Pain Rounds: A New Era of Pain Medicine Education

The American Academy of Pain Medicine joins Dr. Shravani Durbhakula in “Pain Rounds”, a unique video curriculum on the fundamentals of neuromodulation.

About Pain Rounds

“Pain Rounds”, hosted by Shravani Durbhakula, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., features engaging interviews, step-by-step demonstrations, problem-based learning, and interactive assessments with established experts from academia and private practices around the country. 

The 28-videos (approximately 10 hours of total content) are arranged into modules with pre and post-assessments. “Pain Rounds” utilizes educational best practices for educational video production, curriculum design, and assessment creation.

The curriculum has been adopted by the majority of accredited pain fellowships nationally, disseminated through presentations at national meetings and institutional grand rounds, and showcased by national pain societies. The research surrounding the curriculum shows significant increases in neuromodulation knowledge.

Click the video to view course samples.

Click the video to view a full module.

Topics include: 

  • Challenging lead placement
  • Surgical skills
  • Management of complications
  • Patient selection
  • The evidence behind spinal cord stimulation 
  • Case-based scenarios 
  • Professional development, and more!

Generate success in your subspecialty program with the advanced knowledge provided by Pain Rounds – it is open to anyone who wants to learn!

Testimonials

“As a fellow, I had always felt there was an educational void when it came to didactics in advanced spine procedures.  And then came Pain Rounds – the structured curriculum we desperately needed. Pain Rounds was instrumental in giving me the foundation and background that I needed to get more comfortable with neuromodulation procedures and surgical skills. The format of the series was easily digestible and strategically organized. I have never seen this in any other pain didactic series to date. I would go as far as calling it a must for any pain medicine fellow.”

Dr. Ketan Chopra, Henry Ford Medical Center

“During my pain fellowship, I eagerly subscribed to Pain Rounds. I must say that I cannot recommend this course highly enough and ended up reviewing all the videos several times. From the detailed cadaver videos that provided invaluable insights to the crucial surgical tips that elevated my surgical practice to the intellectual discussions from world-renowned experts, every aspect was meticulously designed. The embedded board-style questions challenged me and ensured that I was constantly testing and reinforcing my understanding. This proactive approach to learning both prepared me for the challenges of fellowship and equipped me to confidently ace my board exams… It’s a game-changer that will undoubtedly propel your career forward in the field of pain management.”

Dr. Ryan D’Souza, Mayo Clinic

“Pain Rounds integrates the feedback of over 100 fellowship programs into a neatly packaged, neuromodulation curriculum. It is exactly the tool that we need to systematically ensure safety and comfort with advanced procedures. Fellowships vary in terms of exposure to neuromodulation therapies, but Pain Rounds levels the playing field! We are proud that our Cornell faculty helped create it and that our fellows have used it for several years and will continue to in the future.”

Dr. Neel Mehta, Chief of Pain, Weill Cornell Medicine

“Thank you, Pain Rounds, for being an invaluable source of knowledge and support, while bringing all the experts to one place! This highly produced multimedia series is grand rounds meets late night. It makes learning complex concepts fun and surpasses any existing pain curriculum. Dr. Yesh Navalgund’s videos are my favorite, loaded with all kinds of troubleshooting tips and tricks that I still use in clinical practice! Pain Rounds has interactive features too – these help cement the new knowledge gains. I highly recommend Pain Rounds to anyone seeking comprehensive and user-friendly educational materials in neuromodulation.”

Dr. Vwaire Orhurhu , University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

“As a pain fellow, I quickly realized the challenge of mastering a vast amount of information in a limited training period. Pain Rounds gave me a solid understanding of neuromodulation principles and techniques early on, building a strong foundation for the rest of my fellowship, and allowing me to enter attending life fully prepared. My experience echoes that of many colleagues and friends across the country who used Pain Rounds. And if you need more evidence about the value of Pain Rounds, check out the Pain Rounds publication in the journal RAPM!”

Dr. Tariq AlFarra, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

“Very concise and comprehensive course on spinal cord stimulation, IT pumps and more. The content and quality of the lectures, along with the quality of the speakers, is truly outstanding. The speakers seamlessly made complex concepts very comprehensible. Their delivery was polished, with clear explanations and captivating visuals that enhanced understanding. Overall, it is great educational material to supplement the training curriculum during, and even after completion of medical training.”

