Message from the President

Dear members of IASP,
 
It is only four months until IASP travels to Milan, Italy, for the 14th World Congress on Pain. Italy was also the location for the 1st World Congress on Pain, which was held in Florence in 1975. About 800 registrants attended IASP’s first Congress, which was more than twice the number organizers expected. We hope to see a record-breaking crowd in Milan as well! More >

Career Opportunities

Apply now for these career opportunities in the field of pain:

• Research Fellow/Postdoc in Pain Neuroimaging (USA)
• Anesthesiologist – Chronic Pain Management (USA)

Plan Your Congress Experience Online!

View the abstracts for presentations and posters for the 14th World Congress on Pain online now! Access the Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner now to plan your visit to Italy at the end of August 2012. With four days of 70 topical workshops, 15 plenary lectures and more than 2,000 posters to view, the Itinerary Planner will help you to make the most of your week in Milan! More >

Early Registration Deadline May 1

Register now to take advantage of Early Registration rates for the 14th World Congress on Pain. IASP members can save 32 percent off the registration fee, while non-members can save 27 percent* if they register by May 1, 2012. In addition, participants can save 35 percent if they are also registering for optional Refresher Courses. More >

2,000 Posters to Be on View in Milan

More than 2,000 poster abstracts will be presented during daily poster sessions at the 14th World Congress on Pain, to be held August 27-31 in Milan, Italy. The Scientific Program Committee, led by chair Irene Tracey, reviewed more than 2,200 submissions and accepted approximately 90 percent of the abstracts for presentation.
 
"Poster presentations serve as an excellent platform for many of our trainees to become involved in the Congress," explained Tracey. "These presentations make it possible for more young people to attend the Congress and be exposed to the robust scientific program that we offer." More >

Symposia Offer Specialized Learning

Attendees of the 14th World Congress on Pain may enhance their learning experience by attending one of 20 symposia being offered in association with the event. Sixteen of the symposia are offered by IASP Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on specialized topics of interest to pain researchers and clinicians. These one-day SIG Symposia are offered as optional sessions to all Congress participants on Sunday, August 26, 2012, at the Milano Convention Centre, prior to the start of the main Congress program. Attendees can register and pay for these sessions as part of their Congress registration.
 
IASP members may also be interested in signing up for one of four Satellite Symposia offered by either SIGs or members of IASP. These vary in length and are not held at the Milano Convention Centre. Registration for these symposia is separate from Congress registration. For details, visit the symposia page of the Congress site. 

Early Registrants Win Padfolios

Four early registrants for the World Congress on Pain in Milan won IASP padfolios recently. Cheryl Evans (Australia), Ricardo Ortega Santiago (Spain), Flavia Mancini (UK), and Richard Paul (USA) each won a padfolio with the IASP logo in a random drawing of those who registered for the Congress in January. 

TIPS Named WHO Collaborating Center

Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (TIPS), an institution established by the Non-Governmental Organization Pallium India, was named a World Health Organization Collaborating Center (WHOCC) recently. Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced a four-year collaboration with WHO in "Training and Policy on Access to Pain Relief." M.R.Rajagopal, MD (India), chairman of Pallium India, will direct the new WHOCC. More >

Keynote Stresses Importance of Collaboration

In a keynote lecture at the International Research Symposium on Innovative Therapies for Peripheral Neuropathies held in Chicago, Dr. Bob Rappaport, Director of the FDA's Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Addiction Products, discussed the background, objectives, and activities of the ACTTION (Analgesic Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks) public-private partnership. IASP has played a key role in ACTTION from its beginning, and Ian Gilron, MD (Canada) currently represents IASP as a Co-Chair of the ACTTION Executive Committee. More >

International Meetings

May 5-8, 2012, Pattaya, Thailand
23rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Thai Association for the Study of Pain (IASP chapter). Info: Thai Association for the Study of Pain (TASP), 5th Floor, Royal Golden Jubilee Building, 2 Soi Soonvijai, Petchaburi Road, Bangkapi, Huaykwang, Bangkok 10310 Thailand. (Email: thai_iasp@yahoo.com; Web: www.pain-tasp.com) More >

Early Career Research Grants Awarded

The IASP Fellowships, Grants, and Awards Working Group recently announced 10 winners of the 2012 Early Career Research Grant Program. Eight of the awards are funded by IASP and two awards are funded by the Scan|Design Foundation BY INGER & JENS BRUUN. IASP received more than 40 applications from 23 different countries. We congratulate the following researchers and wish them good luck in their work: More >

IASP Research Symposium: Genetics of Pain

If you couldn't make it to the first-of-its-kind research meeting devoted to the genetics of pain, you can read all about it. A summary of the 2012 IASP Research Symposium, "The Genetics of Pain: Science, Medicine and Drug Development," held February 7-9, 2012, in Miami Beach, Florida, US, is available to read online in the Pain Research Forum. More >

Improving Pain Services in Mozambique

Clinicians in Gaza, Mozambique, received training on pain in October 2011 as part of a project funded by the IASP Developing Countries Project: Initiative for Improving Pain Education. Grant recipients Teresa Schwalbach, MD, and Romuald Djitte, MSc, planned the educational project, “Strengthening the doctors’ and nurses’ practices in Gaza province, for a better service to pain patients,” which was jointly implemented by the Pain Unit of Maputo and Doctors Without Borders (DSF) in partnership with the Provincial Directorate of Health (DPS) of Gaza, Mozambique. More >

IASP Liaison Visits Thailand

IASP's Southeast Asia Liaison Troels Jensen, MD, PhD (Denmark) visited Siriraj Pain Management Clinical Training Center, Bangkok, Thailand, on February 17, where he presented a lecture on "The Progression of Acute to Chronic Pain." He also represented IASP on a visit to the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital to discuss the Clinical Training Fellowship program there. Professor Jensen advocated for continued support of the annual program, supported by IASP and the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiology (WFSA). While there, he helped in auditing and evaluating the program and joined the Training Center's business meeting to discuss applicant selection for fellowship training and to provide guidance to the program. 

