Pain Management Conference History

List of all past San Diego Pain Summit pre-conference workshops, instructors, conference speakers and titles of their talks. Titles are in the order presented on stage.

Conference talks were recorded and 2015-2023 can be watched here.

Presentations are listed in the order they were given during the conference.

2024 San Diego Pain Summit

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  • Melanie Noel, Ph.D., RPsych & Joletta Belton: Validation Of People Living With Pain In The Clinical Encounter: An Interactive Workshop 

  • Michael Falcon,OTD, OTR/L, MHA: Intersectionality of Professional Pain Cultures: Research, Academia, Healthcare, and the Clinician

  • Peter Stilwell, Ph.D. & Jackie Walumbe, MSc, BSc, DPhil: What Is Your Philosophy Of Pain? Let’s Reflect On Our Assumptions

  • Keynote Cassandra Macgregor, PT & Joletta Belton: What Is ‘Acceptance’ Of Chronic Pain? An Ecosystem Approach And Its Implications For Practice.

  • Dershnee Devan, OT: The Role Of Perceived Injustice In The Pain Experience

  • Timothy Wideman, Ph.D.: Suffering: Getting To The Heart Of The Pain Problem

  • Tim Salomons, Ph.D.: What Is Pain And Why Does It Matter?

  • Felicity Braithwaite, Ph.D.: Working With Osteoarthritis Patients As Co-Researchers – Co-Designing Translational Research Solutions And Busting Osteoarthritis Myths

  • Keynote Tasha Stanton, Ph.D.: Pushing The Boundaries Of Perception For Chronic Pain Treatment

  • Lauren Heathcote, Ph.D.: From Magic Pills To Mindsets: Ethically Harnessing Placebo Effects In Pain Care

  • Robert Coghill, Ph.D.: Pain: A Distributed Problem That Requires A Distributed Solution

  • Katleho Limakatso, Ph.D.: A Novel Approach To Managing Post-Amputation Pain: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

  • Meryl Alappattu, DPT, Ph.D.: Underserved And Undertreated: Addressing Gaps In rehabilitation Following Gender Affirming Surgery

  • Anna Marie LaChance, Ph.D.: All Care Can Be Gender-Affirming: Best Practices for Treating Trans Patients

  • Aidan Cashin, Ph.D.: Conceptualizing and Managing Chronic Low Back Pain from a Fit-For-Purpose-Model Perspective

2023 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Psychosocial Clinical Skills For Building Self Reliance In Persistent Pain: Encouraging Patients and Avoiding Clinician Burnout. Instructor: Alison Sim

Neuroscientific Painmodulation - A Scientific and Principle Based Approach To Pain Rehabilitation. Instructor: Lars Avemarie

Embodying States and Perceptual Positioning For Growth. Instructor: Sheren Gaulbert

Applied Neuroscience and the Paining Person. Instructor: Dr. Morten Hoegh

Conference:

  • Keynote Kathleen Sluka, PT, PhD, FAPTA: “The Science of Exercise for Pain Control: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications”

  • Nathalia Costa, BPhy (Hons), Ph.D.: “The Ubiquity Of Uncertainty: Learnings From The Low Back Pain Context”

  • Nathan Hutting, Ph.D., PT: “Person-focused self-management support in people with musculoskeletal pain conditions”

  • Morten Hoegh, Ph.D., PT: “Low Back Pain; what to do about it in 2023?”

  • Mai Huong Ho-Tran, PT, DPT: “Creating Patient Safety – Practical Movement Applications For Experiential Knowledge and Integrating Psychosocial Approaches in Patients with Persistent Pain”

  • Devra Sheldon, PT, DPT: “Intruding On The Intruder”

  • Ryan Shelton, PT, DPT, OCS, Cert MDT: Reimagining The Role Of Business In Healthcare: Aligning our work with the needs of the community to minimize health inequalities”

  • Keynote Jessica Isom, MD, MPH: “The Urgency of Now: Disrupting Racism In  Pain Management”

  • Karime Mescouto, BPhty (Hons), MSc: “Let’s Talk About Power In Pain Management: Thinking Beyond The Biopsychosocial Model”

  • Ericka Merriwether, PT, DPT, Ph.D.: “Personalized Pain Management for EveryBODY: Considerations for Research and Clinical Care at the Intersections of Race and Health”

  • Jonathan Alexander, Ph.D.: “Queer and in Pain: The Challenges of Being an LGBT Patient in the Contemporary Medical Establishment”

  • Sheren Gaulbert, QCH: “Persuading Change: Pointers from Conversational Cognitive Hypnotherapy” 

  • Laura Rathbone, PT, MSc: “Phenomenology: the body as a place of knowing”

2022 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops: no workshops due to Covid

Conference:

  • Keynote Uchenna Ossai, PT, DPT, WCS, CLT - The Chronic Pain of Racism in Leadership

  • Joel Bialosky, PT, PhD, FAAOMPT, OCS - "It’s not you, it’s me….."