Dr. Peju Adekoya , Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

“Pain Rounds for our fellows was a tremendous addition to their learning.  Interacting with gifted educators in Pain Medicine gave our fellows an opportunity to experience the ‘state-of the-art’ beyond their home institution, discuss the evidence in the field, and apply it to their own practice.”

Dr. Shane Brogan, Professor, University of Utah, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine

“Pain Rounds was the single most valuable educational resource for me during my pain fellowship. It provides the most important and up-to-date information about neuromodulation from the nation’s leading experts. I consider Pain Rounds an essential resource for pain fellows and recommend it to all of the fellows with whom I work.”

Dr. Rebecca Donald, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

“As a Fellowship Director, I find Pain Rounds to be critical to training. Pain Rounds bridges educational gaps and allows all trainees to have access to the experts, regardless of what program they are at, creating equity in the educational experiences of trainees.  Dr. D identified a critical need and created a solution.  I highly recommend this program.”

Dr. Kara Segna, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

“Pain Rounds significantly enhanced my fellowship education in neuromodulation. The lectures were highly engaging, and the practical components were extremely thorough and well-taught. Pain Rounds is a must-have for all training programs, and highly recommended for anyone interested in building a strong foundation in neuromodulation.”

Dr. Jay Karri, University of Maryland

“Having completed Pain Rounds as a fellow, I can state with confidence that it was an integral part of my development into a pain physician! It is a smart, engaging, and well-rounded approach to filling an important need in our subspecialty!”

Dr. Gerard Limerick, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Why Pain Rounds?

In pain medicine, gaps in provider education across specialties and levels of training are linked to the opioid crisis as well as complications and the inappropriate utilization of therapies. Several such gaps were documented by the United States Department of Health and Human Services in their Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Taskforce Report in 2019. “Pain Rounds” is a novel educational tool that seeks to reduce variabilities in pain education, foster appropriate therapy utilization, and improve patient outcomes. It is analogous to a video textbook and is intended to be used as such.

At the graduate medical education level, literature confirmed that approximately half of pain medicine fellows left fellowship training feeling unprepared for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) procedures used for various pain indications and potentially improving lives. The fellows cited a lack of structured SCS curriculum as a contributor to their under-preparation. The topics included in Pain Rounds were determined by a needs assessment of program directors, fellows, and professional medical societies to fill this need for a comprehensive curriculum.

ENROLL NOW

Meet Dr. D

Dr. Shravani Durbhakula, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is a double board-certified interventional pain physician and anesthesiologist with a national reputation as a clinician-educator and innovator focused on safe, effective, and individualized pain treatment. She is experienced in creating novel educational products and technological tools to reduce the impacts of educational gaps on medical, educational, and public health outcomes.

In 2024, Dr. Durbhakula received a Presidential Commendation from the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). In 2023, she received the Presidential Excellence Award for Education from AAPM. In 2022, she received the Educator of the Year award from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience and a Presidential Commendation from AAPM for her work in education and curriculum design. In 2019, National Public Radio featured Dr. Durbhakula for her educational innovation and its value to public health. The research substantiating Dr. Durbhakula’s educational tools is published in respected, peer-reviewed journals. Today, she serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Pain Medicine Foundation. She is also the Media & Communications Director for AAPM and the Host of the society’s official podcast, “Pain Matters.”

From 2017-2023, Dr. Durbhakula practiced at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. There, she served as the Course Director of the School of Medicine’s first-of-class Pain Curriculum for all first-year medical students. She additionally served as the Director of Medical Education for Pain and the Program Director of the Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship. Dr. Durbhakula created and produced “Pain Rounds” with unrestricted educational grant funding and public funding. Dr. Durbhakula takes a scientific and evidence-based approach to innovation. This is reflected in her NIH-funded research training, multiple research projects, and three advanced degrees. Today, Dr. Durbhakula practices at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she focuses on treating peripheral nerve injuries through multimodal and multidisciplinary modalities, including neuromodulation. She serves on the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Controlled Substances Quality Oversight Committee and participates in medical school admissions.
Shravani Durbhakula, MD, MPH, MBA Assistant Professor, Pain Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Shravani Durbhakula, MD, MPH, MBA
Assistant Professor, Pain Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Get Notified When New Courses Drop

Speaker Disclosures

©Johns Hopkins University

ENROLL NOW