Meet the Faculty

Mert AKBAS was a professor of Anesthesiologist and Pain management at Akdeniz University, School of Medicine in Turkey.
He is an Algology Board certified and pain specialist in Turkey is since 2007, and FIPP since 2006.
His areas of clinical interest are decompressive neuroplasty (Lysis procedures) neuromodulation, RFT procedures (Radiofrequency thermocoagulation procedures), and CT guided percutaneous cordotomy.

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.

Dr. Javier De Andrés Ares is the head of the pain unit at the University Hospital La Paz in Madrid, Spain, Director of Hospital Universitario HLA Moncloa and co-director at Clínica del Dolor Hospital Santa Elena-Madrid. He graduated from Universidad Complutense-Madrid in June 1990, completed his anaesthesiology residency at Complejo Hospitalario de Toledo 1996 and is Fellow in Interventional Pain Practice from the World Institute of Pain 2008. In 2008, he obtained the Hassenbusch Award in from the World Institute of Pain. In addition, he is engaged in many training programmes as assistant professor and examiner, and an active member of several societies, including the Spine Intervention Society.

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

Dr. 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. Matthieu Cachemaille is currently working as an anaesthesiologist at “La Tour” Hospital in Meyrin, Geneva, Switzerland since 2022. He completed a fellowship in Toronto, Canada with a specialization in neuromodulation and ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal interventional procedures. In addition to the Swiss pain specialization (SSIPM), he holds the FIPP and CIPS diploma. He is involved in many national and international congresses as a speaker and moderator with a special interest for cryoneurolysis on peripheral nerves, regenerative medicine including PRP and stem cells and peripheral and central neuromodulation.

Aaron K. Calodney, MD

Board Certified in Anesthesiology
Board Certified in Pain Management
Fellowship Trained in Interventional Pain Management

Aaron Kenneth Calodney, MD, is Past President of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), he previously served on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP). He is the Past President of the Texas Pain Society. Dr. Calodney serves on the Advisory Board for the World Institute of Pain (WIP). He has served on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of Education for the International Spine Intervention Society (ISIS) where he is a Master Instructor. Dr. Calodney is a lecturer and examiner for the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP), and the Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) certifying examinations. Dr. Calodney is board-certified in Anesthesiology and carries subspecialty certification in Pain Management through the American Board of Anesthesiology. He is a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP).

Dr. Calodney has a degree in Music from Indiana University, completing his pre-medical education at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He 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 Houston. He subsequently completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesia at the Denver Children’s Hospital. After spending several years as a faculty member in the Department of Anesthesiology at the UT medical school in Houston, Dr. Calodney moved to East Texas, where he has practiced since 1991.

With a 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 250 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, International Spine Intervention Society, International Neuromodulation Society, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, North American Neuromodulation Society, Texas Pain Society, Texas Medical Association, Texas Society of Anesthesiology, and the Smith County Medical Society.

Dr. Calodney has hospital privileges at Texas Spine and Joint Hospital, Trinity Mother Frances Health System, and East Texas Medical Center in Tyler.

He is the author of the first Evidenced-Based Treatment Guidelines in Interventional Pain and Evidenced-Based Guidelines for the Use of Opioids published in the Pain Physician journal and on the National Guideline Clearinghouse.

• Past President – American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP)
• Board of Directors – Spine Intervention Society (SIS)
• Chairman of Education Committee – Spine Intervention Society (SIS)
• Fellow Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP)
• Diplomate – American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP)
• Past President – Texas Pain Society (2006-2008)

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.

Miles R. Day, MD (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock). Dr. Day is the medical director of The Pain Center at Grace Clinic, pain fellowship program director at Texas Tech, and the Traweek-Racz Endowed Professor in Pain Research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. He is the President 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 was 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.

Degree in Medicine and Surgery at Pavia University in 1985.
Specialization in Anesthesia and Intensive at Pavia University in 1991.
Specialization in Pain Physiopathology and Therapy at Verona University in 1995.
FIPP diploma in 2018.
Since 2012 head of the Pain Unit of Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri di Pavia
Lecturer and tutor in Pain Management for some Specialty Schools
Since 2018 teacher at Pain School International, Budapest.
I participate and participated in national and international studies, mainly on SCS.
Membership of WIP and INS
The majority of publications are on pain physiopathology, neurostimulation and neuromodulation.

