T-minus 30 days until PainConnect 2026 in Salt Lake City! I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all there. The meeting will be phenomenal, with inspirational and thought-provoking sessions you won’t want to miss.

In this message, I’ll be highlighting the meeting’s Saturday afternoon panel on the 2025 BMJ interventional spine network meta‑analysis that I’m particularly excited about. When the publication first appeared a year ago, I could not hide my disbelief: the analysis concluded that spine interventions do not work for low back pain and strongly recommended against many procedures I perform.

As a pain medicine physician working side‑by‑side with an outstanding team of APPs, pain psychologists, physiatrists, sports medicine experts, spine surgeons, and physical and occupational therapists, I know that pain care takes a team. One injection is not a cure. And yet many of my patients can work, exercise, and take part in family life because of the interventions we perform. How did the BMJ’s conclusions negate that sometimes life‑changing impact?

Thanks to colleagues at the Canadian Pain Society, I connected with the senior author, Jason Busse, and invited him and co‑author Jason Friedrich to PainConnect 2026. We look forward to hosting them in Utah. Led by our treasurer‑elect, Nat Schuster, and moderated by AAPM’s Pain Matters podcast host, Sudheer Potru, the panel will also include Steve Cohen (ASRA president) and Lynn Kohan (AAPM board member). They will discuss meta-analysis strategy, the BMJ findings, the challenges they raise, and solutions to ensure the right patients can access the right interventional care for back pain. I hope you’ll join us for this important session.

My deepest gratitude to co-chairs David Copenhaver, Traci Speed, Tim Furnish, the meeting planning and education committees (huge thank you also especially to Priya Singla and Kellie Jaremko!), and our AAPM team led by Sharon Kneebone for their unbelievably hard work to make this meeting a success.

I look forward to seeing you in the Utah Mountains soon. Make sure to find me at the meeting and join me for the Saturday night gala (with guest star DJ Jen Hah) and AAPM awards! I would love to hear from you.