We answered your questions in this second session of the IPSIS Post-Residency Roadmap with a webinar that focused on the crucial pain medicine program interview. Watch recent fellows describe their experiences and get actionable insights from program directors of both Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited and North American Spine Society (NASS)-recognized fellowships. The panel covered:

• What role does application timing play in getting an interview?
• How do you distinguish yourself as an applicant applying from a different field?
• How do you best prepare for the interview?
• What questions should you ask to gain insight on a program during a virtual interview?
• What are the common interview pitfalls, and how can you avoid them?
• Which type of questions do program directors wish candidates asked more of?
• Do "thank you" notes matter?

Your panel included:

• Gary J. Brenner, MD, PhD, Director, of the ACGME-accredited Massachusetts General Hospital Pain Medicine Fellowship and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.
• Zheyan (Jenny) Chen, MD, PhD, an attending interventional pain physician, anesthesiologist at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), who completed both an ACGME-accredited regional anesthesiology fellowship and an ACGME-accredited chronic pain fellowship at OHSU and also serves IPSIS as a member of the Evidence Analysis Committee and on the Early Career Council as an Ambassador to both the Practice Management and Patient Safety Committees.
• Derick Davis, MD, a current pain fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
• Zachary L. McCormick, MD, Vice Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the University of Utah, where he serves as the ambulatory Chief Value Officer, Chief of Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine, and the founding director of the PM&R Spine and Musculoskeletal Research Program. Dr. McCormick is also the founding director of the NASS-recognized University of Utah Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine fellowship and serves on the IPSIS Board as Treasurer.

The panel was moderated by Heidi Chen, MD, an Attending Spine Physiatrist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Assistant Professor of PM&R at Vanderbilt University Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee, who completed a NASS-recognized fellowship at OSS Health in York, Pennsylvania and serves IPSIS on the Early Career Council Executive Committee. 

Need a hand in getting stated in your program selection? Watch this video designed to help you discover your optimal interventional pain medicine fellowship.

In episode 12, our experts covered your questions on:

• Which procedures benefit from conscious sedation?
• When should a comparative medial branch block (MBB) be used to select patients?
• Should a single MBB precede radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) procedures?
• Should an anesthetic test dose be part of transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs)?
• Are we all on the same page when we use terms including ablation, coagulation, neurotomy, and rhizotomy?
• When considering imaging, is the contralateral oblique view superior to the lateral view for cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injections (ILESIs) or for thoracic or lumbosacral ILESIs?
• Is it helpful or necessary to obtain and review cervical MRI for TFESIs and ILESIs?

Your expert panel for this February 19, 2025 webinar included:

• Fred DeFrancesch, MD, of NeuroMuscular Medical Associates in Hammond, Metairie, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who also serves on the IPSIS Education Division, Guidelines Committee, and Instructor Development Committee; and
• Patrick H. Waring, MD, of the Pain Intervention Center in Metairie, Louisiana, who also serves on the IPSIS Education Division, Standards Division, and Guidelines Committee

The panel is moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large, as well as on the IPSIS Education Division, and as Co-Chair of the Education Development Committee.

Episode 12 Show Notes: These are the abstracts referenced by our experts.

• Cohen SP et al. Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for lumbar facet joint pain from a multispecialty, international working group. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2020; 0: pp. 1-44.
• Gharibo C et al. Conus medullaris infarction after a right L4 transforaminal epidural steroid injection using dexamethasone. Pain Physician 2016; 19: E1211-E1214.
• Hurley RW et al. Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for cervical spine (facet) joint pain from a multispecialty international working group. Pain Med 2021; 22(11): pp. 2443-2523.
• Levi D et al. Safety of dexamethasone in transforaminal epidural steroid injections: A case of temporary paraplegia caused by injection of lidocaine and dexamethasone into a lumbar radiculomedullary artery, with no neurologic sequelae. Interventional Pain.
• Rathmell JP et al. Safeguards to prevent neurologic complications after epidural steroid injections. Anesthesiology 2015; 122: pp.974-84.
• Waring PH et al. Correcting the nomenclature of medial branch neurotomy to medial branch coagulation. Pain Med 2022; 23(3):603-4.

