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Thursday, September 10, 2020
06:30 – 08:30 ET

SE01 - Not All Back Pain is the Same: The Importance of Individualised Assessment and Treatment
Chair: Mary S. Cardosa, MD – Selayang Hospital
Speaker: Ozlan IM Kamil, MD, MS (Ortho), FIPP, CIPS, Fellowship in Spine Surgery – Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur
Speaker: Michael K. Nicholas, PhD – The University of Sydney
Speaker: Ramani Vijayan Sannasi, MBBS, FFARCS, FANZCA – University Malaya Specialist Centre
Speaker: Nicholas HL Chua, Ph.D MBBS (S’pore), MMed (Anaes). FIPP (USA), Dipl.AAPM (USA), FAMS (Anaes) – Singapore Pain Clinic Pte Ltd
This session will discuss the need for multidisciplinary, individualised assessment and treatment of chronic low back pain. Speakers will discuss diagnosis, primary care management, pharmacological management, and the importance of exercise and interventions. There will also be skills training on activity pacing and whole-person pain management.
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Measurement in Pain

09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW01 - Understanding Sex Differences in Pain Sensitivity from Cellular and Brain Connectivity Perspectives
Chair: Karen D. Davis, PhD – Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network
Speaker: Michael Salter, MD, PhD – Hospital for Sick Children
Speaker: Roger Fillingim, PhD – University of Florida
Sex, Gender and Pain

11:00 – 12:30 ET

TW02 - What is Pain in Infants? Current Considerations on the Biological, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Clinical Dimensions of Pain
The new 2020 IASP definitions reiterates the complexity of pain. The emphases on acknowledging the possible existence of pain in the absence of verbal description and the potential of other ways to express the pain experience underscores the importance of collaboratively transcending disciplinary approaches to the study and care of people with pain. With infants, where self-report is never available, it raises the important question of how do we access pain experience in absence of verbal report?
The definition of pain is intimately related to the tools available to measure it. As scientists and clinicians, we rely on proxy strategies and inference associated to long-term outcomes to make a judgement on their state. These strategies and therefore what is considered pain can vary across disciplines. In this session, a basic, a behavioural, and a clinical scientist will discuss how what they measure influences what they consider infant pain. In doing this, they will provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art knowledge update on brain processing, cognitive-behavioural responding in a social context, and clinical assessment of infants considered to be in pain.
Pain Special Populations - including Pediatrics and Geriatrics

Thursday, September 24, 2020
09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW03 - Translation in Pain Research – A Two-Way Street in Need of More Travel
Chair: Petra Schweinhardt, MD, PhD – Balgrist University Hospital
Speaker: Michael S. Gold, PhD – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Speaker: Laura S. Stone, PhD – University of Minnesota
Translational research is of tremendous importance, also – and perhaps particularly so – in the pain field. Nevertheless, translational pain research has been somewhat neglected. Pre-clinical science advances at an incredible speed, adding mechanistic layers to our understanding of factors that may contribute to sensory hypersensitivity and spontaneous pain. These advances are aided by impressive new tools such as opto- and chemogenetics. However, it is in many instances unclear whether and to which extent these mechanisms operate in human patients and how they could be measured. It is therefore of paramount importance to identify ways to assess the same parameters in humans as in pre-clinical models and to ensure that clinically-relevant information is integrated in pre-clinical and basic human research. In this workshop, the challenges as well as the potential gains of translational pain research will be discussed and concrete examples of successful and unsuccessful translational pain research from different pain conditions and different perspectives will be given.
Other

13:00 – 14:30 ET

GP01 - From Media to Medicine: Making Sense of Children’s Pain in Cultural and Medical Contexts
Moderator: Jennifer N. Stinson, Rn, PhD, CPNP, FAAN – Hospital for Sick Children
Speaker: Melanie Noel, PhD, RPsych – University of Calgary
Speaker: Lauren Heathcote, PhD – Stanford University Medical School
Speaker: Carley Ouellette, MSc – Hamilton Health Sciences
From birth, pain is an inevitable and prevalent experience. How pain is experienced in childhood sets the stage for pain and healthcare experiences well into adulthood. Children’s pain is experienced in, and strongly influenced by, their social context. How children’s pain is displayed in popular media, and how it is explained and communicated by medical providers, has a powerful influence on how pain is understood and experienced. Nevertheless, little research attention has been paid to the influences of popular media and the clinical encounter on pediatric pain and the meaning of these influences for people with lived experience. This workshop will address these gaps and push forward the conversation about these pivotal socio-cultural influences on children’s pain.
Pain Special Populations - including Pediatrics and Geriatrics

