Medicine Congress, and Chairman of LAPS.

Dr. Sarah A. Endrizzi is an anesthesiologist in Mequon, Wisconsin. She received her medical degree from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and has been in practice between 11-20 years. Dr. Sarah A. Endrizzi has expertise in treating neck pain and spine problems, among other conditions.

Dr. Thomas J. Faull is an anesthesiologist in Madison, Wisconsin and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Upland Hills Health-Dodgeville and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Madison. He received his medical degree from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and has been in practice between 11-20 years. Dr. Thomas J. Faull has expertise in treating neck pain and spine problems, among other conditions.

Dr. Ferguson earned his medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He went on to complete his residency in Anesthesiology and a subsequent Interventional Pain Management fellowship at the same institution. Dr. Ferguson is board-certified in Anesthesiology and carries sub-specialty certification in Pain Management through the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Ferguson is the Vice President of the Wisconsin Pain Society at the time of writing this biography. Dr. Ferguson is also on the Education Committee of the North American Neuromodulation Society. He is also on the Wisconsin Medical Board at the time of this writing. He authored the 2-hour CME for the State of Wisconsin regarding Opioid and Pain Management. He has presented at national conferences and authored peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters.

Dr. Matthew Fischer, MD works in Appleton, WI as a Pain Management Specialist.
Dr. Fischer is board certified in Anesthesiology and graduated from UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN / EAU CLAIRE. At present, Dr. Fischer has received an average rating of 2.6 from patients and has been reviewed 10 times. Dr. Fischer is affiliated with ThedaCare Medical Center-Berlin, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. Dr. Fischer’s office accepts new patients and has telehealth appointments. Dr. Fischer practices at Practice in Appleton, WI and has additional offices in Berlin, WI, Menasha, WI and Neenah, WI.

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

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

Dr. Michael W. Jung is a fellowship trained minimally invasive pain specialist who treats patients with acute and chronic pain of the spine, joints, muscles, tendons and nerves. Dr. Jung offers patients a multi-modal treatment plan to help control their pain and regain the function that they have lost. Dr. Jung employs both non-procedural and minimally invasive procedures to address and treat the symptoms that can arise from disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous system. As someone who looks to utilize the most sophisticated and newest research backed treatment options, Dr. Jung was one of the first physicians to offer a minimally invasive ultrasound based technique to reduce and eliminate tendon pain of the elbows, knees, achilles and plantar fascia.
He also has a special interest in neuromodulation for the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome, post-surgical pain of the back and joints as well as neuropathic pain. He was the first to trial and implant, a dorsal root ganglion neuromodulation system, for patients in Wisconsin.

Dr. Jung has won multiple awards recognizing his dedication to patient care including the Compassionate Doctor Recognition and Patient’s Choice Award. He also has been recognized and awarded for his community partnership with area clinics for the exceptional care given to those who otherwise would not have had access to quality medical care. Dr. Jung recognizes that pain patients each come with a unique medical and personal history that require tailoring treatments to their particular needs.
Dr. Jung also has an extensive research history with multiple peer-reviewed publications to his name. He most recently has been involved in a multi-center study utilizing a minimally invasive, percutaneous spine decompression device, enabling patients restoration of function without the need for major back surgery. His knowledge and experience in research has allowed him to utilize the best evidence based research and data to help treat his patients.
Dr. Jung practices at multiple locations in the region including Milwaukee and surrounding communities, and is expanding sites across Wisconsin.

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.

Kristin Kay is board-certified as a Family Practice Nurse practitioner with secondary board certification in Pain Management nursing with the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She has additional certification in Controlled substance management in IPM through ASIPP.
Her experience in nursing includes Women’s Health and Interventional Pain Management over the past decade.  She is the clinic director for Midwest Sports and Interventional Spine.   She has always had a strong desire to help patients get back to living life and participating in their hobbies.  She has had years of experience in creating individualized care to get patients back to their activities by setting attainable goals and utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to sustain overall health and wellness.  She has special interests in a broad spectrum of complex pain disorders including nerve pain, joint-related pain from degeneration and arthritis, and spinal stenosis.  Kay is committed to providing excellence in pain management.

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

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. Mahmoud is a double board-certified Pain Medicine specialist and Anesthesiologist who is passionate about exceptional comprehensive pain management care with a goal of providing pain relief and functional improvement.  Dr. Mahmoud cares for a wide variety of painful conditions and develops individualized treatment plans surrounding each patient’s values and goals.
Dr Mahmoud develops positive and lasting patient physician relationships founded in trust, knowledge, and advocacy. He aims to empower his patients with the necessary knowledge to understand their pain problem, allowing them to become active partners in managing their health.  His favorite part of being a pain management physician is seeing his patients return to the activities they previously enjoyed.
Dr. Mahmoud first fell in love with Pain Medicine while completing his anesthesiology residency at John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, IL.  He completed a multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Institute where he gained expertise in advanced and cutting-edge pain therapies.
In addition to his clinical activities, Dr. Mahmoud is active in research and education, organized medicine, and providing mentorship to residents and fellows. He authors expert content and publishes in high-impact scientific journals.
His hobbies include spending time with his family and friends, traveling and exercise.