Listen on the go — make "Ask the Experts" your new go-to podcast! Besides the video, an audio download is also available here.

© 2025 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

In episode 12, our experts covered your questions on:

• Which procedures benefit from conscious sedation?
• When should a comparative medial branch block (MBB) be used to select patients?
• Should a single MBB precede radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) procedures?
• Should an anesthetic test dose be part of transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs)?
• Are we all on the same page when we use terms including ablation, coagulation, neurotomy, and rhizotomy?
• When considering imaging, is the contralateral oblique view superior to the lateral view for cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injections (ILESIs) or for thoracic or lumbosacral ILESIs?
• Is it helpful or necessary to obtain and review cervical MRI for TFESIs and ILESIs?

Your expert panel for this February 19, 2025 webinar included:

• Fred DeFrancesch, MD, of NeuroMuscular Medical Associates in Hammond, Metairie, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who also serves on the IPSIS Education Division, Guidelines Committee, and Instructor Development Committee; and
• Patrick H. Waring, MD, of the Pain Intervention Center in Metairie, Louisiana, who also serves on the IPSIS Education Division, Standards Division, and Guidelines Committee

The panel is moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large, as well as on the IPSIS Education Division, and as Co-Chair of the Education Development Committee.

Episode 12 Show Notes: These are the abstracts referenced by our experts.

• Cohen SP et al. Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for lumbar facet joint pain from a multispecialty, international working group. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2020; 0: pp. 1-44.
• Gharibo C et al. Conus medullaris infarction after a right L4 transforaminal epidural steroid injection using dexamethasone. Pain Physician 2016; 19: E1211-E1214.
• Hurley RW et al. Consensus practice guidelines on interventions for cervical spine (facet) joint pain from a multispecialty international working group. Pain Med 2021; 22(11): pp. 2443-2523.
• Levi D et al. Safety of dexamethasone in transforaminal epidural steroid injections: A case of temporary paraplegia caused by injection of lidocaine and dexamethasone into a lumbar radiculomedullary artery, with no neurologic sequelae. Interventional Pain.
• Rathmell JP et al. Safeguards to prevent neurologic complications after epidural steroid injections. Anesthesiology 2015; 122: pp.974-84.
• Waring PH et al. Correcting the nomenclature of medial branch neurotomy to medial branch coagulation. Pain Med 2022; 23(3):603-4.

Listen on the go — make "Ask the Experts" your new go-to podcast! Besides this podcast, a video download is also available here.

© 2025 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

In episode 11, our experts covered your questions on:

• Which vascular structures, nerves, and musculoskeletal structures are best visualized with US?
• Which interventional procedures can be performed with greater efficacy and safety with US guidance?
• Which procedures can be performed exclusively with US guidance, and which benefit from hybrid fluoroscopic/US modalities?
• What are the best ways for pain physicians to get up to speed on utilizing US?
• What tips can help those already utilizing US take their skills to the next level?

Your expert panel for this December 5, 2024 webinar included:

• Lauren A. Chambers, DO, of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, who also serves on the IPSIS Ultrasound Committee; and

• Jonathan Kirschner, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, New York, who also serves IPSIS as Chair of the Ultrasound Committee.

The panel is moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who also serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large.

Listen on the go — make "Ask the Experts" your new go-to podcast! Besides the video, an audio download is also available here.

© 2024 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

In episode 11, our experts covered your questions on:

• Which vascular structures, nerves, and musculoskeletal structures are best visualized with US?
• Which interventional procedures can be performed with greater efficacy and safety with US guidance?
• Which procedures can be performed exclusively with US guidance, and which benefit from hybrid fluoroscopic/US modalities?
• What are the best ways for pain physicians to get up to speed on utilizing US?
• What tips can help those already utilizing US take their skills to the next level?