Thursday, October 8, 2020
06:30 – 08:30 ET

SE03 - Multidisciplinary Approaches to Osteoarthritis Pain
Chair: Maria Dolma Gudez-Santos, MD, Master Hosp Admin; Diploma RA – University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital
Speaker: Juan Javier T. Lichauco, MD FPCP, FPRA – St Luke's Medical Center
Speaker: Khin Myo Hla, MBBS , PhD (Japan) Dip. Med. Ed. – Yangon General Hospital, University of Medicine-I
Speaker: Zubaidah Jamil Osman, (D. Psych) (Clin.) (Melb.) – University of Cyberjaya
Speaker: Myint Thaung, MD – Yangon General Hospital, University of Medicine-I
Speaker: Stephan Schug, MD FANZCA FPMANZCA EDPM – University of Western Australia
This session will focus on clinical resources for the primary healthcare provider as OA is a common disease condition underlying pain complaints. An overview of OA, non-pharmacologic interventions, surgical interventions, and management of postsurgical pain will be discussed.
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Measurement in Pain

09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW04 - Digital Health and Pain Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Have We Learned and How Will Things Change?
Chair: Robert N. Jamison, PhD – Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School
Speaker: Jennifer N. Stinson, Rn, PhD, CPNP, FAAN – Hospital for Sick Children
Speaker: Christopher Eccleston, PhD – The University Of Bath
The COVID-19 pandemic has been profoundly felt by those seeking or receiving chronic pain treatment. Patients are at risk of severe and debilitating sequelae, without needed services for recovery (i.e., developing new behaviors designed to enhance coping and quality of life) due to halting in-person care and a slow pivot to virtual care. While virtual care models (e.g., telehealth) and web and smartphone pain applications show efficacy, their implementation has been sporadic. This workshop will present a discussion on what was learned in caring for persons with chronic pain during the global pandemic. We will (1) review early evidence and describe the facilitators and barriers encountered in remotely caring for and enhancing patient engagement to influence behavior change; (2) describe what technological solutions were found to be most useful to provide virtual clinic assessments and treatment across the life span (children, young adults, adults, elderly); (3) discuss specific virtual interventions including physical activity monitoring, symptom tracking, medication use, and synchronous and asynchronous pain management using videoconferencing, smartphone apps, and wearable sensors; and (4) present recommendations of how pain management services using virtual care technology can be implemented and how these will become standard practice in pain management.
Other

Tuesday, October 20, 2020
09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW07 - New Preclinical and Clinical Evidence for Macrophages in the Pathogenesis and Resolution of Chronic Pain
Chair: Ru-Rong Ji, PhD – Duke University Medical Center
Speaker: Marzia Malcangio, PhD – Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London
Speaker: Kathleen A. Sluka, PT, PhD, FAPTA – University of Iowa
As a prominent immune cell type macrophages have been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic pain by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Recent evidence suggests that macrophages also play an active role in the resolution of pain by producing anti-inflammatory cytokines and specialized pro-resolving mediators (SMPs). Human studies also show phenotypic changes of macrophages in chronic pain patients. In this workshop, we will discuss preclinical and clinical evidence that macrophages have different phenotypes and play distinct roles in pain regulation. Three speakers have diverse expertise in basic and translational pain research. Dr. Ji will discuss how TLR9 signaling in macrophages regulates neuropathic pain in male mice. He will also present evidence that GPR37 is a SPM receptor and regulates the resolution of inflammatory pain by altering macrophage M1/M2 phenotype and promoting phagocytosis. Dr. Malcangio will discuss how miRNAs regulate macrophage phenotype in neuropathic pain. She will also demonstrate evidence that pro-resolution mediator Mar1 regulates inflammatory pain and macrophage phenotype. Dr. Sluka will present the evidence that non-pharmacological treatments activate endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms to reduce inflammation. She will discuss preclinical and clinical studies examining the underlying mechanisms of exercise and neuromodulation techniques in the regulation of macrophage phenotypes.
Chronic Pain - Other

