Welcome

Amber N. Borucki, MD
Program Chair

Welcome to the 12th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine!

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is my distinct honor to serve as the Program Chair of the Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine (SPPM) 2025 Annual Meeting, and I’m thrilled to welcome you to this exciting event, which will be held at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida on March 27, 2025.

Our theme this year, "Defining a New Era in Pediatric Pain Medicine," underscores our commitment to exploring the latest advancements and innovations in the field. The program will highlight cutting-edge updates in perioperative care, pain medications, procedural interventions, biopsychosocial approaches, and integrative care, while also emphasizing the importance of wellness within the medical community and the need for personalized and inclusive care for all patients.  We’ve also added a playful twist to the program this year—our theme is accentuated by hints (Easter eggs) from the globally acclaimed concert series, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.  

As wellness continues to be a focal point in the medical community, our meeting will open with a special social wellness activity. Join us on Wednesday, March 26th, at the Orlando World Center Hawks Landing Golf Course driving range for a fun evening of driving practice, light hors d’oeuvres, and beverages. It’s a great chance to reconnect with colleagues, enjoy the evening, and maybe even work on your swing! Who knows? With a little practice, you might just "Hit Different."

We will officially kick off the meeting on March 27th with a welcome message from our current president, Dr. Yuan Chi Lin, and important announcements regarding changes to the SPPM Board. The day will begin with an inspiring Keynote Session, presented by the distinguished clinician and researcher Dr. Melanie Noel, PhD, titled "Lost in the Memory." Dr. Noel has received several early career awards, and she was named Avenue Magazine Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 (Class of 2017) and a Killam Emerging Research Leader (2020).  Dr. Noel’s work on the psychological impacts of childhood pain memories will offer fascinating insights into how these memories shape future pain experiences and how we might harness them to develop better interventions.

Our first panel session, Session II “Bigger than the Whole Sky: Updates on Pain and Gender,” will delve into the vital connections between gender, sex hormones, and pain. We are honored to have Dr. Roger Fillingim, PhD, a world-renowned expert researcher in sex differences in chronic pain, as our first speaker. He will discuss the biopsychosocial considerations of sex, gender, and pain, offering insights into how these factors influence pain perception and treatment.  Next, Dr. Susan Sager will share her expertise on innovative approaches to managing chronic pelvic pain in the adolescent population. Following Dr. Sager, Dr. Sara Pate, DPT will provide an update on the latest advancements in physical therapy for treating chronic pelvic pain. Finally, we’ll close Session II with an important presentation by Dr. Travis Reece-Nguyen, who will explore how to integrate gender-affirming care into pediatric perioperative pain management. His talk will offer practical guidance on ensuring that pain care is both inclusive and effective for gender-diverse youth undergoing surgery.

After a short coffee break, we will resume our programming with Session III: “Heading into the Future: Updates on Pediatric Head and Neck Pain.” This session will highlight the remarkable advancements in pediatric headache care over the past decade, focusing on cutting-edge medications, therapeutic psychology interventions, and procedures for both acute and chronic pain.  We’ll begin with Dr. Ravi Shah, who will provide an update on current trends in regional anesthesia for head and neck procedures. Next, Dr. Alyssa Lebel, a renowned pediatric headache expert, will share the latest developments in medical treatments for pediatric migraine, including the use of the newest class of migraine medications: calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists.  Following Dr. Lebel, Dr. Scott Powers, PhD, a national leader in migraine research, will present an overview of effective biobehavioral therapy approaches for youth with migraine, highlighting the role of psychological interventions in pain management. Finally, Dr. Cheryll Hartzell will take us through the latest innovations in interventional procedures for managing chronic head and neck pain, including the use of onabotulinumtoxinA for headache disorders and the treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome.

During our lunch break, take advantage of additional educational offerings including Problem-Based Learning Discussions (PBLDs) and Roundtable Discussions. Topics will cover a wide range of critical issues, such as trends and updates in interdisciplinary pain treatment programs, end of life care, medication infusion therapy in acute pain, how to manage a sheared epidural catheter, and complex management of patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.  This is also when we’ll host the Pain Medicine Research Expert Roundtable, where you can ask the top experts your most pressing research questions.

