Full Schedule
Wednesday, May 13 | Thursday, May 14 | Friday, May 15 | Saturday, May 16
Friday, May 15
7:30–8:30 am
General Session 
Continuing Education Credit Available for Sessions 103-104: 1 Hour for Physicians, Psychologists, Nurses, and Pharmacists
7:30–8 am
(103) Plenary Lecture
Cannabis and Pain: Old Drug, New Perspectives 
Mark Ware, MD MRCP (UK) MSc
The primary reason for patients’ self-reported medical use of cannabis is for pain management. The pain management community is deeply aware of our need for new approaches to manage chronic pain. Can these two positions be reconciled in an evidence based manner? Is there a role of cannabis and/or its derivatives, the cannabinoids, in modern pain management? This presentation will explore the scientific rationale for cannabinoids in pain modulation, the epidemiology of cannabis use in pain, and the evidence base for cannabis in pain management. Attendees will be challenged to confront their own perceptions of cannabis, to consider how the stigma of cannabis influences their therapeutic decisions, and encouraged to participate in finding ways to safely and constructively deal with the exploding reality of medical cannabis. We are facing an issue that can no longer be ignored, a therapy that is increasingly available not through regulatory approval but through court challenges and the ballot box. How we respond is a matter of importance to the health profession, the policy makers, the general public and, most importantly, our patients.
8–8:30 am
(104) Plenary Lecture
Effect of Environment on the Long-Term Consequences of Chronic Pain
Catherine Bushnell, PhD
There is accumulating evidence that chronic pain leads to consequences that go far beyond the pain itself. Chronic pain patients show associated anxiety and depression, as well as deficits in cognitive functioning. Rodent models confirm similar emotional and cognitive changes in controlled longitudinal studies, suggesting that the effects are caused by the chronic pain condition, rather than reflecting unrelated differences between individuals with chronic pain and control subjects. Brain imaging studies in both pain patients and in rodent pain models show alterations in gray matter volume, white matter integrity and even epigenetic changes in the brain. Despite the widespread nature of the alterations related to chronic pain, there is now evidence that these effects can be prevented or reversed by environmental factors. In human pain patients, lifestyle choices, such as yoga or meditation, reduce pain perception and counter age-related decreases in gray matter density and white matter integrity. This contrasts with chronic pain that accelerates gray matter loss and disrupts white matter integrity. Rodent models show that increased stress alters pain behaviors, whereas socially and physically enriched environments reduce such behavior and reduces pain-related brain changes. Together, these data indicate that the far-reaching adverse effects of chronic pain are not inevitable and may be reduced or prevented by environmental factors that could affect pain modulatory systems in the brain.
8:45–10:15 am
Poster Session and Networking in the Experience Exchange
8:45-10:15 am
Session Sound Bytes in the Learning Lounge
Join us for informal, TED-style talks in which you’ll have an opportunity to interact with the speakers and engage in dialogue on clinical and basic science topics.
Claudia Campbell, PhD (Moderator)
8:45–9:05 am: Mark Jensen, MD
Publishing Your Research Findings: Strategies for Success
Dissemination of research findings is a central goal of successful researchers. In order for their research findings to reach the largest audiences, and have the most influence on the field, researchers often seek to publish their findings in journals with high impact factors. In this talk, Dr. Jensen, the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Pain, and author of over 350 articles in peer-reviewed journals, will describe the most common problems seen in articles submitted for publication in the journal, and make specific recommendations for how to avoid those problems. He will also be available to discuss questions that the session participants may have regarding how to go about publishing scientific papers.
9:10–9:30 am: Hants Williams, BSN
Behavioral Health Needs and Hospital Utilization in Persons with Sickle Cell Disease
Int his short sound byte, hospital utilization and unmet psychological and social needs will be examined in the context of Sickle Cell Disease. Talking points will include psychological symptoms of Sickle Cell Disease that are often undertreated, social barrierss, and how hospital utilization may be impacted by these and other psychological factors.