11:00 – 12:30 ET

IS01 - GSK Symposium: Improving Pain Management and Outcomes in Patients with Mild to Moderate Musculoskeletal Pain
Speaker: Philip J. Wiffen, MSc, BPharm – Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine
Speaker: Stephen McMahon, PhD – King's College London
Speaker: Angel Lanas, MD, DSc, AGAF, FACG – University Clinical Hospital Zaragoza
Speaker: Paul Dargan, MBBS – Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Moderator: Roberto Bazzanella, MD – GSK Consumer Healthcare S.A.
This symposium aims to provide an overview of the most recent clinical evidence and patient suitability for optimal usage of topical diclofenac in both acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain. It will also review evidence relating to the use of topical diclofenac as first-line treatment in an ageing population suffering from pain related to osteoarthritis. The session will include a panel discussion of the latest data regarding all topical NSAIDs in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain as well as providing an opportunity for Q&As.

13:00 – 14:30 ET

GP02 - Pain: Don't Go It Alone
Moderator: Joletta Belton, MSc – IASP
Speaker: Mary Wing, Grad.Dip/Chronic Condition Management – Adelaide Pain Support Network
Speaker: Jenny Bennett, BA(Hons) Dip Ed – Leap SA
Speaker: Virginia McIntyre, BA, MRT(R) (MR) – PIPN- Annapolis Valley, NS Pain Self-Management support group network
In accordance with the IASP’s Global Year for the Prevention of Pain, this workshop will describe the relevance and importance of peer support in chronic pain management. Peer support is a part of the jigsaw that constitutes multidisciplinary management of chronic pain. It can help to prevent pain patients from losing the progress they have made in managing their pain and support them to continue to manage in the best way they can. Presentations will raise the awareness of how peer-led support groups can offer education and self-management strategies for chronic pain patients, along with valuable social interaction. Peer support is an under-utilized area in pain management, however there is evidence of increased self-efficacy and improved quality of life for not only chronic pain, but many other chronic conditions.
Chronic Pain - Other

Thursday, November 5, 2020
03:30 – 05:30 ET

SE02 - Update on Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Chair: Supranee Niruthisard, MD – Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Medicine
Speaker: Troels S Jensen, MD, DMSc, Clinical Professor – Aarhus University
Speaker: Andrew SC Rice, MD, FRCP, FFPMRCA, FFPMCAI – Imperial College London
Speaker: Jimmy Barus, MD, Ph.D – School of Medicine and Health Science Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya Jakarta Indonesia
Speaker: Ji Kwan Lee, PhD – Hospital Selayang, Ministry of Health
Neuropathic Pain

06:00 – 07:30 ET

TW06 - Large-scale Research Consortia in Pain: Experiences in Europe, USA and Japan
Chair: Petra Bloms-Funke, PhD – Independent Consultant
Speaker: Masako Hosoi, MD, PhD – Kyushu University Hospital
Speaker: André Mouraux, MD, PhD – UCLouvain
Speaker: Barbara Illowsky Karp, MD – NIH
Innovation is needed to reduce the suffering of so many pain patients who cannot be treated adequately with current therapies. As lack of effective and safe pain management is a societal problem, it is in the interests of all stakeholders to cooperate closely to improve the situation.
Funding agencies and public-private partnerships in Europe, the U.S.A. and Japan have enhanced their engagements to boost innovation by coordinating multi-disciplinary approaches between all key stakeholders in pain R&D and healthcare. The speakers will share their experiences in building large-scale consortia: the European IMI-PainCare project of the Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI), the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) Initiative and two of its programs, the Preclinical Screening Platform for Pain (PSPP) and the Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network (EPPIC-NET), and a research project funded by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).
Different perspectives on the challenges and learnings will be reflected. Furthermore, the speakers will emphasize valuable synergies which will arise from interactions between these programs, enabling a trans-continental consensus. It will be critically discussed which collaborative efforts are still needed to further the science in chronic pain.
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Measurement in Pain