Dr. Philippe Mavrocordatos was born in Greece and grew up in Switzerland. He studied medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. After training as a specialist in internal medicine, he specialized in anesthesiology.
In Australia, he trained in interventional pain medicine at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney. After his return to Switzerland in 1997, he was appointed “Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Management” at the Centre Hospitalier du Nord Vaudois. During this period (1999), he also opened the Interventional Pain Medicine Center at the Clinique Cecil in Lausanne.
In 2002, he decided to return to a more academic activity and was appointed Associate Physician, at the University Hospital of Geneva. Together with his colleague, they set up the Center for Interventional Pain Management. This center was certified ISO 9001 in 2003. The pain management center Clinique Cecil, founded in 1999, was also certified ISO 9001 in 2004.
He has been a Fellow of Interventional Pain practice (FIPP) since 2006, an examiner for the FIPP exams in Budapest since 2008, and President of the WIP for Switzerland from 2008 to 2015. From 2010 to 2018, he was president of the SGIPM. In this role he led the creation of TARMED for the specialty of interventional pain medicine and the foundation of the Congress in Montreux.
In 2016, he founded the Swiss Pain Institute, where he chairs the Board of Directors and serves as Medical Director.

Dr. Mehta is currently the Clinical Network Director of Pain Services Barts Health NHS Trust, a combination of several hospitals and community care services in London, one of the largest institutions in the UK. He also heads the Academic Pain Medicine division of the Trust and is Honorary Reader at William Harvey Institute and Queen Mary University, London. He has been awarded the Bronze award by National Clinical Excellence Awards committee in 2021 a public acknowledgment of his professional expertise and sustained and dedicated contribution to the NHS over and above his contractual requirements. Dr. Mehta has been appointed as the Vice Chair of the Examinations Board at the  Fellowship of Pain Medicine (FFPM), Royal College of Anaesthesia (RCOA). He has been elected Treasurer of NSUKI (Neuromodulation Society of UK and Ireland). He has been involved in supporting and drafting commissioning policies for neuromodulation by NHS England, particularly for headache services. He is an eminent speaker and has lectured at over 200 clinical and academic meetings. He has published extensively in the field of pain. His work on functional and restorative neurostimulation has been recognised by the international neuromodulation society and received one of the top 5 research in World Congress for 2017. His multicentre three-year outcome data on multifidus stimulation was one of the top 5 research in the UK for the year 2022.

Dr. Christina Moore, MD is a pain medicine physician in Milwaukee, WI. She is affiliated with medical facilities Aurora Medical Center-Grafton and Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Midwest Sports and Interventional Spine is an all-encompassing interventional pain medicine practice in Lake Geneva and Kenosha, Wisconsin, led by Cyril Philip, MD. Dr. Philip is double board-certified in anesthesiology and interventional pain medicine and uses his vast skillset to treat patients from all walks of life. He prioritizes minimally invasive treatments and non-opioid medications in his care.

Michelle Poliak-Tunis, MD, is a UW Health physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor specializing in pain medicine and an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Dr. Poliak-Tunis diagnoses and treats patients with chronic (long-term) pain, particularly those with conditions affecting the neck, back, spine, hips and knees. She provides a wide range of non-invasive treatments, including physical and occupational therapy, medications and pain psychology. She also specializes in interventional pain management methods, such as injections, nerve blocks and surgery.
Dr. Poliak-Tunis understands that pain can impact every aspect of daily life. She partners with her patients to find solutions that improve their overall function and quality of life. Above all, she believes in treating her patients like family. Through open communication and shared decision-making, she makes sure they feel comfortable expressing their needs.
Outside of work, Dr. Poliak-Tunis enjoys photography, traveling and spending time with her family.