  • Syreeta Nolan - My Intersection of Chronic Pain, Medical Trauma, and Blackness

  • David Poulter, PT, B.Sc. Special Hon, Dip MDT - Patient Centered Care and Developing the Therapeutic Alliance. Have We Lost Focus?

  • Daria Oller, PT, DPT, ATC - A Physical Therapist’s Lived Experience With Long Covid

  • Todd Davenport, PT, DPT, MPH, OCS - What To Do When “Working Out” Isn’t Working Out: Insights from the Physiology of Post-Exertional Symptom Exacerbation

  • Keynote Melanie Noel, PhD, RPsych - Diagnostic Uncertainty In Chronic Pain

  • Matt Low, PT, ACE, ESP - Coming To Terms With Complexity: Navigating The Terrain Between Research And Practice

  • Lisa VanHoose, PhD, MPH, PT - Your Pain Evaluation Is Incomplete Without A Zipcode Assessment

  • Jarod Hall, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS and Mark Kargela, PT, DPT, OCS, cert-MDT, MTC, FAAOMPT - “Does Manual Therapy Suck?” A Debate For The Ages

  • Jason Silvernail, DPT, DSc, FAAOMPT - Conflict and Safety in Clinical Spaces

  • Keynote Tasha Stanton, PhD - Rethinking Osteoarthritis – Is It More Than Just The Joint?

 

2021 SD Virtual Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops: none, event was entirely online

Conference:

  • Jackie Walumbe, MSc Global Public Health, MSc Pain, BSc - Just get on with it”- An exploration of the ideological, interventional and experiential meanings of self-management of chronic pain

  • Nathan Hutting, Ph.D. - Do It Yourself (DIY): Self-management support

  • Annie O’Conner, MSPT - Pain Is Complex But It Doesn't Have To Be Complicated

  • Biafra Ahanonu, Ph.D. - Illuminating neural circuit dynamics of pain processing with in vivo imaging and computational techniques

  • Blaise Doran, PT - Managing persistent pain in young people: Assembling the physical, psychological, social through the philosophical

  • Sheren Gaulbert, Cognitive Hypnotherapist DipCHyp, HPD, MNCH (Reg); Neuro LInguistic Programming Practitioner PNLP - What Is Really Being Communicated? Recognizing Incongruencies In Clinical Interactions

  • Keynote Melanie Noel, Ph.D., RPsych - Trauma and Pain: An Inter-generational Problem

  • Linda Crawford, OTR, CDWF - Do, Feel, Think--Humanizing the Pain Experience: An Occupational Therapy Perspective

  • Michael Amato, PT - Pain and Attention: Focusing on the Lived Body

  • Paul McCambridge, DC -Implementation Of Clinical Guidelines - The Big Problem

  • Keynote John Launer, GP - Conversations Inviting Change: Narrative-Based Practice in Health Care

  • Rachel Zoffness, MS, Ph.D. - CBT for Chronic Pain: Bridging the Gap between Medicine & Psychology

  • Richard McIlmoyle, BSC, DC, PGCPain - Stop searching for the Sasquatch. Throwing time, money and effort on mechanistic predictors for responders to manipulation is a mythical journey

  • Amy Eicher, PTA - A Tale Of Two Stories, Our Needs & Their Needs: The Power Of Words & How We Affect Conditions For Healing In Chronic Pain Patients

 

2020 SD Virtual Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops: none, event was entirely online

Conference:

  • Timothy Wideman, Ph.D. - How to think about pain– toward a person-centered perspective

  • Tim Salomons, Ph.D. - Biomarkers of Vulnerability and Resilience to Pain

  • Catherine Siengsukon, PT, Ph.D. - The Relationship Between Sleep and Pain: What To Do?

  • Felicity Braithwaite, Ph.D. - The Magic Of Placebo: Using the art of deception to improve blinding in clinical trials, and harnessing the benefits of non-specific effects in clinical practice

  • Laura Rathbone, PT - What about us? How psychologically flexible are we?