Your expert panel for this December 5, 2024 webinar included:

• Lauren A. Chambers, DO, of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, who also serves on the IPSIS Ultrasound Committee; and

• Jonathan Kirschner, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, New York, who also serves IPSIS as Chair of the Ultrasound Committee.

The panel is moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who also serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large.

Listen on the go — make "Ask the Experts" your new go-to podcast! Besides the video, an audio download is also available here.

© 2024 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

Watch the members-only free Post Residency Roadmap Q&A webinar designed to help you find and secure your optimal interventional pain medicine fellowship and find out:

• What are the secrets to building an unstoppable candidacy for an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited fellowship?
• How do residents best position themselves for North American Spine Society (NASS)-recognized Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine (ISMM) fellowships?
• To what degree are participating in research, publishing papers, and presenting at conferences important to successful fellowship applications?
• What critical moves should you be making if applying this season, next season, in two years?
• How do successful fellows prepare for the interview cycle?
• How do you know which fellowship is right for you?

Your panel includes:

• Heidi Chen, MD, an Attending Spine Physiatrist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Assistant Professor of PM&R at Vanderbilt University Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee, who completed a NASS-recognized fellowship at OSS Health in York, Pennsylvania and serves IPSIS on the Early Career Council Executive Committee;
• Qing Zhao Ruan, MD, an Attending Interventional Pain Physician, Anesthesiologist at Providence VA Medical Center, who completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital, in New York, New York; and
• Kevin Vu, MD, who is currently in an ACGME-accredited pain medicine fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and also serves IPSIS on the Early Career Council as an Ambassador.

The panel is moderated by Christopher Robinson, MD, PhD, who is currently in an ACGME-accredited pain medicine fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and also serves IPSIS on the Early Career Council Executive Committee.

© 2024 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

In episode 10, our experts covered your questions on:

• What does the latest research tell us about knee, shoulder, and hip joint denervation?
• What protocol is recommended for identifying and treating pain with knee and other joint denervations
• Should we consider denervation before or after joint replacement, peripheral stimulation, or orthobiologic therapy in our protocol?
• Which modality provides the most effective image guidance – fluoroscopy or ultrasound – and can or should they be combined?
• Do enhanced lesioning treatments utilizing cooled radiofrequency, bipolar, and or multi-tined radiofrequency probes improve outcomes?
• Is phenol neurolysis comparable to radiofrequency denervation, and if so, what phenol volume and concentration should be used?
• Are hip and shoulder denervation comparable to knee denervation on a risk vs benefit basis?

Your expert panel for this October 10, 2024 webinar included:

• Christine Hunt, DO, MS, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, who also serves IPSIS as Vice-Chair of the Evidence Analysis Committee; and
• Ameet Nagpal, MD, MS, MEd, MBA, of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, who also serves IPSIS as Chair of the Guidelines Committee.

The panel was moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who also serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large.

Episode 10 Show Notes: These are the abstracts referenced by our experts.

• Anatomical Study of the Innervation of Anterior Knee Joint Capsule: Implication for Image-Guided Intervention
• Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of the Articular Sensory Branches of the Obturator and Femoral Nerves using Fluoroscopy and Ultrasound Guidance: A Large Retrospective Study
• Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of chronic knee joint pain: a real-world cohort study with evaluation of prognostic factors
• Radiofrequency ablation of the hip: review
• Shoulder Ablation Approaches
• Terminal Sensory Articular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Chronic Intractable Shoulder Pain: A Novel Technique and Case Series

You can also watch the video of this webinar here.

© 2024 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved
Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

In episode 10, our experts covered your questions on:

• What does the latest research tell us about knee, shoulder, and hip joint denervation?
• What protocol is recommended for identifying and treating pain with knee and other joint denervations
• Should we consider denervation before or after joint replacement, peripheral stimulation, or orthobiologic therapy in our protocol?
• Which modality provides the most effective image guidance – fluoroscopy or ultrasound – and can or should they be combined?
• Do enhanced lesioning treatments utilizing cooled radiofrequency, bipolar, and or multi-tined radiofrequency probes improve outcomes?
• Is phenol neurolysis comparable to radiofrequency denervation, and if so, what phenol volume and concentration should be used?
• Are hip and shoulder denervation comparable to knee denervation on a risk vs benefit basis?

