IASP will host 18 Special Interest Group (SIG) Symposia on 26 October at the 2026 World Congress on Pain. SIG Symposia require additional registration to attend.
SIG Symposia provide attendees with presentations and discussions on a single, specific research or educational topic in the pain field. Each session is approximately 4 hours.
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Advancing Placebo Research: Methodological Innovation, Expectation Measurement, and Bias Reduction
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: This symposium addresses a critical challenge in placebo research: the need for rigorous, reproducible, and translational methodologies that accurately capture the mechanisms and impacts of placebo effects across diverse contexts. Despite growing recognition of the clinical relevance of placebo responses, significant variability in study designs, measurement approaches (particularly regarding expectations), and susceptibility to biases has hindered progress in the field. This symposium brings together international leaders to advance the methodological foundations of placebo research through three interconnected sessions. These include: (1) innovative strategies for designing both experimental and clinical studies to investigate placebo mechanisms and mitigate placebo responses in RCTs; (2) a nuanced exploration of expectations—what they are, how they are measured, and their contribution to placebo effects —with an emphasis on implicit and explicit assessments; and (3) a critical discussion of systemic and researcher driven biases that compromise the validity and reproducibility of findings. By integrating presentations with interactive discussions and expert panel input, this symposium fosters interdisciplinary dialogue, promotes methodological clarity, and encourages the adoption of best practices in study design and reporting. The advancement lies in building consensus and developing tools to enhance the interpretability and clinical relevance.
This meeting will address key methodological, conceptual, and ethical challenges in placebo research through three focused sessions. The first session, How to Design Studies on Placebo Effects and Placebo Responses? led by Luana Colloca (University of Maryland, USA), will examine experimental and clinical study designs, highlighting frameworks for investigating placebo mechanisms and translational strategies bridging laboratory models and randomized controlled trials. Roi Treister (Israel) will contribute additional perspectives on real-world applications.
The second session, Expectations: What is it, how do we measure it, and to which extent does it contribute to placebo effects? led by Lene Vase (Aarhus University, Denmark), will explore the conceptualization and measurement of expectations, incorporating evidence from meta-analyses and studies using explicit and implicit assessments. Patrick Finan will present examples of using expectations to estimate pain occurrence. Przemysław Bąbel (Jagiellonian U, Poland) will discuss expectancy mechanisms, including social learning and conditioning paradigms.
The third session, How to Minimize Bias in Placebo Experimental Studies? led by Ben Colagiuri (University of Sydney, Australia), with contributions from Charlotte Blease, will address systemic and researcher-related biases.
The meeting will conclude with a panel discussion featuring academic experts and invited stakeholders, including industry representatives, to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and translational impact.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Translational Research, Education
Educational Objectives:
Design methodologically rigorous studies that investigate placebo effects and responses in both experimental and clinical settings, integrating translational frameworks that bridge laboratory findings with real-world applications in randomized clinical trials.
Differentiate and apply various methods for assessing expectations, including implicit and explicit measures, and critically evaluate how these approaches influence the interpretation of placebo effects across different study designs.
Identify and mitigate systemic and researcher-related biases in placebo and nocebo studies, applying strategies that improve transparency, reproducibility, and ethical integrity in placebo research across academic, clinical, and industry contexts.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Luana Colloca |
University of Maryland, Baltimore |
United States |
Roi Treister |
University of Haifa, Israel |
Israel |
Przemyslaw Babel |
Jagiellonian University |
Poland |
Lene Vase |
University of Arhaus |
Denmark |
Patrick Finan |
Harold Carron Professor Department of Anesthesiology University of Virginia School of Medicine |
United States |
Charlotte Blease |
Uppsala Universitet |
Sweden |
Ben Colagiuri |
University of Sydney |
Australia |
Assessing and Managing Pain in Patients with Limited Communication Abilities
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: This is a combined symposium of The Special Interest Group on Pain in Older Persons in conjunction with the Special Interest Group on Pain in People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
It offers a comprehensive overview of current approaches and essential modifications for assessing and managing pain in individuals with limited verbal communication, such as those with dementia, intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), cerebral palsy, or autism.
It begins with a foundational overview of the adaptations required to ensure effective pain assessment and treatment in these populations. The session will cover clinical assessment strategies, including both self-report (where possible) and observational tools as well as discuss the role of artificial intelligence, with practical demonstrations of validated scales and training modules.
The symposium will also introduce the application of Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) across multiple groups, demonstrating how this method can be adapted to individuals with limited verbal communication.