08:00 – 09:30 ET

IS02 - Teva Symposium: Role of CGRP in Pain Pathways: Migraine and Other Headache Disorders
Speaker: Rami Burstein, PhD – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Speaker: Charles E. Argoff, MD – Albany Medical Center
Moderator: Antoinette Maassen van den Brink, PhD – Erasmus Medical Center
This symposium will introduce pain specialists to the CGRP-related pain pathways in migraine and other headache disorders. Dr. Rami Burstein, an expert on the pathophysiology of neural pathways that underlie migraine pain, will discuss the role of CGRP in headache and pain. As a neurologist and pain specialist, Dr. Charles Argoff will offer his insights from the pain clinic on migraine and headache disorders in patients. Dr. Antoinette Maassen van den Brink, a neuropharmacologist, will both moderate the discussion and present pharmacological and clinical data on CGRP-targeted treatment options for the prevention of migraine. The program will end with a case study discussion of patients with migraine and pain. Questions may be submitted throughout the program to be addressed by the faculty during a live Q&A session following the presentations. This symposium is sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Thursday, November 19, 2020
09:30 – 11:00 ET

Advancing Pain Education: the Tufts Experience
Moderator: Daniel Carr, MD – Tufts University School of Medicine
Speaker: Antje Barreveld, MD
Speaker: Libby Bradshaw, DO, MS – Tufts University School of Medicine
Speaker: Pamela Ressler, RN, MS, HNB-BC – Tufts University School of Medicine
This webinar is the first in a series organized by IASP’s Special Interest Group on Pain Education. This SIG has been active globally, with efforts ranging from development of uni- through interprofessional curricula and competencies, to the 2018 Global Year for Excellence in Pain Education. This webinar will describe Tufts University’s interdisciplinary pain education program inaugurated 20 years ago. We will trace its evolution from a Master of Science program in pain research, education and policy to a series of resources and methods targeting medical student education as part of Tufts’ newly reorganized medical school curriculum.

11:30 – 13:00 ET

IS03 - Novartis AG Symposium: Migraine: What the Pain Specialist Needs to Know
Moderator: Pascal Proot, MD – University of Ghent
Speaker: Messoud Ashina, MD, PhD – University of Copenhagen
Speaker: Cristina Tassorelli, MD, PhD – IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation
This symposium will educate pain specialists about the burden of migraine and the need for continuous and consistent management. Dr Pascal Proot will chair the session, moderate a panel discussion and provide his insights on the importance of both acute and preventive treatment in the management of migraine. Professor Messoud Ashina will provide an overview of the burden of migraine on patients’ lives and on society. Professor Cristina Tassorelli will discuss recent advances in the understanding of migraine pathophysiology, including the role of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Following these presentations, the audience will be able to ask questions, which will be discussed live by the panel of experts. This symposium is sponsored by Novartis.

Thursday, December 3, 2020
09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW14 - The Revolutionary Impact of Single Cell RNAseq on Our Understanding of Cellular Response to Tissue Injury
Speaker: Patrik Ernfors, PhD – Karolinska Institute
Speaker: Ariel Levine, MD, PhD – NINDS
Speaker: William Renthal, MD, PhD – Brigham and Women's Hospital
Recent advances in sequencing technologies have enabled highly-detailed and quantitative characterization of gene expression at the single cell level. This has enabled a powerful approach to the identification of diverse cell types throughout the body. These approaches have been employed in the nervous system at sites such as the primary afferent and the spinal cord dorsal horn particularly important for nociception. Speakers in this session with discuss the application of this technology in the context of nociceptive processing and summarize some of the most recent advances in the field.
Basic Science: Pain Models

11:00 – 12:30 ET

TW13 - Translational Neurophysiological Endpoints/Markers in Neuropathic Pain?
In this session, Dr. David Seminowicz will review the use of functional MRI outcomes in clinical trials, as well as the use of an EEG biomarker for predicting pain sensitivity; Dr. Francesca Fardo will present novel protocols to investigate pain and heat illusions, based on the thermal grill illusion or TGI (i.e., warm/cold spatial alternations) and the thermal sensory limen or TSL paradigm (i.e., warm/cold temporal alternations); and Dr. Simon Haroutounian will present recent data describing cognitive inflexibility as a potential marker of increased susceptibility to chronic pain. In addition, he will question whether these cognitive deficiencies can be mitigated by targeted neurocognitive training, and discuss the potential of such approaches in preventing and treating chronic pain. This session was organized by the Neuropathic Pain SIG (NeuPSIG). This is independent session with costs supported by Transpharmation
Neuropathic Pain