Dr. Sudhir Diwan, nationally and internationally recognized as a key opinion leader in the field of pain management, is the President, Park Avenue Spine and Pain, New York, Associate Clinical Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. Dr. Diwan was the former Director of the Tri-Institutional Pain Fellowship Program and Division of Pain Medicine at Ivy League Weill Medical College of Cornell University for more than a decade, where he also served as associate professor of clinical anesthesiology, and on the faculty at the world renowned New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Diwan has published extensively in prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals and medical books on a variety of pain management topics. He is on the Editorial Board for the Pain Physician – an official journal of the American Society of Pain Physicians (ASIPP) since 2008, and Pain Practice – official journal of World Institute of Pain (WIP) since 2009. He was invited Guest Editor for Journal of Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management 2009. Dr. Diwan is the Examiner for the Certification Board for American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) and Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) offered by the World Institute of Pain. Dr. Diwan is Co-Editor for Intrathecal Drug Delivery for Pain and Spasticity, Vol 2, Timothy Deer, Series Editor, Elsevier-Saunders 2012, and Co-Editor for Diwan-Staats’s Atlas of Pain Medicine Procedures, McGraw Hill Education 2015, and Advanced Procedures for Pain Management, A step-by-step Atlas, Springer US, 2018
In addition to his busy pain management practice in New York City, Dr. Diwan lectures extensively and interacts regularly with experts in the field of pain medicine nationally and internationally. He has been guest speaker for many noteworthy organizations including the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), and State Societies Pain Meetings, the World Institute of Pain, NANS, INS, and numerous International pain specialty societies and congresses nationally and internationally. Currently he is Executive Director of NYSIPP and Course Chairman of the Annual NYSIPP/NJSIPP Pain Medicine Symposium, and President of ASIPP.

Dr 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. Eleni Episkopou is a consultant anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist with international training in Greece, Austria, UK Budapest. Certified in FIPP and CIPS, she pioneered Greece’s first stellate ganglion cryoablation for arrhythmias and the first intraoperative intercostal cryoablation during VATS. Dr. Episkopou works at Athens Metropolitan Hospital’s Interventional Radiology Department, following her fellowship at Athens Medical University. She volunteers at Athens University Pain Clinic and has supported the Dental School of Athens University. Her work bridges from acute medical pain care, to cancer palliative care focusing on Regenerative Medicine.

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 1993-2012, founder of the Turkish Society for Regional Anesthesia, President for two terms.and had been on the board of ESRA between 1993-2001.
He was also the previous exb member and president of EFIC between 1999-2011, Founder and President of the WIP since the foundation and currently chair of the Turkish Registered Section of WIP. He has the Trail Blazers award of WIP in 2017 and Honorary President of the Turkish Pain Society.

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.

Leonardo Henrique Cunha Ferraro, MD, CIPS is a physician specialising in interventional pain medicine. He holds the Certified Interventional Pain Sonographer (CIPS) credential, reflecting advanced expertise in ultrasound-guided pain procedures and a strong commitment to precision-based, evidence-informed care.
Dr. Ferraro focuses on comprehensive pain management strategies that integrate clinical excellence, patient-centred care, and minimally invasive interventional techniques. He is dedicated to improving patient outcomes through innovation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and continuous professional development.
Actively engaged in the advancement of pain medicine, Dr. Ferraro contributes to education and clinical practice within the international pain community.

Prof. Dr. med. Gerdesmeyer has been working in orthopedics and trauma surgery since 1991. During his time at the University Clinic of Lübeck and the Clinic for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery at the Technical University of Munich, he specialized in the fields of endoprosthetics, spine surgery, pediatric and tumor orthopedics. He is significantly involved in the development of modern and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Through national and international collaborations, patients receive treatments and information that correspond to the current scientific status.
Since July 1st 2010 he has been the head physician of the section oncological and rheumatological orthopedics at the University Medical Center Schleswig Holstein Campus Kiel.
Prof. Dr. med. Gerdesmeyer has written over 100 publications in international journals and books, held over 200 lectures worldwide and published his own specialist books.

Dr. Jennifer Hah is triple boarded in anesthesiology, pain medicine, and addiction medicine. She is an Associate Professor in the Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University. As a clinical epidemiologist and physician-scientist,she leads multiple multicenter clinical trials and was the top NIH-funded PI in Anesthesiology in 2023. Her research examines persistent pain and opioid use after surgery and explores interventions to encourage postoperative opioid cessation. Her research program also includes examining mechanisms of neuromodulation for the treatment of chronic pain. She is the Co-director of the Stanford Pelvic Pain program and the PI of the SPARKLE(Stanford Pain Alleviation through Research and Knowledge for Long-term Efficacy) Lab.

Sean Li, MD is an interventional pain physician. He earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, residency training in general surgery at the Mayo Clinic, and later in anesthesiology at the University of Michigan. He completed his fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Li is the immediate past-president of the New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (NJSIPP) and is the Vice-President elect of American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN). He is a physician partner at National Spine and Pain Centers and an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School at Newark, NJ.

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 in Maastricht University as a consultant in MUMC +, Dept Anesthesiology and Pain Management.

Furthermore, he is Fellow of International Pain Practice according to the World Institute of Pain and was founder and president of the Benelux Neuromodulation Society. He has been Treasurer of the International Neuromodulation Society and member of the Editorial Board of the journal Neuromodulation. He has been 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 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.