Finally, the critical role of caregivers in recognizing and managing pain will be addressed and be discussed, emphasizing how their involvement can enhance clinical outcomes in individuals with limited verbal communication.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Basic Science
Educational Objectives:
Describe adapted approaches to pain assessment and management in patients with limited communication abilities
Identify clinical and experimental pain assessment methods, including self-report, behavioral observation, AI and Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) suitable for older adults and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Discuss the challenges of assessing and treating pain in non-verbal or cognitively impaired individuals, including the role of caregivers in supporting effective pain management.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Miriam Kunz |
University of Augsburg |
DE |
Stefan Lautenbacher |
University of Bamberg |
Germany |
Brian McGuire |
University of Galway |
Ireland |
Frank Symons |
University of Minnesota |
US |
Ruth Defrin |
University of Tel Aviv |
Israel |
Keela Herr |
University of Iowa |
USA |
Adrienne Harvey |
Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) |
Australia |
David Moore |
University of Liverpool |
UK |
Cary Reid |
Weill Cornell Medicine |
USA |
Helena Lydon |
National University of Ireland, Galway, UK |
UK |
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida |
University of Florida |
USA |
From Data to Decisions: Standards, Trials, and Global Scale for Pain Registries
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: Pain registries are central to real-world evidence, quality improvement, and post-market surveillance in pain care—yet progress is slowed by fragmented measures, incompatible data models, and uneven governance across regions. This half-day session delivers practical tools to fix that. We will discuss start/scale playbooks for diverse settings (including LMICs) covering minimal datasets, capture workflows (EHR, patient portal, SMS/offline), consent, and sustainability. Additionally, a methods toolkit for registry-based randomized trials (RBTs)—when to use them, design and monitoring requirements, and when not to. Third, harmonization resources: item-level crosswalks among common instruments (e.g., PROMIS PI, BPI, PEG-3), recommended capture cadence, and portable phenotype/exposure libraries (neuropathic pain, perioperative trajectories, interventional procedures, opioid exposure) with example queries. Next, an interoperability and privacy kit mapping key elements to HL7 FHIR and OMOP, plus playbooks for federated analyses and synthetic data. Format: concise talks and rapid panels. This session advances IASP priorities in equity, evidence generation, and implementation, and is designed for clinical researchers, clinicians, trialists, data scientists, registry leads, and policy/quality leaders.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Education
Educational Objectives:
Define indications, core design elements, and limitations of registry-based randomized trials (RBTs), and apply a readiness checklist to evaluate whether one’s local registry can support eligibility ascertainment, randomization, data quality monitoring, and safety adjudication.
Map key registry data elements (PROs, interventions, outcomes) to interoperable models by outlining HL7 FHIR profiles and OMOP conventions, and draft a privacy-preserving collaboration plan (e.g., federated analyses or synthetic data) that meets governance and consent requirements across sites.
Design a pragmatic implementation plan to launch or scale a pain registry across varied resource settings: specify a minimum dataset and capture workflows (clinic EHR, patient portal, SMS/offline), define governance/consent and patient involvement, set basic data-quality checks (completeness, validity), and outline sustainable funding—with 3–5 measurable 90-day milestones.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
David Holloway |
University of Wollongong |
Australia |
Ruth Zaslansky |
University Jena |
Germany |
Sean Mackey |
Stanford University |
United States |
From Incision to Impact: Global Strategies to Prevent Persistent Postsurgical Pain and Long-Term Opioid Use
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: The mission of our SIG is “to study underlying mechanisms of acute pain, including transition from acute to chronic pain, and the implications of acute pain therapy for clinical outcome and quality of life.” In recent years, awareness has grown around the fact that postoperative pain is not just an acute issue, but one that can lead to chronic pain, long-term suffering, decreased quality of life, and in several cases, persistent opioid use. The pathway from surgery to chronic pain is influenced by a wide range of factors, including biology, psychology, and social context, and requires a multidisciplinary approach to both understand and address. This webinar brings together global perspectives on this topic—from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America—to examine how different healthcare systems are responding to the challenge. We'll look at data-driven insights into opioid prescribing after surgery, the effectiveness of early interventions, and innovations like transitional pain services and bundled care approaches. We’ll also consider the role of predictive models and the impact of extended-release opioids, questioning where they fit in modern pain management strategies. At the end, we discuss a research agenda on these issues elaborated by the Acute Pain SIG and participants of the satellite symposium.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research
Educational Objectives:
Understand the multifactorial nature of acute to chronic postoperative pain, including the role of early interventions and long-term opioid use. Participants will be able to describe how biological, psychological, and social factors contribute to the transition from acute to chronic pain after surgery, and explain the clinical and societal implications of persistent opioid use.