13:00 – 14:30 ET

GP03 - Self-Management of Pain during a Pandemic: Is this Possible?
Moderator: Diarmuid Denneny, MSc, BSc(Hons) – University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Speaker: Karime Mescouto, MSc – The University of Queensland
Speaker: Pete Moore – Pain Toolkit
Speaker: Jackie Walumbe – University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
During this interactive session Jackie, Karime, Pete and Diarmuid will open a discussion on self-management for pain and its meaning from a range of different perspectives including the lived experience of pain, clinical delivery of services, and research.

Participants will be asked to offer their understandings of self-management. They will hear about ways self-management support has been adapted and delivered, using the disruption of COVID-19 as a backdrop, whilst considering wider implications of self-management via telehealth in terms of the human and social aspects.
Chronic Pain - Other

Thursday, January 28, 2021
09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW09 - Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Considerations in Animal and Human Analgesic Studies
Chair: Simon Haroutounian, MSc.Pharm, PhD – Washington University in St. Louis
Speaker: Albert Dahan, MD, PhD – Leiden University Medical Center
Speaker: Garth T. Whiteside, MBA, PhD – Imbrium Therapeutics
This workshop will provide an introduction on the importance of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) considerations in studies of analgesic medications in animals and humans. Drug PK parameters determine the concentration of a drug in plasma, and in the tissue of interest. The relationship between a drug’s concentration at its cellular/molecular target, and its pharmacological effect (i.e. pharmacodynamics) are critically important for determining the efficacy and safety profiles of each drug. Unfortunately, in pain research in general, and in preclinical research in particular, comprehensive pharmacokinetic characterization of experimental drugs is seldom performed, while claims of efficacy and safety are being made.
The speakers will provide an overview of fundamental principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and will present examples to help the attendees understand how PK and PD parameters are calculated, estimated or obtained empirically. In addition, through their own work, the speakers will provide more detailed examples of experiments that involve PK-PD modeling, discuss the advantages of including comprehensive PK-PD assessment in pain studies, and discuss pitfalls and limitations.
Clinical Intervention - Phamacological, including Opioids

11:00 – 12:30 ET

AusCann Symposium: What is the evidence for THC/CBD in chronic pain? A Critical Review
This talk will review the evidence base in both animal models and human clinical studies of THC/CBD. What type of pain does it treat? What are the side-effects? How is a trial of therapy practically implemented? What research questions remain unanswered? What will the future hold in cannabinoid therapy?

13:00 – 14:00 ET

Data Blitz Session
Presenting Author: Lizbeth Ayoub, BSc, PhD (student)
Presenting Author: Camila Bonin Pinto, MSc, PhD
Presenting Author: Gadi Gilam, PhD
Presenting Author: Katerina Zorina-Lichtenwalter, PhD
Presenting Author: Harold Siden, MD, MHSc
Presenting Author: Giovanna Testa, PhD

Thursday, February 11, 2021
09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW10 - Is Nocebo Placebo's Evil Twin?
Chair: Karolina A. Wartolowska, PhD, MD – University of Oxford
Speaker: Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS – University of Maryland
Speaker: Martina Amanzio, PhD – University of Turin
The nocebo effect refers to worsening of symptoms or adverse events that are related either to the use of placebo or to the active treatment, caused by factors such as negative suggestions, past experiences, and misattribution, but not the pharmacological or physiological effects of the therapy. Unlike placebo, which can be used to help to relieve symptoms or potentiate the effect of a treatment, nocebo is always unwanted. Nocebo may make a treatment look ineffective or harmful, and, therefore, it distorts the treatment effect in clinical practice, in biomedical experiments, and clinical trials.

