AAPM members are invited to nominate fellow members for our monthly AAPM Member Focus feature by filling out the form found here. Below is this month’s focus member.
The AAPM Member Focus nominee for January 2023 is Sayed E. Wahezi, M.D.
A long-time supporter and AAPM member, Dr. Wahezi is the co-director of the AAPM membership council and will be a featured speaker at the 2023 Annual AAPM Meeting.
He is an Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Anesthesiology, and Orthopaedic Surgery at the Montefiore Medical Center within the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he serves as the Program Director of the Pain Fellowship program. In his role, Dr. Wahezi spearheads research into novel pain therapies and technology, developing interventional and multidisciplinary approaches to manage chronic pain.
His practice and clinical research interests center on the physiology of neuropathic and orthopedic pain, including innovative percutaneous pain therapies and minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis and other spinal conditions.
Dr. Wahezi earned his medical degree from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo before pursuing his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Montefiore Medical Center. He then went on to complete an Interventional Spine Fellowship at Spine Technology and Rehabilitation and later returned to Montefiore Medical Center for his Pain Medicine Fellowship.
On his work as an educator and researcher in pain medicine, Dr. Wahezi shares:
We are at a pivotal period in pain medicine history, a time when our academic and scientific endeavors can impact the future more than ever. It is imperative that we gather our collective sensibilities as scientists, surgeons, comprehensive medical experts, and philosophers to continue to improve the care for our patients. Similar to most educators in our field, I remain steadfast in my pursuit to innovate and educate through the viewing glasses of basic and clinical sciences.
A leader within the research community, Dr. Wahezi serves as an AAPMR delegate representative for the American Medical Association (AMA) Expert Panel on Pain Management, as well as on ASIPP’s expert lumbar stenosis panel. He is also on the Board of Directors for the NYPS and a nominated member of the Academy of Pain Program Directors (APPD).
Dr. Wahezi has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and has given over 200 lectures on pain management techniques at national and local conferences. He serves as a reviewer and editor of the Pain Physician Journal and was named a Super Doctor by New York Times Magazine.
To view Dr. Wahezi’s full CV, visit his bio on the Albert Einstein College of Medicine website.
Nominate a fellow AAPM member who exemplifies our mission to advance multidisciplinary pain care innovation, education, advocacy, and research by completing the nomination form here.