Identify the key components and impact of transitional pain services in reducing long-term opioid dependence. Participants will be able to outline the structure and outcomes of transitional pain services based on over a decade of experience, and discuss their potential integration into broader healthcare systems.
Analyze the effectiveness and limitations of extended-release opioids in postoperative pain management. Participants will critically assess the clinical role of extended-release opioids, considering recent data on their benefits, risks, and potential contribution to prolonged opioid use.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Rianne van boekel |
Radboud university of medical sciences |
Nederland |
Patrice Forget |
University of Aberdeen |
United Kingdom |
Supranee Niruthisard |
King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital |
Thailand |
Esther Pogatzki-Zahn |
University hospital Jena |
Duitsland |
Hance Clarke |
Toronto General Hospital |
Canada |
Jonathan Penm |
The University of Sydney |
Australia |
Romy Parker |
University of Cape Town |
South-Africa |
From Molecules to Patients, from Mechanisms to Treatments: Neuropathic Pain in its Global Year
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: While IASP puts a special focus on neuropathic pain through the “Global Year”, we want to shine an interdisciplinary light on the continued challenge of understanding and treating an elusive condition. As evidenced in our 2025 updated guidelines, effective and safe treatments are still missing, with well-established medications only leading to sufficient pain relief in a fraction of patients. In this satellite, we aim to bring together all parts of the NeuPSIG, from bench scientists to clinicians, from senior leaders of the field to early career scientists.
The symposium will be structured into three main blocks: updates from mechanistic studies and understanding neuropathic pain in the lab; translating knowledge from cells and animal studies to humans; and applying state-of-the-art understanding to treating patients (non-)pharmacologically.
Each block will be chaired by a senior leader of the field and the NeuPSIG. We will have four brief presentations for each block, allowing for a fully balanced mix covering geographical, gender-, and career-level representation. We will recruit this speaker team through the NeuPSIG congress 2025 and by reviewing poster abstracts for the World Congress.
Intended Audience: Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Basic Science
Educational Objectives:
List state-of-the-art approaches to unravel the molecular mechanisms of neuropathic pain,
Describe challenges and advances in translating these into human studies,
Outline the best pharmacological and non-pharmacological management strategies for neuropathic pain, and how they are informed by mechanistic research.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Franziska Denk |
King's College London |
UK |
Patrick Dougherty |
University of Texas |
US |
Páll Karlsson Karlsson |
Aarhus University |
Denmark |
Theodore Price |
University of Texas |
US |
Lesley Colvin |
University of Dundee |
UK |
Margarita Calvo |
UC Chile |
Chile |
From Teens to Post-Menopause: Female Pelvic Pain Throughout the Lifespan
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: Chronic pain related to reproductive health conditions disproportionately affects women and is frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or under-researched. Conditions such as endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, vulvodynia, and dysmenorrhea not only diminish quality of life but also result in significant delays in diagnosis, economic burden, and psychological distress. Despite their prevalence, these conditions remain marginalized in pain research and clinical guidelines.
This multidisciplinary symposium will explore pelvic pain through a developmental and lifespan-oriented lens, integrating basic science, translational research, and clinical insights. Presentations will cover distinct life stages and conditions, including dysmenorrhea at menarche, uterine pains that emerge later in life, postoperative visceral pain, vestibulodynia subtypes, and chronic bladder pain. International experts will discuss the hormonal, neuroimmune, and neuroplastic mechanisms that contribute to symptom persistence and the transition from localized to widespread pain.
To promote engagement and knowledge exchange among emerging scholars, the final 30 minutes of the session will feature a Data Blitz spotlighting brief, high-impact presentations from trainees working in the field of pelvic pain research.
This symposium aims to stimulate cross-disciplinary dialogue and improve understanding of age-specific pain mechanisms and treatment strategies, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes across the female lifespan.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research
Educational Objectives:
Upon completion of this symposium, attendees will be able to describe key biological, hormonal, and neural mechanisms underlying pelvic pain at different life stages, including dysmenorrhea, postoperative pain, vulvodynia, and bladder pain syndromes
Upon completion of this symposium, attendees will be able to evaluate emerging translational research findings and molecular targets relevant to subtype-specific pelvic pain, with implications for future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Upon completion of this symposium, attendees will be able to compare pelvic pain presentations and treatment considerations across the lifespan, and integrate a lifespan-informed perspective into clinical assessment and multidisciplinary care planning.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Frank Tu |
Endeavor |
USA |
Chen Chen |
University of Arizona |
USA |
Jana Aulenkamp |
Essen University Hospital |
Germany |
Andrea Nackely |
Duke |
USA |
Sun-Wei Guo |
hoxa10@outlook.com |
China |
Lori Birder |
University of Pittsburgh |
USA |
Susan Evans |
University of Adelaide |
USA |
Integrating Pain Phenotypes, Pain Science Education and Behavioural Change: Toward Personalized Pain Approaches
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: The symposium is developed around two keynote presentations on pain phenotypes and pain science education. The first is followed by a practical workshop that exemplifies how to translate existing evidence on pain phenotype into research-grounded clinical practice approaches. The 2nd keynote will integrate theoretical and practical approaches, focusing on how to deliver and tailor pain science education.