  • Michael Ray, DC - Pain: Exploring the Human Experience

  • Devra Sheldon, PT, DPT - Persistent Pain: Shame and Stigma in Clinical Encounters

  • Sandy Hilton, PT, DPT, MS - Mind The Gap: Forced Tapers And Unrelenting Pain

  • Jason Silvernail, DPT, DSc, FAAOMPT - Difficult Conversations and Patient Noncompliance

  • Kathryn Gloor - Seek First to Understand (Patient Perspective)

  • Philip Austin, Ph.D. - Virtual Reality For The Treatment Of Chronic Pain Disorders

  • Keynote Tasha Stanton, Ph.D. - Targeting Pain From Many Angles: A foray into language, sensory modification, and brain trickery

 

2020 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Empowered Relief Training - Instructors Dr. Beth Darnall & Dr. Maisa Ziadni

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy - Instructor Dr. Bronnie Thompson

Motivational Interviewing - Instructor Dr. Malcolm Berg-Smith

Making Sense Of Evidence From Trials and Systematic Reviews In Physiotherapy - Instructor Dr. Neil O’Connell

Conference:

  • Keynote Melanie Noel, Ph.D. - Remembering the Pain of Childhood

  • Diarmuid Denneny, PT - Psychologically Informed Practice: Beyond The Two Day Workshop

  • Lars Avemarie, PT - The Future of Pain Rehabilitation

  • Neil O'Connell, Ph.D. - Low Back Pain: What Have Clinical Guidelines Done For Us?

  • Cory Blickenstaff, PT, MS, OCS - The Next Edge of Interaction

  • Marcos Lopez, DPT - Clouded Hope: Our Role In Addressing Opioid Use Disorder

  • Erik Ouellet - Deconstructing Palpation: The Illusion of Touch

  • Ben Cormack - Making Moving Person Centered

  • Joletta Belton & Keith Meldrum - The Lived Experience: A Conversation About Pain

  • Jamie Lowy, MSPT - Chronic Pain Management In Low Income And Homeless Populations: When Uncertainty Is The New Normal

  • Jarod Hall, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS - Becoming A Responsible Human Interactor

  • David Walton, Ph.D. - Blood, Spit, Hair, and Poop: How Novel Biomarkers Are Shedding New Light On The Transition To Chronic Pain

  • Sandy Hilton, PT, DPT, Maxi Miciak, PT, Ph.D., Mark Milligan, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, & Uchenna Ossai, PT, DPT, WCS, CLT - Know It, Own It, Change It: Transforming the Way We Think and Do Health and Health Care for the Good of All

 

2019 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops:

The Pain Picture: Exploring Complex Pain States - Instructor Dr. Tim Beames

Shoulder & Knee: Complex Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated - Instructors Adam Meakins & Erik Meira

Improv For Patient Communication - Instructors Dr. Sandy Hilton, Alison Sim, Mike Stewart, & Dr. Keith Waldron

Functional Therapeutic Movement - Instructor Ben Cormack

Conference:

  • Keynote Antonio Damasio, Ph.D. - About The Psychology of Feeling

  • Maxi Miciak, PT, Ph.D. - ‘Being’ Begets ‘Doing’: Establishing the Conditions Necessary for Cultivating Therapeutic Relationships

  • Sharna Prasad, PT - As Providers What We Say Matters...Matters A Lot

  • Mark Bishop, Ph.D. - You, Them, Us: What You Expect Is What You Get

  • Shelly Prosko, PT, C-IAYT, PCAYT - A Case for Compassion in Pain Care

  • Karen Davis, Ph.D. - Are We Ready To Translate Research Into Practice?

  • Tim Beames, Ph.D. - Evidence For Altered Body Perception In Pain

  • Keith Waldron, DPT - In Pursuit of a Premise

  • Pain: The Patient’s Perspective - 2019

  • Sandy Hilton, PT, DPT & Mark Milligan, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT - Even Superheroes Need a Hand

 

2018 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Know Pain - Instructor Mike Stewart

Making Sense Of Evidence From Trials and Systematic Reviews In Physiotherapy - Instructor Dr. Neil O’Connell

Reconciling Biomechanics - Instructor Dr. Greg Lehman

Pelvic Health - Instructors Dr. Sandy Hilton & Carolyn Vandyken

Conference:

  • Keynote Neil O'Connell, Ph.D. - Negotiating The Evidence Maze In Persistent Pain

  • Mark Milligan, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT - Implementing Pain Science Education Into Clinical Practice

  • Greg Lehman, BKin, MSc, DC, MScPT - When Biomechanics DOESN'T Matter: A Choose Your Own Adventure Lecture

  • Sarah Haag, PT, DPT - Pregnancy Does Not Equal Pain

  • Laura Simons, Ph.D. & Rikard Wicksell, Ph.D. - Fear In Chronic Pain: Mechanisms & Effective Treatment

  • Mike Stewart, MCSP SRP BSc (Hons) MSc PG Cert (Clin Ed) - More Than Words: How Can We Help People Express Their Experience Of Pain?