We suggest the virtual workshop to complement the face-to-face workshop by engaging the audience in discussion about the nature and definition of nocebo. The face-to-face workshop will focus on the nocebo effect in the context of clinical practice and trials.
Placebo

11:00 – 12:30 ET

Pediatric Pain Treatment and Prevention for Hospitalized Children
Moderator: Stefan Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP – University of California at San Francisco, Benioff Children’s Hospitals
Speaker: Kavita Desai Dakoji, PhD – Children’s Minnesota
Speaker: Marsha Campbell-Yeo, RN, PhD – Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre

13:00 – 14:30 ET

GP04 - Incorporating the Lived Experience of Pain in Research
Speaker: Dawn P. Richards, PhD – Five02 Labs Inc
Speaker: Mary O'Keeffe, PhD – Institute for Musculoskeletal Health
Moderator: Kathryn Birnie, PhD – University of Calgary
Speaker: Katherine Dib – Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP)
In this session, researchers and patient advocates will talk about their experiences in research, clinical guidelines, and treatment programs. As the importance of involving people with lived experience (patient partners) in the co-creation of research protocols, guidelines, and treatment grows around the world, effective partnerships will be crucial to developing better research and clinical outcomes. This session will provide attendees with best practices and lessons learned that can be incorporated into the research and clinical practice of attendees.

The panel will speak to their professional and academic experiences with respect to lessons learned co-designing research projects with individuals with the lived experience of pain, best practices in working patient advocates as research partners, and identifying resources to engage patients as research partners. Further, panel members with the lived experience of pain will speak about their experiences in collaborative engagement and the important role of patient partners in designing research and engaging as equal members of research teams.
Chronic Pain - Other

Thursday, February 25, 2021
09:00 – 10:30 ET

TW11 - Measuring Affective States Across Species in Relation to Pain
Speaker: Vera Baumans, DVM PhD DipECLAM – Utrecht University
Speaker: Lee Niel, PhD – Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph
Speaker: Francoise Wemelsfelder, PhD – Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)
Moderator: Nick Andrews, PhD
Moderator: Duncan Lascelles, BSc, BVSc, PhD, MRCVS, CertVA, DSAS(ST), DECVS, DACVS – North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine
The affective component of pain is a significant contributor to the more global experience of patient suffering. Opioids alleviate the negative affective component of pain and make the pain less aversive. However, affective state is not just a product of pain, it can also be a driver of pain. Pre-surgical catastrophizing reliably predicts a higher self-reported pain score after the surgery. A number of interventions to reduce pre-surgical anticipatory anxiety successfully modify post-surgical pain in a variety of patient populations. Beyond traditional measures of evoked stimuli, the ability to study the bidirectional relationship between pain and affective state in animal models requires new tools be added to the in-vivo scientist’s toolbox. The theory and data supporting the value of affective state measurements in animal models of pain will be explored, including introduction to several methods of evaluating affective state, in several common pre-clinical animal model species: mouse, rat, dog, and pig.
Basic Science: Pain Models

11:00 – 12:00 ET

CRPS SIG Webinar
Moderator: Andreas Goebel, MD
Moderator: Frank Birklein, MD
Speaker: Elon Eisenberg, MD, Prof. – Institute of Pain medicine
Speaker: Monika Halicka
Speaker: Nadja A. Vielot, PhD, MSPH
CRPS research continues despite the pandemic situation. As the IASP SIG on CRPRS, we aim to provide interested scientists and clinicians with the latest CRPS research and, where appropriate, use it to directly improve treatment. This first online seminar will focus on the treatment, pathophysiology, and epidemiology of CRPS. The first presentation will report on the treatment of CRPS pain with cannabis-based medicine, the second presentation will show recent findings on somatosensory reorganization of the brain in CRPS patients and its implications for treatment, and the final presentation will provide evidence-based figures on the incidence of CRPS after HPV vaccination. At the end of each presentation we will invite you to a lively discussion.