Additionally, our symposium features a unique format that includes flash talks delivered by members. These presentations are determined at a later stage through a formal submission and peer-review process coordinated by the PMM SIG board. This encourages strong participation from SIG members, ensuring that all presentations are relevant and rigorous. This model of the symposium has been put into practice for the last three IASP Congresses with very good feedback from members and those attending the symposia.
The SIG symposium also provides an opportunity for members of the SIG to become familiar with each other’s work, thereby stimulating the exchange of experiences and fostering international study and collaboration. This is achieved by a longer break, during which networking activities are facilitated by board members.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Education
Educational Objectives:
Understand the underpinnings of pain phenotypes and pain science education;
Build on pain phenotypes and pain science education knowledge to inform behaviour and personalized clinical pain management;
Establish connections with other researchers, clinicians, and patients towards collaborative work.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Petra Schweinhardt |
Universitätsklinik Balgrist |
Switzerland |
Lorimer Moseley |
University of South Australia |
Australia |
Liesbet De Baets |
KU Leuven |
Belgium |
New Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Musculoskeletal Pain
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: This symposium will highlight some of the latest advancements in musculoskeletal pain, spanning novel pain mechanisms and treatments, clinical phenotyping and implementation science. It features a series of talks by global leaders in our field and some of our most promising emerging researchers.
The program will begin with four 30-minute plenary talks. Eva Kosek (Karolinska Institute, Sweden, ) will discuss advancements in back pain phenotyping (BACPAP initiative), crucial for personalized treatment. Wade Kingery & David Clark (Stanford University, USA) will then explore the role of autoantibodies in osteoarthritis and back pain, offering new mechanistic insights and highlighting opportunities for novel therapeutics.
Following this, Vicky Chapman (University of Nottingham, UK) will present on soluble epoxide hydrolase as a potential new therapeutic target for osteoarthritis pain. Finally, Martjie Venter (UNSW, Australia) will address the practical implementation of effective non-drug care for back pain within healthcare systems.
After a short break, three 10-minute talks will be presented by our trainee and early career researcher abstract award winners. This symposium will offer a broad overview of key advancements and emerging research in musculoskeletal pain, and will be of interest to basic scientists, clinical researchers, and clinicians alike.
Intended Audience: Cross-disciplinary
Educational Objectives:
Describe current advances in diagnostic and management techniques for osteoarthritis and back pain.
Appreciate the evolving mechanistic understandings of musculoskeletal pain.
Describe advances in implementing non-drug musculoskeletal pain care within health systems.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Eva Kosek |
Karolinska Institute |
Sweden |
Wade Kingery |
Stanford University |
USA |
Vicky Chapman |
University of Nottingham |
England |
Martjie Venter |
University of New South Wales |
Australia |
David Clark |
Stanford University |
United States |
Next-Gen Pediatric Pain Care: Building Adaptive and Scalable Solutions Across Care Settings
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: Pediatric pain remains poorly prioritized, recognized, and managed across all contexts, with under-resourced areas often most impacted. In the symposium, we will provide an overview of novel evidence-based strategies that can be utilized across contexts and populations. Speakers will include clinicians and researchers across multiple disciplines. Presentations will be interactive and highly focused on ensuring attendees leave with clinically adaptable, scalable, ‘practice-ready’, pain care strategies that can be easily implemented in both high and low resource areas. Inclusion of families in the development and implementation of pain strategies is critically important, and presenters will provide concrete ways they have involved patients and families.
Topics will encompass multiple types of pain and across the developmental span from infants to adolescents. Examples include parent-led procedural pain care, needle-related pain care, utilization of accessible virtual reality interventions for procedural and chronic pain care, as well as perioperative management. The panel will engage the audience in a discussion on ways to collaborate to ensure equitable pain care for infants, children and adolescents across settings.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Education, Other
Educational Objectives:
Understand the steps in the development and application of evidence-based interventions to improve procedural, perioperative, and chronic pain, across settings.
Describe ways patients and families can be actively engaged in pain management interventions to optimize care.
