Study in Multidisciplinary Pain Research (SIMPAR) is Coming March 28-29, 2014.

Rome, Italy

SIMPAR (Study in Multidisciplinary PAin Research) is an international congress focused on acute and chronic pain therapy and brings clinical experts and researchers from around the world together to increase the knowledge of basic science research and clinical practice about the worldwide pain epidemic. This meeting promotes the international sharing of experience and knowledge, creating common directions in pain management and research. The meeting’s purpose is to link bench to bedside and to optimize pharmacological and interventional therapies toward evidence-based management of the fifth vital sign. Registration and abstract submission will open soon, so please check http://www.simpar.eu for updates.

The textbook Essentials of Regional Anesthesia is now available from online booksellers. All of the chapters are written by Regional Anesthesia fellowship directors and fellows and cover various topics including regional anesthesia procedures and acute pain management for complex patients of all ages and various co-morbidities. This book is full of clinical pearls and also includes over 400 test questions based on the book’s content to assess your knowledge of the subject matter. My chapter, co-authored by my wife who has been educating nurses on regional anesthesia techniques and acute pain management for years, focuses on the practice management aspects of regional anesthesia and offers strategies to develop effective systems that emphasize teamwork with all providers involved in caring for the perioperative patient.

The Visual Guide to Regional Anesthesia

This companion to the recently-released Manual of Clinical Anesthesiology (Chu and Fuller, eds.) focuses on what the clinician needs to know when performing the latest ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia procedures. The format of this book is compact and spiral bound, filled with useful cognitive aids, and each page is laminated to make it fluid-proof (perfect for the operating room).

The application cycle for the 2014-15 Stanford Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship class is now OPEN!  I co-direct this training program along with Dr. Lindsey Vokach-Brodsky.  In addition to being the only fellowship in this specialty located in Northern California, the Stanford program provides its fellows with a unique training experience in a beautiful setting.  Throughout the training year, various clinical rotations at Stanford Medical Center, Stanford Medicine Outpatient Center, and the VA Palo Alto immerse fellows in an environment focused on teaching them advanced regional anesthesia techniques and perioperative pain medicine.  Fellows have ample opportunity to participate in clinical research projects and to teach basic and intermediate techniques to residents and other practitioners at educational workshops and study anatomy in the cadaver lab.

If you are interested in applying, please see the Stanford Anesthesia website for further information.  To compare programs, visit ASRA.com.