  • A. Vania Apkarian, Ph.D. - The Brain In Chronic Pain

  • Patient Perspective Panel

  • Bahram Jam, D.Sc.PT, M.PHty, B.Sc.PT, FCAMT - The Pain Truth And Nothing But: Simplifying Pain Education

  • Nicolas V. Karayannis, MPT, Ph.D. - Cultivating Mindfulness and Compassion In Our Lives

  • Mark Kargela, PT, DPT, OCS, cert-MDT, MTC, FAAOMPT - The Patient's Story: The Science Behind The Story

  • Christopher Caldwell, DO - Serenity Amongst Pushback

 

2017 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Functional Therapeutic Movement - Instructor Ben Cormack

Cognitive Functional Therapy - Instructor Dr. Peter O’Sullivan

Applications Of Psychosocial Techniques In Pain Practice - Instructors Dr. Bronnie Thompson & Alison Sim

Conference:

  • Keynote Peter O'Sullivan, PT, Ph.D. - A Paradigm Shift In Understanding and Treating Back Pain

  • Roderick Henderson, PT, DPT - Making Sense Out of Exercise and Pain

  • Greg Lehman, BKin, MSc, DC, MScPT - When Biomechanics Does Matter

  • Melissa Farmer, Ph.D. - Birth and Death Of the Pain Engram

  • Beth Darnall, Ph.D., Leonie Koban, Ph.D., & Christopher Moyer, Ph.D., - Psychosocial Influences On Pain And Its Treatment

  • Jeffrey Mogil, Ph.D. - Pain in Mice and Man: Ironic Adventures in Translation

  • Carolyn Vandyken, BHSc (PT) - Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: The Missing Link in Persistent LBP?

  • Ben Cormack - Stepping Away From Exercise and Towards Movement

  • Jonathan Fass, PT, DPT, CSCS - A Tree Falls In A Forest: Improving Pain Science Communication To Patients And Peers

  • Bronnie Thopson, OT, Ph.D. presents Paul Lagerman's - Clinicians Get Creative

  • Ben Cormack; Jonathan Fass, PT, DPT, CSCS, Jason Silvernail, DPT, DSc, FAAOMPT, & Nick Tumminello - Collaboration Forum: Facilitating Professional Dialogue

 

2016 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Introduction To Feldenkrais - Instructor Todd Hargrove

Motivational Interviewing - Instruction Dr. Kevin Vowles

Conference:

  • Keynote Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D. - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

  • Fabrizio Benedetti, Ph.D. - Placebo and Nocebo: Different Contexts, Different Pains

  • Alison Sim - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  • Ravensara Travillian, Ph.D. - Professionalization Of Massage Therapy: Integration With Pain Science

  • Kevin Vowles, Ph.D. - Willingness To Have Pain and Commitment To Valued Living In Chronic Pain

  • Bronnie Thompson, OT, Ph.D. - Getting From "Perhaps" To "Yes": Motivation, Confidence And Communication

  • Ruth Werner - Understanding Research

  • Michael Shacklock, DipPhysio, MAppSc, FACP, NDS - Clinical Application of the Pain Paradigm: Challenging the Challenge

  • Sandy Hilton, PT, DPT, MS - Practical Pain Science in the Clinic

  • Todd Hargrove, CR, CFP - Insights On Movement From A Feldenkrais Perspective

 

2015 San Diego Pain Summit

Pre-Conference Workshops:

None

Conference:

  • Keynote Professor Lorimer Moseley

  • Dr. Jason Silvernail, DPT, DSc, FAAOMPT - Crossing the Chasm: Integrating Pain Science and Finding Your Way

  • Kara Barnett, PT - Multi-Model Approach to Chronic Pain in an HMO Environment

  • Cory Blickenstaff, PT, MS, OCS - Novel Movement Opportunities Using the 'Edgework' Approach

  • Joe Brence, DPT, MBA, FAAOMPT - The M.I.P. Algorithm: A Clinically Applicable Model For Motor Control

  • Barrett Dorko, PT - Simple Contact: Role Of Instinct To Self Correct

  • John Ware, PT, MS, FAAOMPT - Neurodynamics From The Top, Down

  • Diane Jacobs, PT - Making Connections: Manual Therapy For The Nervous System In Pain

  • Ravensara Travillian, Ph.D. - Stories From The Clinic: What I Wished I Had Known About Pain Science

  • Eric Kruger, DPT, MS, Ph.D. - Making Progress in the Face of Uncertain Pain

  • Neil Pearson, PT, MSc, BA-BPHE, C-IAYT, ERYT500, YACEP - Yoga Therapy As A Vehicle For Pain Science Education

  • Keynote Professor Lorimer Moseley