13:00 – 14:30 ET

GP05 - Why Don’t Patients Do What I Tell Them to? The Art and Science of Healthcare Communication
Moderator: Blair H. Smith, MD, MEd, FRCGP, FFPMRCA, FRCP – University of Dundee
Speaker: Joletta Belton, MSc – IASP
Speaker: Mike Stewart, MSc BSc (Hons) MCSP SRP PG Cert (Clin Ed) – Know Pain Ltd
Every interaction between health care professionals and people seeking care involves communication and some form of education, yet our training programs often don’t address these crucial pieces of the treatment puzzle. Clinicians are not taught how to teach or how to effectively communicate, and thus can become frustrated when patients aren’t following treatment recommendations. Patients can also experience frustration when they are not being heard, they’re concerns are not being addressed, or their pain is invalidated. How can we do better?
In this session we will identify some of the barriers to effective communication between patients and healthcare professionals, including clinicians and researchers. We will then explore various solutions that will help ease the understandable frustrations felt by healthcare professionals and patients alike. This session goes beyond dialogue and checklists, expounding upon how to listen to understand, the value of meaningful conversations that can facilitate change, and how to co-create new, more therapeutic narratives that help patients make sense of their pain in ways that make both biological and biographical sense. We will explore how to guide patients to new understandings of their pain and what can be done, including what they can do, about it.
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Measurement in Pain

Thursday, March 11, 2021
03:00 – 04:30 ET

TW12 - How “Neuropathic” is Neuropathic Pain? Thoughts for Basic and Clinical Researchers
Chair: Franziska Denk, DPhil, MSc, BA – King's College London
Speaker: Franziska Karl, Dr. rer. nat. – University of Wuerzburg/ Department of Neurology
Our field generally groups pathophysiological pain into neuropathic and inflammatory, a useful dichotomy from a diagnostic standpoint. Yet, it is well-known that neuropathic lesions and any consequent peripheral sensitization are substantially driven by pro-inflammatory mediators. How do these two facts fit into one cohesive framework? Our nomenclature biases us to assume that neuropathic pain is somehow “less inflammatory” than inflammatory pain; however, is this actually supported by evidence?

Our live workshop at IASP will examine this question in a series of talks, but for our virtual workshop we instead want to hear from you! Are you a basic or clinical researcher? A clinical practitioner? A patient or patient expert? Do you think of some types of pain as more or less inflammatory than others? What classifications are most useful to you in terms of diagnosis/ when deciding on treatment options? Do you think about neuropathic versus inflammatory pain models in your research?

Our two moderators (helpfully both called Franziska!) will briefly introduce why we think this is an interesting topic from a research perspective and then open up the floor to your thoughts and questions. Please join us for what we hope to be a lively, interdisciplinary discussion!
Neuropathic Pain

07:00 – 08:30 ET

GP06 - The Social-Psycho-Bio Model: What Does this Mean for the Lived Experience of Pain?
Moderator: Blair H. Smith, MD, MEd, FRCGP, FFPMRCA, FRCP – University of Dundee
Speaker: Pamela Katz Ressler, RN, MS, HNB-BC – Tufts University School of Medicine and Stress Resources
Speaker: Eugenie Lee – Independent Artist
Speaker: Jody Thomas, PhD – Stanford School of Medicine
Pain is a universal human experience. How we experience pain is not only biological but deeply embedded in the social and psychological aspects of our beings. However, since the Age of Enlightenment pain has been primarily studied and explained through a biological lens. Pain is subjective and often difficult to explain, describe or communicate our lived experience to others within a biological framework. Our workshop will explore the biopsychosocial model of pain by flipping it to a social-psycho-bio model and discuss ways in which patients, providers and carers can better understand, communicate and empower eachother in managing pain more effectively and compassionately. Through interactive art, mindfulness exercises and patient-centered technology, our diverse panel of experts will engage the audience in experiential and didactic learning as we explore the social-psycho-bio model of pain for the lived experience of pain.
Assessment, Diagnosis, and Measurement in Pain