Dr Kavita Poply is a highly accomplished and respected professional in the field of Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation. Currently serving as a consultant in Pain medicine and Neuromodulation at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University, London. She has dedicated her career to advancing medical education and research in neuromodulation andpain management and providing exceptional care to her patients.
She has been accredited with the Fellowship of Royal College of Anaesthetics and Faculty of Pain Medicine (FRCA, FPM RCA), London. She earned Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Queen Mary University of London for her novel and ground-breaking research on “Dynamic brain imaging (PET) response to SCS Differential Frequencies: A double blind RCT”, which has contributed significantly to understanding the effects of spinal cord stimulation treatment algorithms at the brain level in exploring objective outcome biomarkers.
Her area of expertise encompasses a wide range of painful conditions, including headaches (migraine, cluster headache and facial pains), trigeminal neuralgia, back pain, sciatica, neck pain, brachialgia, CRPS, fibromyalgia, shingles/pleuritic pain, shoulder, knee, hip and ankle joint pains, musculoskeletal pains, chronic abdominal, chronic pelvic pain, chronic groin pain (post-surgical/neuropathic), chronic anal pain, vulvodynia, cancer pain, bruxism and nonsurgical treatment for foot corns/callosities etc.Dr Poply is well-versed with the pain interventions and routinely performs various pain procedures, such as, Medial branch block, Dorsal root block, Epidurals, Radiofrequency (RF) treatments, Trigger point injections, Peripheral nerve blocks, Genicular nerve block and RF (knee pains), Intercostal nerve block and RF (shingle and chronic pleuritis), Stellate ganglion/Splanchnic nerves/Coeliac plexus/Ganglion of impar blocks, Botox infiltration (chronic migraine, bruxism and musculoskeletal pains) and Intravenous lignocaine infusions (Fibromyalgia). She offers the latest and advanced antiCGRP therapies to headache patients.Dr Poply is highly skilled in the advanced stimulation therapies (Spinal cord stimulator, Multifidus stimulator, Peripheral nerve stimulator) for the multiple refractory painful conditions, such as Back pain with or without Sciatica, Neck pain with or without brachialgia, CRPS, Diabetic neuropathy, Osteoarthritic knee/Hip Pain, Ankle pain and Groin pain as a conservative and minimally invasive surgical option. Her neuromodulation expertise extends into occipital nerve stimulation for chronic migraine and cluster headaches. Her clinical practice is entirely based on authentic evidence-based practices founded on research and education.
Her commitment to the patient’s well-being is evident through the excellent feedback she receives. Apart from her clinical roles, Dr Kavita Poply is running various research projects including NIHR trial and actively contributes to the medical community through various leadership positions and educational roles. She serves as the Program Lead for the “PGcert in Neuromodulation and Pain Management program” at Queen Mary University, London and Co-director for the Executive Education Program In Neuromodulation (EEPIN), City university of London. She is successfully running these programs with international faculty collaboration across the globe.Dr Poply’s dedication to medical education extends her role beyond the geographical boundaries in the Education Committees, Examinership and Pain journal’s editorship

After completing his active-duty tour in the United States Navy as a physician and Flight Surgeon for the HMHT-302 Squadron, Dr. Keth Pride went on to complete his chronic pain fellowship training at the Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2018, he was then hired as faculty at UW-Madison Anesthesiology Department, serving as a full time Chronic Pain
Physician.
He is currently the Associate Director for the UW Chronic Pain Fellowship program, section head of Neuromodulation, and the director for the Anesthesia Resident Pain Rotation. He is involved in multiple ongoing research studies with one studying the efficacy of lumbar
radiofrequency ablation. He is also actively involved at the UW Medical School where he teaches medical students as a Partner Longitudinal Teacher Coach. As a chronic pain provider, he strives to incorporate and utilize multimodal therapy, but has a special interest in interventional pain medicine and the field of peripheral nerve stimulation, specifically its application in the treatment of chronic and neuropathic pain.

Jeffrey S. Raskin MS, MD, FAAP, FAANS is an assistant professor and board certified pediatric neurosurgeon. He completed residency in the department of neurological surgery at Oregon Health & Science University and fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery at Texas Children’s Hospital. He maintains specific interests in functional neurosurgery in children and serves as Director of Functional Neurosurgery at Lurie Children’s. Dr. Raskin is a member of American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Pediatrics, American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, North American Neuromodulation Society and associate editor of Operative Neurosurgery. Dr. Raskin’s career goals include promotion to full professor of neurological surgery, maximizing the national and international reputation of neurosurgical care at Lurie Children’s, and serving the profession of neurological surgery through national representation. Dr. Raskin enjoys amateur bird watching, art, and culture with his wife.

Dr. Rosenberg received his Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and his MD degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine internship at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, a neurology residency at Wake Forest University, North Carolina Baptist Hospital and an interventional pain management fellowship at Wake Forest University, North Carolina Baptist Hospital. Dr. Rosenberg is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for both Neurology and Pain Medicine. Currently, he is the only physician in South Carolina that is board certified in both Neurology and Pain Medicine.
Dr. Rosenberg lectures extensively on spinal cord stimulators. He also runs an active research company trialing drugs and devices for the healthcare industry.
Dr. Rosenberg resides in Pawleys Island with his wife and three children.

