Pacific Spine and Pain Society Podcast (PSPS)

Krishnan Chakravarthy, MD, PhD is an assistant clinical professor who specializes in multi-modal pain management. As a pain management specialist, he evaluates, diagnoses and treats all forms of pain. Dr. Chakravarthy completed sub-specialty fellowship training in pain management at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and residency training in anesthesiology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He interned in general medicine at Griffin Hospital (Yale Affiliate) in Derby, Connecticut. He earned his M.D., Ph.D. degrees at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Chakravarthy’s research interests in pain medicine include incorporating new technology into advancing pain care. He is currently focusing on using nanotechnology as an novel system to develop new drug delivery and point of care device platforms to manage chronic pain. Dr. Chakravarthy’s research interests also focus on the effect of anesthetics on host immunity. Prior to joining UCSD he has served as a contractor at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he researched host immunity to influenza virus as a way of developing novel therapeutic and vaccine strategies. His research work has been published in top journals including Anesthesiology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Pain Medicine. His research work has been also featured in Times of India, International Business Times, Futurity, NewsMedical and other national and international venues. He is also a founder of several biotechnology startup companies in the nanotechnology space, and new drug development focusing on commercializing paradigm-shifting technology in the field of infectious diseases, and chronic pain. He is an active entrepreneur and believes industry plays a critical role in seeing translational science make it to patients. Dr. Chakravarthy currently serves on the editorial board of several national and international peer reviewed journals, and committees on organizations such as the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN).

Drs. Brittany Grovey and Gemayel Lee are interventional pain physicians and owners of Relive You Center for Advanced Pain Management, located in San Diego, CA. They graduated from UC San Francisco medical school and completed anesthesiology and pain management fellowship training at UC San Diego. In addition to interventional pain, they have specific interests in neuromodulation, particularly peripheral nerve stimulation, ultrasound guided injections of the head and neck. and improving patient access to interventional pain therapies. https://Relive-You.com Gemayel.LeeMD@Relive-You.com

Dr. Lee is Pain Management physician with a hospital-based practice at EvergreenHealth in the state of Washington. She earned her medical degree at Creighton University and trained in both Anesthesiology & Pain Management at the University of Washington. She has been active in research and education in the field of neuromodulation. Most recently she published outcomes on simultaneous engagement of both subthreshold and paresthesia stimulation programs to treat neuropathic back and leg pain. Dr. Lee is passionate about collaboration among specialties to achieve optimal outcomes for her patients. Beyond her medical practice she has sons who keep her very busy with soccer, skiing, hiking & general mayhem. Please check out the following: NANS, Pain.com, the Society of Women Innovators in Pain Management Jennifer Lee on LinkedIn jelee@evergreenhealthcare.org

Dr. Falowski underwent his neurosurgical residency training at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia with a focus on Spinal Cord Stimulation and Pain management, complex spinal procedures, and treatment for movement disorders such as deep brain stimulation. He completed a functional neurosurgical fellowship at Rush University in Chicago. His practice specializes in neuromodulation and spinal procedures. He is a past secretary and present senior advisor to the board for the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS). He is on the board of directors of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS), and secretary of the executive pain committee for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)/American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). He also serves as an executive officer of the board for the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience. His major focus in society and industry revolves around education, integration of specialties, research, and practice management. Roles include implementing and directing the resident-fellows section and mentorship program through NANS. He has been the course director of the annual NANS spinal cord stimulation/neuromodulation workshop that is the largest training course available. He collaborates with numerous companies and industry partners on product development, education, research, and strategy. Dr. Falowski is involved in numerous clinical research studies and novel developments for spinal cord stimulation, pain management, deep brain stimulation, and spinal procedures. His passion and specialty interest deals with utilizing intra- operative neuromonitoring for the asleep placement of spinal cord stimulators, as well as developing new technologies and stimulation platforms Please check out the book "Integrating Pain Treatments into your Spine Practice" and visit the AANS Executive Pain Committee. Linked In-Steven Falowski sfalowski@gmail.com

He completed residency and fellowship at Stanford University. Since 2009 he has served as Clinical Associate Professor Director Inpatient Pain Service and Director Stanford comprehensive interdisciplinary pain program. He is the Past President World Academy of Pain Medicine United (formerly Ultrasonography) and also presented at 100 national and 40 international meetings including workshops on ultrasound and peripheral nerve stimulation quarterly. https://einarottestad.com/

