Four AAPM members join U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) task force

May 8, 2018, CHICAGO – Among the 28 members appointed to the HHS new Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force, four members of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) are represented on the Task Force. The appointees include AAPM board members, Dr. Jianguo Cheng and Dr. Rollin M. Gallagher and members, Dr. Halena Gazelka and Dr. Friedhelm Sandbrink.

Dr. Cheng, AAPM President, is a Professor of Anesthesiology and the Director of the Cleveland Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship Program. Dr. Gallagher, AAPM Editor, is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology and Critical Care and the Director for Pain Policy and Research and Primary Care for Penn Pain Medicine.

Dr. Gazelka is the Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Sciences. She is also the chair of the Mayo Clinic Opioid Stewardship Program and the Director of Inpatient Pain Services for the Division of Pain Medicine at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Gazelka serves on the AAPM Ethics Council and Opioids Advisory Committee. Dr. Sandbrink has been appointed as a federal member and is the Acting National Program Director for Pain Management Specialty Care Services at the Veterans Administration Health System. He is also the Director of the Pain Management Program for the Department of Neurology at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Task Force has been established to propose updates to best practices and issue recommendations that will help address gaps and inconsistencies for managing chronic and acute pain. The AAPM members appointed to the Task Force are among representatives from a variety of disciplines and views, including experts in pain management, pain advocacy, addiction, recovery, etc.

“AAPM is the recognized authority for appropriate and effective pain care in the U.S. and our members are expertly-trained clinicians practicing in the field of pain medicine,” said Dr. Cheng. “We look forward to representing our members and their patients on the new HHS Pain Management Best Practices InterAgency task force.”

The Task Force will host its inaugural public meeting on May 30, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

About AAPM

The American Academy of Pain Medicine is the premier medical association for pain physicians and their treatment teams with some 2,000 members. Now in its 35th year of service, the Academy’s mission is to advance and promote the full spectrum of multidisciplinary pain care, education, advocacy, and research to improve function and quality of life for people in pain. Information is available on the Academy’s website at painmed.org.