Pain Exchange

Oftentimes, pre-conference events offered for large meetings such as the 2026 World Congress on Pain are a series of lectures, provided at an extra cost and not designed for mass audience participation. Our guests for this episode, Marie-Eve Hoeppli and Saül Pascual-Diaz set out to change that with the advent of Painhack, a two-day hackathon-based event that aims to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, bring together diverse perspectives, and push the boundaries of pain research and management. Featuring two separate tracks to participation – Project and Early Career Development – the event promises to be the intensive, work-based learning opportunity that early career pain professionals have been searching for.
In this episode, Marie and Saül tell us what they aim to accomplish with Painhack, what participants of the program may expect, and the Project Leaders give us brief overviews of the problems they are attempting to tackle during the program!
The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of IASP. This episode was produced by Peter DelGobbo, who also composed the theme music.
Additional Resources
More information on the Painhack can be found here: https://bit.ly/49LLMfO

Bringing together more than 5,000 pain professionals, the IASP World Congress on Pain will be held this coming October in the vibrant city of Bangkok, Thailand. The event is the largest gathering of pain professionals in the world, hosting scientists, clinicians, healthcare providers, and advocates across disciplines to discuss the cutting edge of pain science. Ranging from plenary lectures to topical workshops to refresher courses and poster sessions, the event is sure to have something to offer any professional interested in pain. Embarking on the difficult task of compiling a scientific program combining all of these varied interests, our guest for this episode is none other than Dr. Kirsty Bannister (Imperial College London), the chair of the Scientific Program Committee. In this episode, Kirsty speaks with us about her new policy for speaker institutions, repeated speakers, and her focus on encouraging perspectives from a wide range of career levels. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of IASP. This episode was produced by Peter DelGobbo, who also composed the theme music.
Additional Resources  
WCP 2026 Full Scientific Program - https://bit.ly/42WDfms

Every two years, at the World Congress on Pain, IASP welcomes a new organization President, elected by our members. This year, we are excited to welcome in Dr. Mary Sum Cardosa, a consultant pain specialist who has served for more than 30 years in the Ministry of Health in Malaysia, to fill this role.
In this episode of Pain Exchange, our host Dr. Renee Chasse speaks with Mary about her many accomplishments in pain management and care, as well as her passion for IASP and her plans for the IASP presidency.
The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of IASP. This episode was produced by Peter DelGobbo, who also composed the theme music.
Additional Resources
Multidisciplinary Pain Center Toolkit https://www.iasp-pain.org/resources/toolkits/pain-management-center/

This past year, the availability of artificial intelligence technology within the healthcare industry has increased exponentially, and the field of pain is certainly feeling its effects.
In this episode of Pain Exchange, our host Dr. Renee Chasse speaks with bioethicist, Dr. Daniel Buchman, and dedicated patient advocate, Joletta Belton, about various ways artificial intelligence is making an impact on the field of pain research and management, as well as potential pitfalls to look out for while exploring this new technology.
The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of IASP. This episode was produced by Peter DelGobbo, who also composed the theme music.
 
Additional Resources
Belton and Darlow: "Do We Trust Patients in Pain? What Would Happen If We Did?" https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13725
Buchman: "AI and the ethics of techno-solutionism in pain management" https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003389
Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health. Guidance on large multi-modal models. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/375579/9789240084759-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Katz, Graham, and Buchman: "The need for epistemic humility in AI-assisted pain assessment" https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-025-10264-9
Valor: The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-ai-mirror-9780197759066

Every year, the International Association for the Study of Pain chooses a particular aspect of pain to bring awareness to, in the form of a Global Year campaign. In 2026, the association's current president, Dr. Andrew Rice, has chosen the field of neuropathic pain.
In this episode of Pain Exchange, our host Dr. Renee Chasse speaks with Dr. Rice, as well as Global Year co-chairs, Drs. Angelika Lampert (Germany) and Neil O'Connell (United Kingdom) about the goals of the campaign, provide a general overview of neuropathic pain, and discuss the challenges currently facing the field today.
Use #GlobalYear2026 on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram to be part of the conversation. 
The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of IASP. This episode was produced by Peter DelGobbo, who also composed the theme music.
Additional Resources
Andrew Rice: https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/a.rice
Angelika Lampert: https://www.ukaachen.de/en/clinics-institutes/institute-of-physiology/research/lampert-lab/lab-members/prof-angelika-lampert-1/
Neil O'Connell: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/people/neil-oconnell
IASP 2026 Global Year Homepage: https://www.iasp-pain.org/advocacy/global-year/neuropathic-pain-2026/  
Soliman at al. (2025): "Pharmacotherapy and non-invasive neuromodulation for neuropathic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis". https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(25)00068-7
Neuropathic Pain SIG (NeuPSIG): https://www.iasp-pain.org/membership/special-interest-groups-sigs/neuropathic-pain-neupsig/
Methodology, Evidence Synthesis, and Implementation SIG (MESISIG): https://www.iasp-pain.org/membership/special-interest-groups-sigs/methodology-evidence-synthesis-and-implementation-mesisig/
The Cochrane Collaboration Pain, Palliative Care and Supportive Care Collaborative Review Group: https://doi.org/10.1080/j354v16n02_07
2026 World Congress on Pain Plenary Speakers: https://worldcongressonpain.secure-platform.com/a/page/Programing/plenary-speakers
PAIN 2026 Global Year Collection: https://journals.lww.com/pain/pages/collectiondetails.aspx?TopicalCollectionId=29
PAIN Reports 2026 Global Year Collection: https://journals.lww.com/painrpts/pages/collectiondetails.aspx?TopicalCollectionID=31
2026 World Congress Global Year Symposia: https://worldcongressonpain.secure-platform.com/a/page/Registration-root/Pre-Congress/SIG-Symposia-Sessions#sig5
Smart, Gylfadottir, and Fundaun: "An Overview of Neuropathic Pain and Its Impact" https://www.iasp-pain.org/resources/fact-sheets/an-overview-of-neuropathic-pain-and-its-impact/
2026 Global Year Webinars: https://perc.iasp-pain.org/2026-global-year