09:00 – 10:30 ET

Neuromodulation for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: Mechanism of action and clinical approach
Moderator: Sam S. Eldabe, MB, ChB FRCA FFMPRCA – The James Cook University Hospital
Speaker: John Markman, MD – University of Rochester Medical Center
Speaker: Helena Knotkova, PhD, PhilD – MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care
Speaker: Bert Joosten, PhD – Maastricht University
Speaker: Eellan Sivanesan, MD – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common, debilitating and distressing complication of diabetes. Most patients develop painless, insensate distal nerve damage which increases the risk of foot ulceration and subsequent amputation. Amputation is not only devastating in its impact on the person with diabetes and their family, leading to loss of independence and livelihood; it is also very expensive in material terms and results in only 50% surviving for two years. Around a quarter of all diabetic patients also develop a chronic painful condition mainly affecting the legs which can result in considerable disability and suffering. Many such patients with painful DPN have depression, anxiety, fear and stress, and do not sleep well. There is thus an urgent need to detect DPN early by using objective, validated point-of-care devices (e.g. in a one-stop microvascular screening service) as clinical exam or the use of the 10 gram monofilament is not reliable. Early detection will lead to an earlier intervention to reduce risk factors for the development of DPN.
In four state of the art short sharp lectures the most recent information on the role of neurmodulation in diabetic neuropathy will be presented. In the first lecture, Dr. John Markman will explore the interface between neuromodulation and pharmacological therapy in neuropathic pain research. An overview on the evidence related to pain relieving effects of non-invasive neuromodulation in treatment of DPN will be presented by Dr. Helena Knotkova. The subsequent presentations will cover important recent developments in the field of neuromodulation therapy as an emerging and important tool for the pain physician to manage DPN. The mechanism of action and (translational) insights from the laboratory will be covered by Prof.Dr.Bert Joosten. An overview on the clinical evidence related to pain relieving effects of spinal cord stimulation in treatment of DPN will be presented by Dr. Eellan Sivanesan (SIG Neuromodulation).
The three presentations will be followed by an open forum discussion between the audience and the four presenters.

Thursday, March 25, 2021
07:00 – 08:00 ET

Data Blitz

08:30 – 10:30 ET

TW05 - Highlights from the IASP Presidential Taskforce on Cannabis and Cannabinoid Analgesia
This workshop will describe the major scientific review and appraisal process which this Taskforce undertook to inform IASP’s recently published Position Statement on Cannabis and Cannabinoid Analgesia. A series of papers documenting the Taskforce’s scientific activities will have been published in a special issue of PAIN, prior to this virtual workshop.

The workshop will open with the Taskforce Chair (Andrew Rice) giving an introductory overview of the work of the Taskforce and the IASP Position Statement. 10 mins)

This will be followed by individual workpackage presentations focusing on their key outputs:

• Workpackage 1 (Chair David Finn) examined the basic science foundations of analgesia aspects of the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoid pharmacology, which included a major systematic review of the pre-clinical evidence arising from the use of animal models.
o David Finn: “Overview of terminology, the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoid pharmacology” (5 min)
o Nadia Soliman: “Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in which cannabinoids were tested for antinociceptive effects in animal models of pathological or injury-related persistent pain” (10 min)
o David Finn: “Additional effects, considerations and conclusions of relevance to cannabinoids and preclinical pain studies” (5 min)

• Workpackage 2 (Chair Christopher Ecclestone) conducted a robust evidence appraisal of the clinical evidence base pertaining to cannabinoid analgesia which was formulated into two major systematic reviews:
o Christopher Eccleston: “What works for whom? The importance of clinical evidence (3 min)
o Andrew Moore: “A review of quality and bias assessment of published systematic reviews of RCTs of cannabinoids, cannabis, and cannabis-based medicines (8 mins)
o Emma Fisher: “A systematic Review of RCTs of cannabinoids, cannabis, and cannabis-based medicines for people with pain” (9 min)

• Workpackage 3 (Chair Ian Gilron) in a parallel fashion to workpackage 2, this effort examined the clinical evidence for harm arising from therapeutic uses of cannabis and cannabinoids.
o Ian Gilron: “Opportunities and challenges to evaluate harms of cannabinoids” (3 min)
o Mohammed Mohiuddin: “An overview of reviews of cannabinoid harms relevant to pain management” (8 min)
o Marta DiForti: “Adverse effects of heavy cannabis use: even plants
o can harm the brain” (9 min)

• Workpackage 4 (Chair Simon Haroutounian) examined several key areas relating to societal and policy aspects of the use of cannabis and
cannabinoids for analgesia purposes.
o Alexandra Fogarty: “Societal and policy implications of cannabinoid use for pain” (8 min)
o Nantthasorn Zinboonyahgooon: “South-East Asian perspective on cannabinoid use for pain” (6 min)
o Simon Haroutounian: “Research agenda informed by the output of the Taskforce” (6 min)

Once the formal presentations are concluded, there will then be a live audience question and answer session with a panel drawn from Taskforce members (co-chairs- Lars Arendt-Nielsen and Andrew Rice)
Clinical Intervention - Phamacological, including Opioids