 
Neuromodulation News: March 2018
President's Message l 14th World Congress Dates l Acting Journal Editor l Joint European Meeting Call for Abstracts l India Chapter Forms l Third French Chapter Meeting in May l Expert Panel on Stump and Phantom Limb Pain l Young Neuromodulators Forum l Ways to Get Involved
A Message from the President
Dear INS members and friends,
We have the good fortune and challenge to be living in what I consider to be a golden age of advancement in neurostimulation. Our growing knowledge offers more promise for our patients, while the emerging evidence base challenges us to reinforce the scientific underpinnings of the field, and educate our peers around the world.
This state of affairs is reflected in recent activities and focus of our medical society.
In terms of recent changes, as INS President-Elect Dr. Robert Levy prepares to begin his term as president in September, we are pleased to announce that Oklahoma University Professor Robert Foreman, PhD, will begin serving as acting editor of the INS journal beginning April 1, 2018. Dr. Foreman is a quintessential scientist who is widely recognized for his foundational work that provides insight into the mechanisms of pain and neuromodulation. He is also a respected leader within our organization, who serves as Section Editor for Basic Science on the editorial board of Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface; and has been INS treasurer; as well as past president of the North American Neuromodulation Society.
You can read more about the Acting Editor-in-Chief role below in our newsletter.
Meanwhile, for future scientific programs of the INS biennial congress, our board decided at its last meeting in 2017 to establish Scientific Oversight Chairs. They will make final determinations in finalizing the scientific program, based on recommendations from the CME and Education, Biennial Congress, and Executive Committees, which review proposals for the program in conjunction with the Congress Chair. The goal of this extra layer of scrutiny is to vet proposed content to prevent the presence of real or perceived commercial bias. The persons who serve as chairs will be free of conflicts or commercial interests.
The Scientific Oversight Chairs for the 14th World Congress in Sydney in 2019 are:
• Mike DeJongste, MD, PhD
• Brian Simpson, MD, FRCS
• Michael Stanton-Hicks, MD, MBBS
• Peter Teddy, DPHIL, FRACS, FFPMANZCA
We recently issued a call for women to become involved in our 11 committees, to support our goal of enhancing diverse representation and participation. Prospective volunteers are welcome to self-nominate. We ask for a brief statement of interest and CV to be emailed to me and committee coordinator Sarah Staples. (Our contact information is listed in the Members Only Section of the INS website.)
The 11 INS committees are:
• Biennial Congress Program
• Education and CME
• Finance and Resource
• Globalization
• Interim Meetings
• International Women in Neuromodulation
• Membership and Chapter Creation
• Public Education, Outreach and Website
• Research and Scientific Oversight
• Society Liaison and Advocacy
• Young Neuromodulators
Expanding opportunities for training and education has been especially meaningful for me. Treatment opportunities presented by neuromodulation seem particularly important as I practice pain medicine in one of the epicenters of the opioid epidemic, in West Virginia.
To spread word about neuromodulation as an option in the context of the opioid epidemic, I recently published a column in NeuroNews. There, as in this column, I referred to a golden age of advancement in neurostimulation. New findings and potential new approaches are broadening the care we can render patients.
In the meantime, the society as a whole is also expanding geographically. This year, we welcomed the newest chapter, The Neuromodulation Society of India, to our society. We are honored by the interest and energy that colleagues around the world are devoting to the growth and further establishment of this field.
Finally, I commend the vision and dedication of members in Europe who initiated, and are organizing, the first joint annual scientific meeting for European chapters. The meeting takes place Sept. 19 – 22, 2018 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. You may read more about it below in the newsletter. The overall concept is to combine a regional scientific program and related activities, ending with a general assembly of members held separately for each chapter on the final day.
In closing, I salute all of you who are working every day to expand knowledge and improve the lives of patients. Your participation and commitment are propelling the field forward.
With best regards,
Timothy Deer, MD
President of INS
International Neuromodulation Society 14th World Congress – Important Dates
The next important date leading up to the International Neuromodulation Society 14th World Congress, May 25 – 30, 2019, is the call for session proposals, April 2 - May 20, 2018.
