Almost 50 years of the Canadian Pain Society

President and Executive Director of the People In Pain Network (PIPN). She developed persistent pain in 2009 after a shoulder surgery. Virginia holds a BA in Community Studies, a diploma in Radiological and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and completed multiple courses in leadership development. She works extensively as lived experience partner on research projects and is a proud member on several other committees which include; Pain Canada National Advisory Committee, Canadian Pain Society Communication committee, Atlantic Mentorship Network Advisory Committee and other pain related initiatives. Virginia is a public presenter focusing on pain related topics with a committed diligence to increase awareness on chronic pain.

A clinical psychologist and pain researcher in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the Université de Montréal. She is also a scientist at the Research Center of the Centre hospitalier du Université de Montréal. She is a Junior 1 research scholar from the Fonds de recherche du Québec en santé. She is a member of the scientific committee of the strategic initiative on low back pain and co-leads the strategic initiative on the judicious use of opioids of the Quebec Pain Research Network. Her line of research examines the bidirectional associations between stress and pain, the trajectories from acute to chronic pain, and the impact of mental and physical comorbidities on chronic pain treatment response. She has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 6 book chapters. She is the recipient of the 2018 Early Career Investigator Pain Research Grant from the Canadian Pain Society.

Dr. Pillai Riddell's interest in the caregiver-child relationship began as an undergraduate student at York University and has continued through her graduate research training career at the University of British Columbia, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto. She currently is involved with two primary lines of research and participates in the leadership of other programs with colleagues from across the country.

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More information is on its way!

An Associate Professor at Queen’s University, where he leads the Pain Chronobiology & Neuroimmunology Lab (ghasemloulab.ca) and serves as Director of Translational Pain Research at the Hotel-Dieu Hospital Chronic Pain Clinic. His research team works at the intersection of neuroimmunology, pain physiology, and circadian biology. Using various animal models of tissue injury and disease, including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, postoperative wounds, and neuropathic nerve injury, the team seeks to better understand the molecular, cellular, and systems responses underlying human disease. The group is particularly focused on dissecting mechanisms underlying the generation and maintenance of inflammation in the central and peripheral nervous system. All projects in the lab include bioinformatics component to identify genes/pathways regulating cell function, and patient cohort studies which provide a translational component to our work. Nader completed his PhD at McGill University and was a CIHR Banting Fellow at Harvard Medical School. He is recipient of a CPS/Pfizer Early Career Award, a Brain Canada Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research Award, and the Canadian Anesthesiology Society’s New Investigator Award. Projects in the Pain Chronobiology & Neuroimmunology Lab are currently funded by grants from CIHR, NSERC, the MS Society of Canada, and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation. Nader also serves on the CPS Scientific Program and Membership & Engagement Committees; is co-chair of the Knowledge Translation Committee and sits on the Executive of the CIHR-SPOR Chronic Pain Network; and is a member of the Education & Training Committee of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada’s endMS Training Program.

An international medical doctor with a Master’s degree in Bioethics. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Public Health with a concentration on Epidemiology. Emmanuel has a vested interest in medical equality for all, and has dedicated his professional career in this pursuit. For the past five years, his work to improve the quality of care to vulnerable populations included the development of clinical campaigns providing assistance to under-serviced areas around Latin-America. Specifically, he collaborated with a team coordinating multi-centric clinical trials and projects for HIV and Hepatitis B treatment research and development. This work was sponsored by the government of the United States of America and a number of pharmaceutical associates. Emmanuel firmly believes that the best medicine is prevention, and the cornerstone of his career goals has always been to make this medical care accessible to all. Having now found his new home in Canada with CHANGEpain Clinic, he looks forward to working towards their mission as Research Director. Emmanuel is the project lead for the Doctors of BC Surgical Patients Optimization Collaborative. CHANGEpain has been chosen as one of 18 multi-disciplinary teams and is the only community based clinic as part of the ambitious 3 year initiative to improve post-op patient outcomes. CHANGEpain is examining the prehabilitation and early intervention strategies in collaboration with Dr. Kelly Mayson’s team at Vancouver General Hospital.

An Associate Professor at University of Toronto and Clinical Director, Acute and Chronic Pain Services at Toronto Western Hospital (TWH). He is also the Chair of the Neuropathic Pain SIG of the CPS, Treasurer of the Canadian Neuromodulation Society, and one of five voting members of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons’ Pain Medicine Specialty committee. His clinical and research interests include use of wearable technology and epidemiological tools for assessing outcomes of treatments for pain, fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided procedures for chronic neuropathic, musculoskeletal, and cancer pain, and neuromodulation. He has published over 50 papers, six book chapters, and co-authored two books on ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures. Dr. Bhatia a member of the Editorial Board of Anesthesia & Analgesia, the European Journal of Pain, and Pain Medicine. He is also an Examiner for certification examinations of the World Institute of Pain and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.

An anesthesiologist and chronic pain physician working at St. Joseph’s hospital, Hamilton and an Associate Professor in Anesthesia, at McMaster University. He is also the Associate Chair, Research, Department of Anesthesia, and Research Director for the Pain Residency program at McMaster University. He is the present Chair, Interventional SIG, for the CPS, and has served in this role for the last five years. Harsha’s pain practice includes both interventional and non-interventional approaches, including neurostimulation. His research areas include optimizing perioperative pain, chronic pain management, persisting post-surgical pain, and the use of cannabis for pain. Harsha has been the recipient of many research awards including the Trainee Research Award, Canadian Pain Society (CPS-2011), Carl Koller Memorial Research Grant by American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA- 2016), and the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS) Career Scientist Award-2018. Harsha has published more than 70 peer reviewed publications, one i-book and seven book chapters.

Elysia Bronson, the Counseling Director at The Woods Counselling, leads a dynamic online therapy practice serving clients across Canada. Specializing in chronic pain management, she integrates cutting-edge mental health therapies such as polyvagal theory, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and somatic therapy. She collaborates regularly with leading experts in the field to stay at the forefront of pain management research and interprofessional education. Her close collaboration with Pain BC and patients' medical practitioners enhances accessibility to online mental health services for individuals navigating chronic pain and illnesses. Elysia's approach, enriched by personal insights and active participation in group training and pain research, consistently achieves transformative outcomes, significantly enhancing the quality of life for her patients.

Victoria Bains is a Registered Nurse with the Comprehensive Integrated Pain Program – Interventional Pain Services (CIPP-IPS) at the University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario. She is the Program coordinator for the Neuromodulation for Pain Program at CIPP-IPS. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Windsor and is currently completing her Masters of Nursing in Clinical Nursing at the University of Toronto. Victoria Bains is a board member representing Allied Health in the Canadian Neuromodulation Society. She has over 14 years of clinical experience in both hospital and community setting in the domains of palliative care, chronic pain management and utilization of neuromodulation therapies.