In the afternoon, we’re thrilled to present Session IV, an exciting and dynamic discussion on pediatric perioperative care with a playful, eponymous twist inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour— “Welcome to the ERAS Tour: Are You Ready for It?” This session will kick off with Dr. Giovanni Cucchiaro, who will provide updates on regional anesthesia in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols. Following Dr. Cucchiaro’s talk, we’ll move into a TED-style session featuring national pediatric ERAS experts Dr. Joann Hunsberger, Dr. Megan Brockel, and Dr. T. Wallis Muhly. These experts will share insights on institutional and national trends in ERAS protocols for various pediatric procedures.  The session will conclude with a talk by Dr. Kesavan Sadacharam, a key member of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Improvement Network (SPAIN) ACL Project, who will present the latest outcomes from the data on anterior cruciate ligament repair in pediatric patients.

Following another short coffee break, we will reconvene for Session V: The Best Posters Session. The session will begin with Dr. Rosalie Tassone and Dr. Yuan-Chi Lin, who will introduce the new SPPM Innovative Research Award and announce this year’s two award winners. Each winner will then give a brief presentation on their groundbreaking research. Following the award presentations, we will move into the top oral poster presentations, where we will hear about some of the most exciting and innovative research in pediatric pain medicine.

Session VI: "PRO/CON Debate: Use of Interventional Treatments in Pediatric Pain" is a highlight of this year’s program that you won’t want to miss! Our popular pro-con debate returns with an exciting new format designed to bring multidisciplinary perspectives to the discussion. This year, we’ve paired pain physicians with pain psychologists to present each side of the argument, offering a richer, more nuanced exploration of this complex topic. Representing the PRO side, we are pleased to have Dr. Eugene Kim and Dr. Alvina Rosales, PhD, both from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, who will advocate for the use of interventional treatments in pediatric pain. On the CON side, Dr. Lisgelia Santana-Rojas and Dr. Danette Beitra, PhD, both from Nemours Children’s Health in Florida, will provide counterpoints and discuss the potential challenges and risks of interventional pain procedures in children and adolescents.

To close the meeting, the SPPM Research Committee will host a Moderated Poster Session, offering an opportunity to learn about the newest research in the field of pediatric pain medicine.

The Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine is excited to offer a series of high-quality workshops at the close of our meeting, covering a broad range of topics designed to enhance your pediatric pain practice. This year’s workshops will include sessions on perioperative pain care (such as regional anesthesia ultrasound techniques and point-of-care ultrasound), integrative medicine (including acupuncture, dry needling, and trigger point injections), and chronic pain topics. These workshops will be held in the evening on March 27^th with an additional basic regional anesthesia workshop on March 28^th specifically designed to allow wider trainee participation.

It has truly been an honor to serve as Program Chair for the 12th Annual Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine Meeting.  Our educational committee has worked tirelessly to create this program, incorporating feedback from our members, and I hope you find the content both engaging and valuable for enhancing your practice. Please don’t forget to complete the survey at the end of the meeting, as your feedback is crucial in shaping our future programming.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the many colleagues and friends who dedicated their time and expertise to this program. A special thank you to Dr. Galaxy Li, who served as the 2025 Program Co-Chair and will take the lead as the 2026 Program Chair. I am equally excited to thank Dr. Tricia Vecchione, our 2025 Program Shadow Chair, who will serve as the 2026 Program Co-Chair.  This year, in our efforts to bring a more global and inclusive perspective to the planning process, we sought guidance from multidisciplinary members of our board and education committee. A big thank you to Dr. R. Blake Windsor, a dear friend and pediatrician, for his contributions as an associate member of our planning committee. I also want to thank Dr. Alvina Rosales, PhD for her invaluable input and guidance on the psychological aspects of our program.  I would also like to express my deep appreciation to Dr. Michelle Kars, last year’s Program Chair, Dr. Yuan-Chi Lin, SPPM President, Dr. Stephen Hays, SPPM Education Committee Chair, Dr. Vidya Chidambaran, SPPM Secretary and Treasurer, and the entire SPPM Board of Directors and Education Committee for their unwavering support and invaluable advice throughout this process.

Finally, a huge THANK YOU to Kim Battle (Association Executive) and the entire SPPM staff at Ruggles, whose dedication and hard work made this event possible. Without their tireless efforts, none of this would have come together so seamlessly.

I am looking forward to seeing you all in “Florida!!!” for the "Best Day" of learning and collaboration in pediatric pain medicine.

“Are You Ready for It?”

With warm regards,
Amber N. Borucki, MD
Program Chair, 2025 SPPM Annual Meeting