Session proposals are for invited lectures or panels during plenary and breakout sessions. The session proposals will be evaluated by he CME and Education, Biennial Congress, and Executive Committees with the Congress Chair. Final selections will be made by three Scientific Oversight Chairs, who will be free of conflicts or commercial interests. They will scrutinize proposed content to eliminate real or perceived commercial bias in the scientific program.
Next, from July 23 – Dec. 3, 2018, abstracts may be submitted for consideration for poster sessions or possible oral presentation. The online registration system also opens July 23, 2018.
The INS invites prospective delegates to please submit abstracts of their best work to this biennial international meeting.
Important Dates for the INS 14th World Congress:
The Session Proposal System Opens: April 2, 2018
Session Proposal Submission Deadline: May 20, 2018
Abstract System Opens: July 23, 2018
Abstract Submission Deadline: December 3, 2018
Online Registration Opens: July 23, 2018
Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface Acting Editor-in-Chief Begins April 1, 2018
Robert Foreman, PhD, professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Physiology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, will become Acting Editor-in-Chief of the International Neuromodulation Society journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface starting April 1, 2018.
His service in that role will allow the journal Editor-in-Chief Robert Levy, MD, PhD, to focus on his duties as INS President when Dr. Levy’s term begins in September 2018. Additionally, serving as Acting Editor-in-Chief of Neuromodulation will entail divestment from the industry-related conflicts, a policy that will apply to all future editors as well.
Prof. Foreman is a past president of the North American Neuromodulation Society and past treasurer of the International Neuromodulation Society and, for many years, has been Section Editor for Basic Science for Neuromodulation. Dr. Foreman’s research has contributed significantly to our understanding of neuro-humoral mechanisms of visceral dysfunction and pain as well as the mechanisms of action of spinal cord stimulation.
In his decade serving as Editor in Chief of Neuromodulation, Dr. Levy was able to obtain PubMed listing in the National Library of Medicine, doubled the number of issues and page count in the journal, significantly increased its quality and Impact Factor, and worked to increase the representation of women in Neuromodulation.
First Joint European Chapter Meeting Sept. 19 – 22, 2018 – Call For Abstracts
The first joint meeting of the International Neuromodulation Society European chapters takes place Sept. 19 – 22, 2018 in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
The three-day program begins with a cadaver course and a course for nurses. The final day, Sept. 22, will be a day for each European chapter to have its own general assembly.
In between, the program includes invited talks on neuromodulation for pain, brain-based disorders, and peripheral nerve issues.
The abstract submission deadline is May 13, 2018. Please review the information at the abstract submission link and consider submitting an abstract for potential presentation at this inaugural regional meeting. There will be recognition of the six best abstracts during oral abstract presentations, in addition to a poster session. All accepted abstracts will be published in the online version of the INS journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface.
Registration is open. Those who register by June 15, 2018 receive early registration rates.
India Chapter Forms
In January 2018, the International Neuromodulation Society welcomed its 22nd chapter, The Neuromodulation Society of India (TNS).
Led by president Prof. Paresh K. Doshi, Director of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai, the chapter formed with 20 members. Its diverse core membership represents five different specialties, he noted. Prof. Doshi adds that the TNS gratefully acknowledges chapter formation grants from the International Neuromodulation Society and Boston Scientific Corporation.
The TNS founding board of directors:
President: Prof. Paresh K. Doshi (Neurosurgeon) - M.Ch (Neurosurgery), Director of Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Director of Neurosurgery at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai.
Secretary: Dr. Vijayanand Palanisamy (Pain Specialist) - FCARCSI, MSc (Pain), FFPMANZCA, Director at Atlas Pain Care, Peelamedu, Coimbatore.
Treasurer: Dr. Preeti P. Doshi (Pain Specialist) - M.D. (Anaesthesia) FRCA, FIPP, Consultant and In-Charge of Pain Clinic at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai.
Board of Members:
Prof. Pramod Kumar Pal (Neurologist) - DM (Neurology) FIAN, Professor at Dept. of Neurology, NIMHANS, in Bangalore.
Dr. Sandeep Vaishya (Neurosurgeon) - MCh (Neurosurgery), Sr. Consultant in Dept. of Neurosurgery at Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon, Haryana.