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

André Mansano, MD, Ph.D. FIPP, CIPS
Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice – World Institute of Pain
Certified in Interventional Pain Sonologist – World Institute of Pain
Diplomate of American Interventional Headache Society Board
Education Committee – WIP

Carl Noe MD FIPP is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas Texas USA. He serves as the Director of the Pain Division and Medical Director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management. His fellowship training in pain management was at Texas Tech University Health Science Center under Dr. Gabor Racz.

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. Past program director for pain fellowship at Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago. Past board member of the FIPP Examination Board, WIP; past board member of the American Board of Interventional Pain Medicine. Over 35 book chapters. Director for workshops at ASA, ASRA, WIP, CCF, INS.

Dr. Piraccini is a medical doctor specialized in anesthesiology and an intensive care provider. Particularly interested in pain medicine and clinical research. Author and co-author of 90 medical publications, including book chapters, papers in journals with impact factor, aand bstracts.
Gained experience in clinical audit. Direct experience with developing country medicine and surgery, actively contributed to humanitarian missions. Dr. Piraccini is vice chair of the WIP Italian Section.

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).

Dr Raja Reddy MD FRCA FPMRCA EDRA FIPP CIPS

Dr Reddy trained at Kings, Guys & St Thomas Hospitals in London. His current appointment is consultant in pain medicine & clinical lead for chronic pain management at Medway Maritime NHS Hospital Trust in Kent, UK. Dr Reddy as educational tutor for The Faculty of Pain Medicine, is actively involved in pain medicine fellowship training program. As a senior lecturer for Canterbury Christchurch University, Dr Reddy contributes and teaches on the postgraduate Mch orthopaedic surgical program. Dr Reddy is Faculty & Educational Committee Member for The World Institute of Pain, WIP & Examiner for FIPP & CIPS Examinations. Dr Reddy is the founder & chair of the Annual Spine & Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Intervention Pain Conference in London.

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 later received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Ankara. 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.
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).

Katherine Travnicek, MD, is a pain medicine physician in Las Vegas, NV, and has over 15 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from the University of Mississippi / Medical Center in 2007.

Andrea Trescot, MD ABIPP FIPP CIPS, is the past president of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), and past pain fellowship director at the University of Florida and the University of Washington. She is the Chief Medical Officer of Curonix (a wireless PNS company), and the CMO of Beaches Recovery, as well as a practicing physician with Orles Pain and Regenerative Medicine in Jacksonville, FL. Dr. Trescot has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters, and she is the editor and senior author of Peripheral Nerve Entrapments – Clinical Diagnosis and Management as well as co-editor of Interventional Pain – A Step-by-Step Guide for the FIPP Exam. She is board-certified in anesthesiology, critical care, interventional pain, and addictionology.

Dr. Ali Valimahomed is a pain management physician who is dual board certified in Interventional Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He completed his residency at Cornell & Columbia, after which he finished his Pain Medicine fellowship at Harvard. While in training he was honored with the esteemed “Intern of the Year” award and nominated by his peers/faculty for the prestigious position of Chief Resident.
Dr. Valimahomed’s goal is to provide targeted individualized treatment plans for his patients, with a focus on functional outcomes and quality of life. Rather than masking symptoms with medications, when possible, he strives to provide curative and minimally invasive treatment options for his patients. Dr. Valimahomed provides comprehensive care for a wide variety of painful conditions of the spine, nerves, joints, and muscles by integrating physical therapy, medications, interventional procedures, and surgery. The various treatments offered by Dr. Valimahomed include fluoroscopy-guided spinal injections, ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal injections, peripheral nerve blocks, regenerative medicine, neuromodulation, and minimally invasive spinal surgery.
Dr. Valimahomed specializes in kyphoplasty for the treatment of spinal vertebral compression fractures. He is a nationally renowned expert in peripheral nerve stimulation for the treatment of chronic joint and nerve pain. Dr. Valimahomed’s has a passion for minimally invasive spine surgery; he performs percutaneous lumbar spinal decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis (MILD / Vertiflex / AuroraZip etc), endoscopic discectomies for disc herniations, sacroiliac joint fusion for sacroiliitis.
Treatment of cancer related pain or cancer treatment related pain is something near and dear to Dr. Valimahomed’s heart. He received specialized training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dana Farber Cancer Center for treatment of cancer pain. He performs injections, sympathetic nerve blocks, intrathecal pain pumps, neuromodulation, and tumor ablation for treatment of cancer pain.

Kris Vissers is an anesthesiologist – pain specialist and consultant in palliative care, 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. As a Research Group Leader his research program focusses on the quality of life of vulnerable patients.
He is the immediate past president of the Pain Alliance in the Netherlands, oldest chapter of the IASP. He is Past President of the World Institute of Pain and immediate past chair of the Board of Examination of WIP. Currently, he is the Director education and certification of WIP.