Your expert panel for this October 10, 2024 webinar included:

• Christine Hunt, DO, MS, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, who also serves IPSIS as Vice-Chair of the Evidence Analysis Committee; and
• Ameet Nagpal, MD, MS, MEd, MBA, of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, who also serves IPSIS as Chair of the Guidelines Committee.

The panel is moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who also serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large.

Episode 10 Show Notes: These are the abstracts referenced by our experts.

• Anatomical Study of the Innervation of Anterior Knee Joint Capsule: Implication for Image-Guided Intervention
• Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of the Articular Sensory Branches of the Obturator and Femoral Nerves using Fluoroscopy and Ultrasound Guidance: A Large Retrospective Study
• Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of chronic knee joint pain: a real-world cohort study with evaluation of prognostic factors
• Radiofrequency ablation of the hip: review
• Shoulder Ablation Approaches
• Terminal Sensory Articular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Chronic Intractable Shoulder Pain: A Novel Technique and Case Series

Listen on the go — make "Ask the Experts" your new go-to podcast! Besides the video, an audio download is also available here.

© 2024 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

In episode 9, our experts covered your questions on:

• How do you recognize, diagnose, and treat symptomatic hypersensitivity reactions to contrast media?
• How do you prevent repeat hypersensitivity reactions with a proper history?
• How do you discuss pretreatment for patients with known hypersensitivity reactions?
• Which iodinated contrast media should we consider?
• When should gadolinium-based contrast media be considered?
• What are appropriate contrast media concentrations and volumes?
• How should you manage procedures when there are iodinated contrast media shortages?

Your expert panel for this August 6, 2024 webinar included:

• Past President Timothy Maus, MD, a Mayo Clinic Professor Emeritus of Radiology, and moderator of the Case Review Community; and
• Christin A. Tiegs-Heiden, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The panel was moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who also serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large.

You can also watch the video of this webinar here.

Episode 9 Show Notes: These are the abstracts referenced by our experts.

• The American College of Radiology Manual on Contrast Media
• The Use of Contrast Agents in Interventional Pain Procedures: A Multispecialty and Multisociety Practice Advisory on Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, Gadolinium Deposition in the Brain, Encephalopathy After Unintentional Intrathecal Gadolinium Injection, and Hypersensitivity Reactions

© 2024 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved
Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.

In episode 9, our experts covered your questions on:

• How do you recognize, diagnose, and treat symptomatic hypersensitivity reactions to contrast media?
• How do you prevent repeat hypersensitivity reactions with a proper history?
• How do you discuss pretreatment for patients with known hypersensitivity reactions?
• Which iodinated contrast media should we consider?
• When should gadolinium-based contrast media be considered?
• What are appropriate contrast media concentrations and volumes?
• How should you manage procedures when there are iodinated contrast media shortages?

Your expert panel for this August 6, 2024 webinar included:

• Past President Timothy Maus, MD, a Mayo Clinic Professor Emeritus of Radiology, and moderator of the Case Review Community; and
• Christin A. Tiegs-Heiden, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The panel was moderated by Michael Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who also serves on the IPSIS Board as a Member-at-Large.

Listen on the go — make "Ask the Experts" your new go-to podcast! Besides the video, an audio download is also available here.

Episode 9 Show Notes: These are the abstracts referenced by our experts.

• The American College of Radiology Manual on Contrast Media
• The Use of Contrast Agents in Interventional Pain Procedures: A Multispecialty and Multisociety Practice Advisory on Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, Gadolinium Deposition in the Brain, Encephalopathy After Unintentional Intrathecal Gadolinium Injection, and Hypersensitivity Reactions

© 2024 International Pain and Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only.