Outline next steps in the advancement of the scale and uptake, and collaborative efforts for equitable and evidence-based pain care for infants, children and adolescents worldwide.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Professor Marsha Campbell Yeo |
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
Canada |
Professor Melanie Noel |
Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Nova Scotia |
Canada |
Professor Felipe Reis |
Department of Physical Therapy, Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ) |
Brazil |
Dr. Angela Yeo |
Senior Consultant & Clinical Director at Children's Pain Service, Dept of Paediatric Anaesthesia, KK Women and Children's Hospital |
Singapore |
Dr. Jennifer Rabbits |
Department of Anesthesia, Stanford, University, CA |
USA |
Professor Laura Simons |
Department of Psychology, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, CA |
USA |
Professor Jennifer Stinson |
Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario |
Canada |
Pain & Trauma: Today and Tomorrow
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: Brain markers of stress and trauma in chronic pain
Speaker: Yann Quidé
Exposure to stressful or traumatic events is a well-established risk factor for the development of both mental and physical health conditions, including chronic pain. These experiences are linked to measurable changes in brain structure and function, and their impact can be especially marked when they occur during critical developmental periods. The long-term consequences of early-life stress and trauma can shape vulnerability to sustained pain across the lifespan. Our research seeks to uncover the biological underpinnings, particularly neural markers, of stress and trauma, and to clarify their role in the emergence and maintenance of chronic pain in children, adolescents, and adults.
Inflammatory Reactivity is Unrelated to Childhood Adversity or Provoked Modulation of Nociception
Speaker: Gillian J Bedwell
Adverse childhood experiences increase the risk of developing persistent pain in adulthood; however, the physiological mechanisms linking childhood adversity to persistent pain are unclear. This study aimed to assess whether neural and immune responsiveness links childhood adversity to risk of persistent pain. A diverse, pain-free South African adult sample with varying histories of childhood adversity completed assessments of childhood adversity; ex vivo, endotoxin-provoked cytokine response, and nociceptive processing both before and after an in vivo inflammatory provocation with the influenza vaccine. Contrary to findings from high-income settings, neither endotoxin-provoked cytokine concentration nor vaccine-provoked change in nociceptive processing was related to childhood adversity. However, individuals with more severe childhood adversity exhibited greater surface area of induced secondary hyperalgesia before in vivo inflammatory provocation. Social support may have buffered the effect of childhood adversity; thus, may explain the lack of relationship of childhood adversity to endotoxin-provoked cytokine concentration and to vaccine-provoked change in nociceptive processing.
The Maori Perspective … Storytelling in Pain and Trauma
Speaker: Hemakumar Devan
Post Amputation Pain - Update of Current Project
Speaker: Harriet Kemp
The global burden of disease study demonstrated an increase in prevalence of traumatic amputation from 370.25 million in 1990, to 552.45 million in 2019, and the intensity of current conflicts has led to a significant recent rise in amputation injuries in both military and civilian populations. However, evidence-based knowledge of how best to manage pain following traumatic amputation remains limited. This is in part due to the fact that traumatic amputation occurs in high concentrations in conflict or mass casualty situations. In such settings, the delivery of high-quality research is difficult due to the high volume of trauma, rapidly evolving healthcare resources and practice, communication barriers and sensitivity of data. Furthermore, civilian traumatic amputation is more prevalent in areas of the world where resource for research is generally more restricted. International collaboration between healthcare, government and academic institutions, in military and civilian settings is required to overcome these challenges and deliver the robust research that is required in this area. Dr Kemp will present the current challenges and barriers to research in this area and lead an interactive discussion with attendees focussing on determining research priorities and initiatives for collaboration in pain following traumatic amputation.
Allied Healthcare Professional training in complexity and narrative-based approaches and torture survivors
Speakers: Clair Jacobs and Diarmuid Denneny
Global perspectives –Updates what is going on in trauma informed care
Speaker: Lester Jones
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Basic Science, Education
Educational Objectives:
Understand theories of childhood trauma effecting adult chronic pain, and the evidence of the management of post amputation pains
Consider other cultural approaches and issues.
Understand Psychologically Informed collaborative Conversations and their value for patient and therapist alike.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Dominic Aldington |
HHFT |
United Kingdom |
Clair Jacobs |
Guys & St Thomas's |
United Kingdom |
Lester Jones |
Singapore Institute of Technology |
Singapore |
Hemakumar Devan |
University of Otago |
New Zealand |
Gillian Bedwell |
University of Cape Town |
South Africa |
Yann Quidé |
University of New South Wales |
Australia |
Harriet Kemp |
Imperial College |
UK |
Innovations in Pain Education – Optimizing the Experiences of Trainees in a Hybrid Learning Environment
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: This symposium highlights innovative methods in pain education focusing on delivery of highly impactful experiences in hybrid (asynchronous plus in person) learning environments in diverse health professions; speakers represent a range of experience. In addition to presentations, we will facilitate an interactive session with delegates in a moderated discussion of pain education innovations.