Raised in central Illinois, Atit Shah, MD, is a Midwesterner at heart. Dr. Shah obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, where he studied bioengineering with a minor in chemistry. He decided to stay at his alma mater to obtain his medical degree. After medical school, Dr. Shah did his first year of residency in a suburb of Chicago.
During his anesthesiology residency in New York City, Dr. Shah realized his passion for pain management and for helping patients alleviate their pain. Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Shah decided to make his way back to the Midwest. He moved to Ohio, where he completed his fellowship in pain medicine at Case Western University. Dr. Shah truly enjoys practicing medicine and working in collaboration with patients and other healthcare providers.

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.

As the medical director of Ohio Pain Clinic in Centerville, Ohio, Amol Soin, MD, offers comprehensive care for managing chronic pain and a variety of spinal disorders. Dr. Soin uses an integrative approach to identify the causes of pain and other symptoms to improve each patient’s overall health and wellness.
He has been recognized as one of America’s Top Doctors multiple times and is the recipient of the Patient’s Choice Award, an honor given only to the top 1% of physicians in the country.  Dr. Soin is triple board-certified in pain management and is also a board-certified anesthesiologist. He is currently a clinical assistant professor of surgery at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Soin has been involved in medical research since medical school. He is the author of the book Curing America: A Look Inside America’s Failing Health Care System, which focuses on the 40 million Americans living without health insurance in a country that boasts the world’s largest economy. Dr. Soin promoted his book on affiliates of NBC and CBS and numerous radio stations and his work earned him recognition as one of Dayton Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award-winners. He was also a finalist for the William H. Fallor research award.
Raised in Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Soin earned his medical degree at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. He completed a residency in anesthesiology at Rush University in Chicago and later finished his fellowship training in pain management at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, the oldest and largest academic pain management department in the United States. Throughout his training, Dr. Soin remained actively involved in research studies and authored multiple papers and textbook chapters about pain management.
Dr. Soin brings his extensive knowledge and uses the latest techniques available in pain management to Ohio Pain Clinic for the benefit of his patients. He is known for his compassionate approach and commitment to ethical patient care that focuses on holistic treatments to minimize the use of narcotics in pain management.

Dr. Dawn Sparks currently owns, operates, and runs her private practice called Lighthouse Healing located on the beautiful island of Kaua’i. She serves on the Special Planning Committee for NANS and is honored to have been on this committee for over three years. Dr. Sparks has also published numerous chapters and journal articles. She has reviewed for journals and had articles in the NANS newsletter. Dr. Sparks is pleased to be helping with progression in our field. She recently has attended over seven leadership training programs in furtherance of her expertise. Dr. Sparks is a proud member of the Hawaii Pain Society located in Honolulu. She has been asked to speak in three additional countries as well as the U.S. this year. Dr. Sparks trained at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic with multiple pioneers in pain management. She continues to publish on important topics in the field of pain medicine. Her book chapters are included in Clinical Pain Management, Abdominal Pain, and Spinal Injections and Peripheral Nerve Blocks to name a few. Dr. Sparks has lectured at many conferences across the country as well as having poster presentations internationally. Historically, Dr. Sparks graduated with honors from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1999. Early in her college career, she did research with a pediatric oncologist and saw the need for effective pain control.
Dr. Sparks was perplexed by the ordeals patients faced and hoped to ease the many difficulties patients experience when in unrelenting pain. This early interest in pain medicine led her to Ohio University for medical school, followed by postgraduate training in Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the Cleveland Clinic, which she completed in 2009. After three years as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dr. Sparks then ventured into private practice. Dr. Sparks is pleased to be a part of various groups promoting the advancement of interventional pain. She is also an active member of Women In Neuromodulation. Dr. Sparks would like to thank everyone who has helped contribute to her growth and success as an aspiring female physician neuromodulator.

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

Dr. Tolga Suvar, MD is a pain medicine physician in Oak Park, IL. He is affiliated with medical facilities such as Rush University Medical Center and Presence Saint Marys Hospital

Dr. Yeatman is board certified in Interventional Pain Management, Pain Management and Anesthesiology. She is a fellow of the World Institute of Pain, and serves as an instructor for both the American Society of Pain Physicians and for the World Institute of Pain. Dr. Yeatman is honored to be serve as a board examiner for the American Board of Interventional Pain and the Green Bay Packers Pain Physician. She is also an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Dr. Yeatman is trained in all aspects of Interventional Pain Management including medication management, all spinal, joint and peripheral injections, minimally invasive spine procedures and kyphoplasties.
Specialty Interests: Dr Yeatman is interested in using cutting edge technology along with  traditional procedures to help control pain. She is passionate about knowing her patients and helping to decrease their pain to improve their quality of life. She has an interest in spine pain (pre-surgery and post-surgery), compression fractures, joint pain and nerve pain.