9:35–9:55 am: Linda Watkins, PhD
XT-150 (non-viral Interleutkin-10 gene therapy): Application for Investigational New Drug status supports efficacy of this anti-inflammatory cytokine strategy for neuropathic pain and osteoarthritis
Over the past 25 years, evidence has accrued from many labs across the world that activation of CNS glia and peripheral immune cells are importantly involved in the creation and maintenance of pathological pain states. These cells amplify pain via the release of neuroexcitatory, pain-enhancing substances. Key amongst these is a family of pro-inflammatory cytokines, intereukin-1beta (IL-1®), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), and IL-6. Through 9 generations of development over the past 15 years, a clinically appropriate therapeutic has been optimized which utilizes non-viral gene therapy to drive the production of a potent, endogenous anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. IL-10 is an ideal therapeutic as it suppresses the production and function of the entire family of pro-inflammatory cytokines and their downstream mediators. Localized delivery to intrathecal as well as intra-articular spaces is efficacious in producing several months of pain resolution in response to a single injection. Notably, both openlabel and blinded studies of pet (companion) dogs with long-standing intractable pain support its enduring efficacy for relieving both neuropathic and osteoarthritic pain following intrathecal or intra-articular delivery, respectively. Based on preclinical efficacy in mice, rats and companion dogs, successful scale-up manufacturing and positive outcomes in FDA dictated toxicology studies of up to 6 months duration, application for Investigational New Drug status for XT101 will be sought.
10–10:20 am: Mark Ware, MD MRCP (UK) MSc
A Strategic Approach to Cannabis Research
In this session I hope to build a framework for clinical cannabis research that reflects the reality that cannabis is a drug that many patients already use as a self management approach to their pain. This unique situation presents opportunities for research that includes case reports and series, observational epidemiological research, and where circumstances allow, small scale clinical trials, as well as prospective studies of safety concerns. Such work may also serve to generate hypotheses for future research. Concerns around standardization of products and laboratories and methods will be reviewed and discussed.
10:30 am–Noon
Symposia 
Continuing Education Credit Available for Sessions 400-405: 1.5 Hours for Physicians, Psychologists, Nurses, and Pharmacists
(400) Modeling the Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain 
Annamieke Kavelaars, PhD (Moderator); Jon Levine, MD PhD; Cobi Heijnen, PhD
This session will focus on preclinical models of the transition to chronic pain, highlighting new advances in molecular mechanisms driving neuronal plasticity underlying this change. Compelling evidence will be presented for changes along the neuraxis, from peripheral nociceptors to spinal circuits to descending modulatory centers. Discussion will focus on moving these advances in molecular knowledge toward future potential therapeutic applications.
(401) Multidimensional Pain Mechanisms in Fibromyalgia: Implications for Understanding Individual Differences 
Robert Edwards, PhD (Moderator); Christopher Coe, PhD; Michael Jankowski, PhD
The pathophysiology of fibromyalgia is incompletely understood, and interpatient variability in presentation, illness course, and treatment response is enormous. This symposium will present recent findings on multiple neurobiological mechanisms underlying fibromyalgia-related symptomatology (e.g., alteractions in functional connectivity of the brain assessed with fMRI, immune alterations involving cytokines, autoantibodies, etc.), and will involve discussion of these findings’ implications for understanding and treating patient subgroups.
(402) Pain in Older Adults: Predictors, Functional Consequences, and Considerations for Treatment
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, PhD MSPH (Moderator); Kelly Naugle, PhD; Barbara Rakel, PhD RN
This symposium will focus on characterizing the central and peripheral mechanisms/predictors increasing the risk for chronic pain in older adults. We will describe how these pain-related risk factors may also exacerbate functional decline in older adults. Efforts will be made to integrate this knowledge into the management of pain in older adults.
(403) Using Mixed-Methods Research to Enhance the Understanding of Pain Management 
Joke Bradt, PhD (Moderator); Caryn West, PhD RN; Vicki Plano Clark, PhD; Minjung Shim, MA
Mixed-methods research is ideally positioned to help answer clinical questions embedded within a biopsychosocial conceptualization of pain management. This symposium will highlight the advantages of using mixed-methods research to enhance understanding of multidimensional factors that impact pain management and optimize treatment interventions. Faculty will provide examples of applications of the NIH guidelines for Best Practices for Mixed Methods Research in the Health Sciences in the context of pain research.