Dr. Pettarusp M. Wadia (Neurologist) - DM, DNB (Neuro), Consultant Neurologist at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai.
Dr. Amit Desai (Psychiatrist) - M.D (Psych. Med), Consultant Psychiatrist at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai.
Prof. Dwarakanath Srinivas (Neurosurgeon) - MCh (Neurosurgery), Professor at Dept. of Neurosurgery, NIMHANS, in Bangalore.
Dr. Muralidhar Joshi (Pain Specialist) - MD, DNB (Anaesthesia), Director of Pain Management Centre, Virinchi Hospitals, Road No - 1, Banjara Hils, Hyderabad.
Invitation to the French Neuromodulation Society Third Annual Scientific Meeting in May
The French Neuromodulation Society has the great pleasure to invite you on the 14th and 15th of May 2018 to the 3rd annual symposium of the INS French chapter.
This year's event will take place in the city of Reims, a town steeped in history.
We will have the honor of welcoming Professor Richard North, a pioneer in the indication of neurostimulation for the treatment of refractory pain in patients suffering from failed back surgery syndrome, who will present a global view of neurostimulation based on his more than 40 years of experience.
We will also host Gladstone MacDowell (Columbus, USA) and Pasquale de Negri (Napoli, Italy), who will talk about their experience in cancer pain management techniques.
In addition, leading French field specialists will describe the current landscape in their respective specialties.
The detailed scientific program is now available. We would like to absolutely involve our paramedical staff in this adventure, and the final day of the program includes a paramedical session dedicated to them.
Save the Date: Expert Panel on Management of Stump and Phantom Limb Pain in the Amputee
The next International Neuromodulation Society Expert Panel will focus on “Management of Stump and Phantom Limb Pain in the Amputee”.
The two-week online discussion, to take place in the INS Members Only Forum, has been scheduled for Oct. 23 – Nov. 6, 2018. A number of panelists will be invited to discuss various aspects of the topic, from pain mechanisms and neurophysiology to their treatment approaches.
Two co-moderators, who have leadership roles within the INS, will guide discussion.
Our co-moderators will be:
International Neuromodulation Society President Timothy Deer, MD, DABPM, FIPP, the president and CEO of The Spine and Nerve Center of The Virginias and Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.
Paul Verrills, MBBS, FAFMM, GDMM (Hons), MM (Pain Medicine), FIPP, from the Metro Pain Group in Melbourne, Australia, the co-chair of the Local Organizing Committee for the INS 14th World Congress in Sydney. He worked with the DRG system from the very beginning, performing the pre-commercial studies to help with refining both the technique and the equipment, and subsequently the first commercial implants. He was privileged to help co-lead the team that "taught the teachers" in the USA and pioneered the trans-foraminal S1 technique that now allows more options for foot and stump pain.
He is passionate about neuromodulation techniques now available for complex patients who perhaps practitioners could not adequately help in the past.
New Discussion Forum for Young Neuromodulators
The co-chairs of the Young Neuromodulators Committee are thrilled to announce the launch of their new International Neuromodulation Society discussion forum, which will focus on neuromodulation practice and career matters.
The new forum supports the committee's purpose to mentor members who are new to neuromodulation, and to nurture the future of our field. Like other committee activities, the forum provides a means to connect members around the globe. It will be moderated by the co-chairs in keeping with published guidelines.
All members of the INS may visit this forum. However, please note that only non-industry members may post or reply to messages here. We appreciate your adherence to this guideline.
To navigate to the forum:
1) Log in to the INS members' website
2) Once you have logged in and you are on the member landing page, click on the INS Forums icon on the lower right.
3) On the forum page, scroll down and select the Young Neuromodulators Forum, which is second on the list.
4) Post messages via the web interface.
On behalf of the Young Neuromodulators Committee, we thank you in advance, and we eagerly welcome you to engage in this new forum created to provide mentorship to our early-career members.
Best regards,
Alexios Carayannopoulos, DO, MPH, DABPMR - Co-Chair
Brown University; Rhode Island Hospital
Providence, RI, USA
Jason Pope, MD - Co-Chair
Evolve Restorative Center
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Moein Tavakkoli, MD, FRCA - Co-Chair
St George's University Hospital
London, UK
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