Apply Now for Trainee Fellowships

Apply now for 2012 trainee fellowships, including the IASP John J. Bonica Trainee Fellowship and the IASP International Trainee Fellowship funded by the Scan|Design Foundation BY INGER & JENS BRUUN. Applications must be submitted by May 15, 2012.
 
The IASP International Trainee Fellowship funded by the Scan|Design Foundation BY INGER & JENS BRUUN provides up to US$50,000 for one year of training in pain research. The IASP John J. Bonica Trainee Fellowship, established in memory of IASP's founder, offers a stipend of up to US$50,000 per year for 2 consecutive years (up to a total of $100,000) to support training in various aspects of pain research to a trainee who is in the early stages of his or her career. For complete award information, including guidelines and application forms, visit the IASP website. 

India Chapter Collaborates with NeuPSIG

In an effort to enhance knowledge and support research and management of neuropathic pain in developing nations, the IASP Special Interest Group on Neuropathic Pain (NeuPSIG) partnered with the Indian Society for the Study of Pain (ISSP) recently. NeuPSIG held two days of educational sessions immediately prior to the annual congress of the ISSP at Bengaluru, India, February 2-5, 2012. More >

Sex, Gender, and Pain SIG Awards New Prize

The SIG on Sex, Gender and Pain is pleased to announce Robert E. Sorge, PhD (Canada), as the first winner of the SIG's Young Investigator Prize. The SIG initiated the award to showcase the talent and work of young researchers in the field. The prize will be presented at the Sex, Gender, and Pain Symposium on August 26 in Milan, Italy.
 
Sorge, a postdoctoral research associate in the laboratory of Jeffrey Mogil, PhD, at McGill University, has demonstrated outstanding work in his field, identifying qualitative sex differences in relation to pain. He has also discovered the neurochemical nature of the female-specific system. In his recommendation letter, Sorge is described as being a fast learner, having entered the field a short two years ago. Not only is he considered a rising star, but as his colleague puts it, "he is a really nice guy to boot." 

NeuPSIG Congress Ideas Sought Now

Ideas for plenary speakers, debates and workshops for the 4th International Congress on Neuropathic Pain (NeuPSIG 2013), organized by the IASP Special Interest Group on Neuropathic Pain, are due by Thursday, May 3, 2012, via the NeuPSIG 2013 website. "The Path to Relief Starts with Understanding" is the theme for the four-day Congress, which will be held May 23-26, 2013, in Toronto, Canada. For more information on the Congress, including early registration and abstract submission, visit the NeuPSIG 2013 website at www.kenes.com/neuropathic. 

Welcome New Honorary Members

IASP extends congratulations to the five newest Honorary Members! These individuals have made outstanding contributions to the field of pain and shown dedication to IASP and their regional chapters and federations. Each 2012 honoree was nominated by his or her peers, screened by the Committee on Nominations, and unanimously approved by the IASP Council:

• Pongparadee Chaudakshetrin, MD
• Jonathan Dostrovsky, PhD
• Kathleen Foley, MD
• Ji-Sheng Han, MD
• Olaitan Alice Soyannwo, MBBS, MMed

In Memoriam

Ainsley Iggo, DSc, FRS
Edinburgh, UK
 
Ainsley Iggo, founding member of IASP and President of the Association between 1981 and 1984, died at his home in Edinburgh on March 25, 2012, at the age of 87. He leaves behind an immense legacy to neuroscience – in particular to the science of pain – through his studies on identification of nociceptors and other sensory receptors in the skin, sensory innervation of internal organs, correlation between the morphology and physiology of identified sensory receptors in the skin, and organization of nociceptive neurons in the spinal cord. More >
 
Robert G. Addison, MD
Chicago, IL USA 

Pay Your Dues Online

Online renewal is possible now for members with anniversary dates of January 2012 through August 2012. There is no need to wait for a dues notice; you may renew anytime. Those who renew now will be eligible to attend the World Congress on Pain at a substantial savings.
 
When you renew, an automatic receipt will be sent to you. If you do not receive your receipt in a timely manner, contact IASP Member Services at members@iasp-pain.org and we will send one to you. If your anniversary date was December 2011 and you are unable to access your record online because your membership has lapsed, please request assistance from Member Services to renew. 

Member News

A newly formed pain society, the Iraqi Society for Pain Management, held its first pain conference in Nejef, Iraq, on March 7-9, 2012, with participants from Kurdistan, Baghdad, Kout, Babylon, Kerbala, Diwaniyah, and Nejef. General Secretary Raad Al Khafaji, MD, presented an IASP slide presentation to inform others about IASP and to gather interest in forming an IASP chapter. The program included lectures, cadaver workshops, and procedures in interventional techniques. 

Books by Members

PAIN: Its Anatomy, Physiology and Treatment
By Aage R. Møller, PhD, DMedSci
December 2011, CreateSpace
www.amazon.com 

New Members

We are pleased to welcome 327 new members from 50 countries to IASP. This list is alphabetical by country and includes the period between January 1 and January 31, 2012. You will need to log in to your IASP account to view the names. More >