Greetings to delegates from the Chair
Overview of Symposium and Introductions
'Innovative, learner-centered education experiences are essential'
Development and implementation of innovations in physician assistant and physical therapy education
Developing and assessing innovation in the physician assistant and physical therapy education spheres.
‘The biopsychosocial model of pain is essential to optimizing knowledge transfer'
The teachable moment – rapid assessment of learner readiness; embedding the biopsychosocial model into chronic pain treatment plans
Working with a range of learners, inculcating biopsychosocial factors into clinical practice.
'Pain clinical practice is compelling: Recognize the synergies arising from biopsychosocial model'
Networking
Transformative curricular innovation and life-long learning implemented in low resource environments
Using transformative educational methods to foster creative engagement of trainees, advancing public and professional education.
'Explore health system impacts of communicating with peers and the public’
Delegate discussion: ‘Envisioning Innovation’
Intended Audience: Education
Educational Objectives:
- Discuss the application of IASP curricula, listing 3 key IASP concepts which can be applied in the delegate's educational setting
- Appraise the strengths and limitations of implementing specific pain education programs in specific settings, characterizing at least two innovations
- Advance local education initiatives utilizing available resources, demonstrating increased awareness of resource quality and appropriateness for hybrid learning experiences
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Elizabeth Nwasor |
Professor/Chief Consultant Anaesthesiologist, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital |
Nigeria |
Sailesh Mishra |
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals |
United Kingdom |
John Keisel |
Associate Professor, Indiana State University |
United States |
Beth Hogans |
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine |
United States |
Babita Ghai |
Professor Anaesthesia & Intensive Care; and Course-coordinator of pain medicine fellowship at PGIMER, Chandigarh |
India |
Sex, Gender, and Racial Differences in Pain across the Translational Research Spectrum in the Current Geo-Political Climate
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: The symposium will cover topics that address the challenges and opportunities to examine sex, gender, and racial differences – and their identity intersections -- to the pathophysiology, experiences, and management of chronic pain in the current geopolitical climate. The symposium will engage a wide range of participants who are doing research across the translational research spectrum from preclinical to community-based health services research, and will address contemporaneous topics related to the impact of policies and societal attitudes on health equity research. It will also engage participants from the pediatric, adult, and older adult research communities. It will include a “data blitz,” which will feature short presentations from scientists at all career stages. The SGR SIG has funded early career grants (x 4 grants) to members of the SIG in 2024 and plans to invest (x 4 grants) in 2025. The “data blitz” sessions will prioritize early career grant awardees.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Basic Science, Other
Educational Objectives:
Upon completion, symposium attendees will be able to discuss the challenges and opportunities for addressing socio-political and structural barriers in pain research and management.
Upon completion, symposium attendees will be able to describe multilevel mechanisms of sex, gender, and racial/cultural/ancestral differences in pain experience.
Upon completion, symposium attendees will be able to describe the challenges and opportunities for participant recruitment, retention, and continued engagement in pain research.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Larissa Strath |
University of Florida |
United States |
Ericka Merriwether |
New York University |
United States |
Hemakaur Devan |
University of Otago |
New Zealand |
Katelynn Boerner |
University of British Columbia |
Canada |
Social Aspects of Pain: The Time is Now
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: We begin with a debate on whether digital technologies and social media offer promise or peril for people with pain, particularly in terms of social support and access to scalable interventions.
Next, brief presentations will explore community-based approaches to pain management drawn from diverse global contexts. These presentations will highlight relational, social strategies for coping with pain that are embedded in cultural traditions. A moderated panel discussion will follow, inviting participants to reflect on what Western healthcare systems can learn from these practices and how they might be meaningfully integrated.
Finally, a methodology-focused forum will offer insights for conducting high-value, socially grounded research in settings where support for such work is limited. Presenters will share innovative, pragmatic strategies to interrogate empirical, theoretical, and clinical questions, empowering attendees with knowledge to move from ideas to action.
To promote reflection, dialogue, and connection, the symposium will include two curated networking breaks, featuring conversation tables with themed prompts to help participants digest content, build relationships, and extend impact. The first break will follow the debate and encourage discussion around digital connection and social life. The second will follow the cultural presentations and use gamified prompts to deepen participant engagement and spark creative thinking.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research
Educational Objectives:
Critically assess the opportunities and limitations of digital technologies and social media in supporting people with pain and delivering social interventions.