(404) Combination Pharmacotherapy for Pain: Preclinical and Clinical Perspectives
Laura Stone, PhD (Moderator); George Wilcox, PhD; Ian Gilron, MD
Individual pain relievers provide incomplete relief and can produce undesired and dose-limiting side effects. The use of multimodal analgesic techniques can offer distinct advantages over single-drug treatments. However, combinations can also result in serious side effects. With more than half of patients with chronic pain receiving two or more different analgesic drugs, improved understanding of the safety, efficacy, and mechanisms underlying combination therapies is a high priority for both basic scientists and clinicians.
(405) Engineering and Delivery of Druggable Targets for the Treatment of Pain 
Yan Xu, PhD (Moderator); Anne Marie Malfait, MD PhD; Joseph Glorioso, PhD
This session will focus on novel strategies to engineer and deliver druggable targets for the treatment of chronic pain. We will discuss the use of RELIEPH (Receptor Engineering to Lessen Inflammation-Evoked Pain and Hypersensitivity) and DREADD (Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) technologies in combination with gene therapy for installing exclusive druggable targets and for selectively silencing targeted populations of peripheral neurons.
12:15–1:30 pm
Lunch Symposia
OFIRMEV® (acetaminophen) Injection: A Non-Opioid Foundation for Multimodal Analgesia in the Perioperative Patient
Space is limited. Seating is available on a first come, first serve basis.
Supported by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
1:45–3:15 pm
Symposia
Continuing Education Credit Available for Sessions 500-501: 1.5 Hours for Physicians, Psychologists, Nurses, and Pharmacists
(500) Potential Targets for Future Migraine Therapeutics
Greg Dussor, PhD (Moderator); Yu-Qing Cao, PhD; Michael Gold, PhD
This session will emphasize the contribution of calcium and potassium channels, immune cells, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)–dependent plasticity in the brainstem to the pain of migraine. Data from three preclinical research laboratories will be presented and will include discussion of ion channels that may regulate pain signaling from the meninges, how the immune system can contribute to the initiation of a migraine attack, and how neuronal plasticity at central synapses can increase pain signaling in migraine. Presenters will also discuss the suitability of these topics as potential therapeutic targets for future drugs to treat headache.
(501) Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Pain: Translating Between Bedside and Bench
Magali Millecamps, PhD (Moderator); Susan Masino, PhD; Carolyn Fairbanks, PhD
Among patients with chronic painful conditions, the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased from 40% in the 1990s to more than 90% today. In this symposium, participants will first be introduced to the history and actual use of CAM by patients to cope with chronic pain. Level of clinical evidence and neurobiological underlying mechanisms will be addressed for three therapies. Drs. Millecamps, Masino, and Fairbanks will delineate how an active lifestyle, diet, or acupuncture can modulate various chronic pain conditions across species.
1:45–5 pm
Workshops
Continuing Education Credit Available for Sessions W700-W701: 3 Hours for Physicians, Psychologists, Nurses, and Pharmacists
(W700) Clinical Application of American Pain Society’s Guidelines for Managing Postoperative Pain 
Debra Gordon, RN DNP FAAN (Moderator); Renee Manworren, PhD APRN-BC FAAN; Timothy Brennan, MD PhD; Richard Thirlby, MD FACS
Many preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative interventions and management strategies are available for reducing and managing postoperative pain in adults and children. The American Pain Society, in partnership with the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the U.S. Veterans Health Administration Health System, and the Department of Defense Health System, commissioned a systematic review to inform and update clinical practice guidelines on management of postoperative pain. This workshop will review the guideline recommendations and discuss implementation and evidence of guideline application on patient outcomes.