Dr. Ramana (Ramo) Naidu is an anesthesiologist and pain physician who is the medical director of pain management at MarinHealth Medical Center and the medical director of Marin Specialty Surgery Center. He helps patients manage, reduce, or eliminate pain and suffering that occurs after medical illness, trauma, or surgery and puts an emphasis on preventing pain from becoming persistent. Naidu is primarily based at California Orthopedics & Spine, serving to help patients with pain before and after surgery. He emphasizes trying to manage pain without relying on opioid medications using a multi-disciplinary approach involving pain psychologists, physical therapists, complementary and integrative approaches. He performs advanced interventional procedures with the goal of sustained relief. Beyond epidural, joint, sympathetic and peripheral nerve injections, Naidu performs radiofrequency ablation of major joints and nerves and minimally-invasive spine procedures such as indirect and direct lumbar decompression, posterior sacroiliac joint fusion, and intradiscal therapeutics. As a neuromodulator, he is an expert on spinal cord stimulation (SCS), dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRGS), and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS). Naidu earned a medical degree at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison where he was born and raised. He completed a residency in anesthesiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, followed by a fellowship in pain management at University of California – San Francisco (UCSF) where he continued to practice for another five years as an assistant professor. He was a Fulbright Scholar in public health in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. During this time, he studied hospital-acquired infections and the dissemination of information regarding prevention. Dr. Naidu is engaged in clinical research as he is interested in ensuring that we have safe, economical, and effective therapies for specific pain conditions. For any questions about which studies and therapies he is involved with, please enquire. The professional societies Naidu belongs to include the American Society of Anesthesiologists, California Society of Anesthesiologists, American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, International Association for the Study of Pain, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, North American Neuromodulation Society, International Neuromodulation Society, American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, and is the President-Elect of the Pacific Spine & Pain Society. dr.ramonaidu on IG; Ramo Naidu MD on LinkedIn ramonaidu@me.com

Episode Notes Associate Professor of PM&R, Director of Clinical Spine Research, Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship Director. Dr. McCormick is a board-certified specialist in Pain Medicine and PM&R. He received his MD at the University of Pennsylvania and completed residency and fellowship at Northwestern University. He is an Associate Professor of PM&R at the University of Utah, the Director of the Interventional Spine Fellowship, and the Director of Clinical Spine Research. He is an active researcher with a focus on clinical trials in spine and pain medicine; he has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and has received grant fundings from the NIH, DOD, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and various medical societies. He serves on the editorial boards for Pain Medicine, The Spine Journal, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, as well as on the Board of Directors of Spine Intervention Society and PSPS. He is an avid (but rapidly declining) runner and cherishes time with his family. LinkedIn University of Utah Website

Episode Notes For the full episode please check out the Youtube link here

Episode Notes Dr. Pritzlaff is an assistant clinical professor in the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of California, Davis. He also serves as the associate program director for the pain medicine fellowship. Dr. Pritzlaff's clinical interests including opioid-sparing pain management strategies, peripheral nerve stimulation, and innovative use of ultrasound for pain procedures. As a former Navy combat physician, he also has a passion for treating military veterans and those affected by trauma. Twitter @ScottPritzlaff.

Episode Notes Dr. Natalie H. Strand, MD. Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Arizona Dr. Natalie Strand is a double board certified pain physician at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She is the director of neuromodulation and the director of pain research. She was awarded the Lisa Stearns Legacy Diversity Award this year by ASPN. She lives with type 1 diabetes, and was awarded Woman of the Year by Diabetes Sisters and Advocate of the Year by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for her work promoting equity and opportunity for those living with diabetes. Dr. Strand went to Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, did her transitional year at Mayo Clinic, completed anesthesiology residency at UCLA, and completed her pain medicine fellowship at Mayo Clinic. She has authored over 20 peer reviewed articles, several book chapters, and one book. She has lectured nationally and internationally at several pain society meetings. She also won CBS's The Amazing Race in 2010, becoming part of the first all female team to win. Twitter @DrNatStrand strand.natalie@mayo.edu

Dr. Patterson is a Board Certified Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician. He is the founder and owner of Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in Reno, Nevada. He was nominated as one of the top 25 physicians in Northern Nevada by Nevada Business Magazine in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, under the leadership of Dr. Patterson, Northern Nevada Medical Center’s Pain Center is the first (and only) center in the nation to achieve JCAHO’s Gold Seal of Approval for lower back pain. facebook: @nevadaadvancedpain Instagram: nvadvancedpain YouTube: Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists LinkedIn: Denis Patterson Website: http://www.nvadvancedpain.com/

On the episode today we talk about addressing pain in patients with cancer. Dr. Christiansen is a double board certified physician in anesthesiology and pain medicine who specializes in chronic pain management. Dr. Christiansen joined the faculty of the Comprehensive Pain Center in 2016 after completing her fellowship in pain medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She currently sees patients in the Center for Health and Healing - Comprehensive Pain Center. She specializes in the treatment of cancer, neuropathic and spine related pain advocating a multimodal approach to all patients. Dr. Christiansen believes that chronic pain affects the mind, body and spirit and as such advocates therapies that will address all three aspects of the patient by collaborating with physical therapists, psychologists, chiropractors, and other specialists in effort to treat the entire person. In addition to performing a variety of spine, nerve, muscle, and joint injections, she is also formally trained in acupuncture, which she employs as part of her multimodal approach to patients. In her spare time, Dr. Christiansen enjoys reading, gardening, hiking with her husband and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and trying new restaurants. @DrSandyC chrissan[at]ohsu.edu