Describe culturally grounded social approaches to pain care from diverse global contexts and reflect on how these practices might be ethically adapted within Western healthcare settings.
Identify and evaluate innovative, pragmatic methodological strategies for conducting social pain research in contexts where support for this work is limited.
Speakers:
TBD
The ‘Complex’ Realities of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Subtypes, Severity, and the Challenges of Classification
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: Recent advances such as the Valencia consensus update and COMPACT outcome criteria have clarified diagnostic guidelines for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and standardised outcome measures for clinical trials. However, CRPS remains highly heterogeneous, with substantial variation in symptom profiles and no consensus on classifying differences in severity, chronicity, or recovery. These challenges complicate clinical decision-making, research design, and treatment development. Existing classifications often lag behind current evidence and need revision in light of emerging mechanistic models.
This symposium, hosted by the IASP CRPS Special Interest Group, aims to build shared understanding around classification within CRPS. Leading researchers will present new evidence and perspectives on subtypes, including differences (or lack thereof) according to sex and upper vs lower limb involvement. The questions of how to classify differences in severity, and acute vs chronic forms will be discussed, along with when CRPS can be considered resolved. Finally, the utility and limitations of the CRPS I vs CRPS II distinction will be critically evaluated.
Presentations will be followed by open discussion, with the goal of identifying areas of emerging consensus and shaping future research priorities. The symposium seeks to advance toward a more refined and clinically useful CRPS classification system.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Basic Science
Educational Objectives:
Critically evaluate current and emerging approaches to classifying CRPS subtypes, including distinctions based on severity, chronicity, and the CRPS I vs CRPS II categorisation.
Describe the challenges and implications of heterogeneity in CRPS for diagnosis, treatment, and research.
Describe areas of potential consensus and how they could inform future directions for CRPS classification and clinical framework development.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Di Ye |
Murdoch University |
Australia |
Peter Drummond |
Murdoch University |
Australia |
Tara Packham |
McMaster University |
Canada |
Amir Minerbi |
Rambam Medical Center |
Israel |
Frank Huygen |
Erasmus University |
The Netherlands |
Ann-Kristin Reinhold |
University of Würzburg |
Germany |
Heike Rittner |
University of Würzburg |
Germany |
Michael Ferraro |
Neuroscience Research Australia |
Australia |
Jee Youn Moon |
Seoul National University School of Medicine |
South Korea |
Janne Gierthmuehlen |
University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein |
Germany |
The Global Challenge of Orofacial Pain
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: Orofacial pain (OFP) is a prevalent and disabling condition worldwide, yet it remains insufficiently recognized within public health and pain medicine agendas. This symposium will explore the global burden of OFP, with a particular focus on how social, cultural, and healthcare system factors affect access to care, diagnostic accuracy, and treatment options. Presenters will share recent epidemiological data, novel scientific advances, and innovative models of interprofessional education frameworks designed to bridge current gaps in OFP care and education.
A central theme will be the urgent need for interdisciplinary education, integrated care pathways, and international collaboration to address diagnostic uncertainty, fragmented management, and the persistent stigma surrounding OFP. The symposium will also examine strategies to prevent the transition from acute to chronic pain, which is often overlooked in current care models.
To promote a comprehensive and inclusive discussion, the session will feature a diverse panel of speakers, including individuals with lived experience, clinician-scientists, educators, and epidemiologists. Ultimately, this symposium aims to catalyze a coordinated global response to OFP, foster cross-disciplinary research and policy initiatives, and contribute to the International Association for the Study of Pain’s mission to advance pain education, research, and patient-centered care.
Intended Audience: Clinical Practice, Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Education
Educational Objectives:
Upon completion of this symposium, attendees will be able to interpret global epidemiological data on orofacial pain, including prevalence trends, population-level burden, and surveillance gaps
Upon completion of this symposium, attendees will be able to analyze how psychosocial, cultural, and structural determinants contribute to the transition from acute to chronic orofacial pain, and understand their implications for early identification, intervention, and equitable care
Upon completion of this symposium, attendees will be able to identify and explore strategies to better integrate orofacial pain care and education within broader health systems
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Adje Van Inevald |
TMJ association (associations of individuals with lived experience) |
USA |
Ana Lövgren |
Umeå University |
Sweden |
Ana Velly |
McGill University |
Canada |
Rachael Bosma |
University of Toronto |
Canada |
The Rise of the Robots: Navigating Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Evidence Synthesis
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies represents a critical moment for the process of evidence syntheses. AI promises the automation of all aspects of the evidence synthesis process and products are already emerging for researchers to use.