(W701) Necessity Is the Mother of Invention: Innovative Primary Care Responses to the Chronic Pain Crisis
David Tauben, MD (Moderator); Lucinda Grande, MD; Erin Krebs, MD MPH; Michael Parchman, MD MPH; Michael Vonkorff, ScD
Primary care clinics are starting to address the growing pressures on providers from patients on chronic opioid therapy. Innovative solutions include creative structuring of interprofessional teams, protocol-driven urine screening by support staff, and systematic tracking of performance metrics and patient-centered outcomes. Some results of these efforts will be presented in this workshop-format session that will promote collaborative practice improvement and will inform the pain specialty community of the priorities of some important customers—their colleagues in primary care.
3:30–5 pm
Symposia
Continuing Education Credit Available for Sessions 600-601: 1.5 Hours for Physicians, Psychologists, Nurses, and Pharmacists
(600) Basic Mechanisms for Spinal Cord Stimulation and the Potential Clinical Implications
Haibin Wang, MD PhD (Moderator); Yun Guan, MD PhD
This session will emphasize the role of opioid receptors, glial cells, superficial dorsal horn and wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons, stimulation frequency, and antiinflammation as underlying mechanisms for spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Data from three preclinical research laboratories will be presented and will include discussion of how those different mechanisms contribute to the clinical efficacy of SCS therapy and provide future implications for this therapy.
(601) Keratinocyte Mechanisms in Tactile Sensation, Neuropathic Pain, and Dermatopathologies
Kathryn Albers, PhD (Moderator); Jose Moron-Concepcion, PhD; Michael Caterina, MD PhD
Increasing evidence indicates that keratinocytes play an active neurosignaling role in transducing and modulating tactile sensation, including pain. Mechanisms of normal keratinocyte signaling will be presented as well as pathologies associated with peripheral neuropathic pain and atopic dermatitis. These mechanisms are potential targets for therapeutic strategies to treat neuropathic pain and dermatopathologies.
5:15–7:15 pm
Shared Interest Group (SIG) Meetings
Continuing Education Credit Available for SIG Meetings 137-141: 1.5 Hours for Physicians, Psychologists, Nurses, and Pharmacists
(137) Ethics SIG
Basic and Clinical Pain Research Ethics: National Oversight, Data Integrity, and How and Why Your Role as Ethical Steward Outlasts Your Research Study
Beth Darnall, PhD (Moderator); Ranjini Ambalavanar, PhD; Luke Parkitny, PhD
There is a need for basic and clinical researchers to better appreciate the nuances between questionable research practices versus research misconduct, as well as the impact of research misconduct on individuals, organizations, and the public. This interactive session will involve discussion of how the conduct of the terminal stages of a study may enhance or unhinge the results, regardless of the study quality and findings. Real-life case studies will be discussed, and closed cases and forensic tools from the Office of Research Integrity will be presented.
(138) Measurement of Pain and Its Impact SIG
Pain Measurement Across the Lifespan
Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, PhD MSPH (Moderator); Laura Simons, PhD; Miroslav Backonja, MD; Keela Herr, PhD RN AGSF FAAN
During this meeting, presenters will focus on addressing general concepts about pain measurement and assessment across the lifespan. Special considerations will be presented on pain measurement and assessment in children, older adults, and individuals with limited ability to communicate due to cognitive impairments. Efforts to translate the current science of pain measurement into improved management of pain populations will be considered.
(139) Nursing SIG
The Experiences and Perceptions of Advanced Practice Nurses Caring for Patients with Coexisting Substance Use Disorder and Chronic Pain
Barbara St. Marie, PhD ANP GNP (Moderator)
Healthcare providers across several medical disciplines and settings share lack of knowledge and general frustration with their experiences in treating patients with chronic pain and substance use disorder, but the experiences of advanced practice nurses is unknown. Opioid prescribing for treatment of pain is a root of healthcare provision, but the results can be mixed. The purpose of this session is to examine the narratives of the advanced practice nurse’s experiences and perceptions while caring for patients with coexisting substance use disorder and chronic pain.