In this workshop we will present a critical overview of the current state of the art of automation for each key stages of evidence synthesis. We will identify opportunities, address risks and challenges, and explore responsible use of AI now and in the future. The workshop will consider evidence synthesis across the evidence pipeline, using contemporary real-world examples, from pre-clinical to clinical research, where AI currently might out- or under-perform human reviewers, how automation technologies might be improved, and considerations for the reporting, reviewing and publishing of evidence syntheses.
Intended Audience: Clinical Research, Translational Research, Basic Science
Educational Objectives:
Understand the basic features and functionality of AI and machine learning models and their role in evidence synthesis.
Show critical awareness of the current evidence of their utility across the different stages of evidence synthesis, reflecting on the opportunities and risks.
Understand contemporary guidance on the responsible use of AI in evidence synthesis
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Neil O'Connell |
Brunel University of London |
UK |
Tonya Palermo |
Seattle Childrens Hospital, University of Washington |
USA |
Nadia Soliman |
University College London |
UK |
Aidan Cashin |
Neuroscience Research Australia |
Austalia |
Luke Baxter |
University of Oxford |
UK |
Georgia Richards |
Kings College London |
UK |
Michael Ferraro |
University of New South Wales |
Australia |
To There and Back Again: Bridging Translational Neuroimaging and Mechanistic Insight in Human and Animal Research
Morning Session: 8:00 - 12:00
Description of Symposium: This joint symposium organized by the Neuroimaging of Pain SIG and the Non Human Pain SIG will highlight recent breakthroughs in neuroimaging and animal research, emphasizing how discoveries from each have mutually informed and advanced our understanding of the neural circuitry underlying pain. While human neuroimaging and animal research have often been seen as complementary, recent developments in neuroimaging have shown its capacity to address mechanistic questions uniquely suited to the human brain – just as animal studies continue to illuminate mechanisms inaccessible with human models.
We propose a dynamic and engaging session featuring a one-hour datablitz, where trainees will deliver concise, 5-minute presentations showcasing their research. To encourage excellence and participation, an award will be presented for the best presentation. This will be followed by four in-depth, 45-minute talks from invited speakers, each offering expert insights and differing perspectives on the integration of neuroimaging research with mechanistic animal research.
Intended Audience: Cross-disciplinary, Clinical Research, Translational Research, Basic Science
Educational Objectives:
Explain how neuroimaging and animal models can play complementary roles in pain research
Discuss recent advances in neuroimaging and their implications for mechanistic pain research
Assess translational strategies that bridge findings from invasive animal models to non-invasive human neuroimaging
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Kevin Keay |
University of Sydney |
Australia |
Pascal Tétreault |
University of Sherbrooke |
Canada |
Li Hu |
Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
China |
Sue Aicher |
Oregon Health & Science University |
USA |
Toward Precision Medicine: Integrating Advances in Pain Genetics from Model Systems to Clinical Cohorts
Afternoon Session: 13:00 - 17:00
Description of Symposium: Genetic research in pain is entering a transformative era, driven by powerful new technologies, deeply phenotyped patient cohorts, and integrative multi-omic approaches. This symposium will showcase advances across four key domains shaping the future of pain genetics. First, experts will highlight innovations in genetic technologies and model organism studies that illuminate fundamental pain mechanisms. Second, speakers will address strategies for developing and assessing clinical cohorts to enable robust genetic discovery, including standardized phenotyping and longitudinal follow-up. Third, the session will explore analytical frameworks for integrating genomic, epigenomic, and high-resolution transcriptomic datasets to identify causal variants, pathways, and cell types. Finally, presenters will discuss translational pipelines that link genetic findings to therapeutic target discovery, paving the way for precision pain medicine. By connecting basic science, large-scale human studies, and clinical application, this symposium will offer a comprehensive view of how genetics is reshaping our understanding and treatment of pain.
Intended Audience: Cross-disciplinary
Educational Objectives:
Describe recent advances in genetic technologies and model organism research that are enabling deeper mechanistic insights into pain biology.
Identify best practices for assembling and phenotyping clinical cohorts to support robust genetic discovery in acute and chronic pain.
Evaluate strategies for integrating genomic, epigenomic, and high-resolution transcriptomic data to uncover causal pathways and translate genetic findings into therapeutic targets for pain management.
Speakers
Name |
Institution |
Country |
|---|---|---|
Shad Smith |
Duke University |
United States |
Registration Rates
All prices listed are in U.S. Dollars.
Lower‑Middle Income Country and Upper‑Middle Income Country status