Opioid Induced Respiratory Depression: Assessment, Monitoring, Incidence
Mary Lyons, MSN APN RN-BC ONC
Opioid induced Euphoria and Endophenotype for Substance Misuse
Renee Manworren, PhD APRN-BC FAAN
(140) Pharmacotherapy SIG
Teaming Up with a Clinical Pharmacist: A Unique Practice Model for Chronic Pain Management
Melissa Durham, PharmD (Moderator); Rakhi Dayal, MD
This session aims to provide exposure to a variety of interdisciplinary approaches to pain management, while highlighting a unique practice model involving a clinical pharmacy service. Session participants will discuss their own experiences with interdisciplinary care and will be provided with tools and recommendations for implementation of a similar service in their own practice setting.
(141) Primary Care SIG
Advancing Primary Pain Care Within the American Pain Society and Nationwide
Jessica Merlin, MD MBA (Moderator); Mark Sullivan, MD PhD; William Becker, MD; Erin Krebs, MD MPH; David Tauben, MD
A substantial amount of chronic pain care in the United States occurs in the offices of primary care providers. Common primary care pain challenges include addressing other pressing medical problems when pain is the patient’s top priority; implementation of opioid risk mitigation strategies within a primary care practice; continuing to care for patients with worrisome behaviors (e.g., substance use, doctor shopping) after difficult conversations have occurred and opioids have been tapered; and interfacing with other providers (e.g., pain specialist physicians, psychologists, emergency departments) who may not share the same approach to pain management.
Traditionally, primary care providers have made up a minority of APS membership, and these primary care-focused topics have been underrepresented at APS meetings. In response to encouragement from the highest levels of the organization, we began the APS Primary Care Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2014. The mission of the Primary Care SIG is to address the needs of professionals from numerous disciplines interested in the care of patients with chronic pain in primary care settings.
The SIG meeting will include three trigger talks by experts in primary care-based pain management: Pain management challenges facing primary care providers (Erin Krebs, MD); Risks and benefits of opioids (Mark Sullivan, MD); Management of risks associated with opioids (William Becker MD); and Achieving multidisciplinary care (David Tauben MD). Following these talks, Jessica Merlin, MD MBA will moderate a discussion, which will include structured brainstorming on the role the Primary Care SIG should play within the APS, and how the Primary Care SIG can help advance the clinical and scientific agenda around these issues within the APS and nationwide
The following sig meetings are not offered for continuing education credit.
(142) Advancing the Science of Quality
Quality science encompasses methods, tools, measures and standards to understand and improve quality. The format for this meeting will be an open interdisciplinary discussion to enhance collaborations and sharing of successful strategies to enhance transmission of evidence into practice, improve healthcare systems, and to identify and understand quality measures in pain. Preliminary recommendations from an ad hoc APS task force on quality outlining priorities and potential future quality projects will be reviewed including updates on the development of a pediatric patient outcome questionnaire and the Pain-Out registry.
(143) Pain Education
The purpose of this Pain Education SIG meeting will be to: Provide updates on members’ activities and interests; Participate in a presentation on “hot topics,” the future of pain education, and the role of APS in leading pain education initiatives; Meet in working groups to discuss specific topics of interest in pain education (e.g. approaches for the study and assessment of pain education, strategies for promoting and establishing interprofessional pain education curricula, dissemination of education resources for the general health care public, etc.).
(144) Pain in Infants, Children, and Adolescents
The SIG on Pain in Infants, Children and Adolescents will again present a Pediatric Data Blitz including a series of brief oral presentations of emerging research in pediatric pain. We will present our annual Young Investigator Award. Finally we will announce results of the election of a new SIG Chair.
5:30–7:30 pm
Basic Science Research Dinner
(136) A Debate on the NIH Policy for Gender Equality in Pre-clinical Research
Michael Jankowski, PhD, and Benedict Kolber, PhD (Moderators); Jeffrey Mogil, PhD; Laura Stone, PhD; Rebecca Craft, PhD; Geoffrey Bove, DC PhD
Continuing education credit is not available for this session. Seating is limited. Preregistration is required.
Join the APS house band for a night of live music. The Pain Sensations will play at the Renaissance Hotel Pool Deck.
Wednesday, May 13 | Thursday, May 14 | Friday, May 15 | Saturday, May 16
