PROGRAM AGENDA

Texas Pain Society 18th Annual Scientific Meeting

Friday, October 23, 2026

Preconference Workshop: Ultrasound Workshop | 7:30 AM–11:00 AM | Room TBD

Chair: Maged Mina, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
7:30–8:00 AM Didactic Lecture Maged Mina, MD
8:00–11:00 AM Rotating Hands-On Workshop
with 30-Minute Break (9:00–9:30 AM)		 Workshop Faculty
Station 1 Cervical and Peripheral Nerve Blocks
  • Cervical sympathetic (stellate ganglion) block under ultrasound guidance
  • Ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve blocks under ultrasound guidance
  • Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block under ultrasound guidance
 Saba Javed, MD
and Maged Mina, MD
Station 2 Shoulder and Upper Extremity Interventions
  • Suprascapular nerve block under ultrasound guidance
  • Axillary nerve block under ultrasound guidance
  • Lateral pectoral nerve block for motor-sparing techniques in shoulder radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
  • Subdeltoid/subacromial bursa injection under ultrasound guidance
 Enas Kandil, MD
and Chris Yopp, MD
Station 3 Hip and Knee Interventions
  • Conventional intra-articular hip injection under ultrasound guidance
  • Pericapsular Nerve Group (PENG) block for hip pain
  • Greater trochanteric bursa injection under ultrasound guidance
  • Genicular nerve blocks for knee pain under ultrasound guidance
 Yashar Eshraghi, MD
and Grant Chen, MD

Preconference Workshop: Addiction Workshop | 7:30 AM–11:00 AM | Room TBD

Chair: Michael Sprintz, DO

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
7:30–8:30 AM Alcohol, THC, and Pain Corey Waller, MD
8:30–9:00 AM Drug Testing: Who? Why? When? Michael Sprintz, DO
9:00–9:30 AM Break  
9:30–10:00 AM Comfortably Uncomfortable: How to have difficult patient conversations Michael Sprintz, DO
10:00–11:00 AM Effect of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Agonists on Pain & Addiction Emanuel Husu, MD

APP Concurrent Workshop | Room TBD

Chair: Kaycee Frederick , MSN, APRN, FNP-C | Co-Chair: Kelley Pennell, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
7:30 AM Welcome and Introductions Kelley Pennell, DNP, APRN, FNP-C and
Kaycee Frederick , MSN, APRN, FNP-C
7:30–8:15 AM Urine Drug Screen: Best Practices and Interpretation Kelley Pennell, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
8:15–8:45 AM Navigating Difficult Situations Alyson Brzezinski, APRN, FNP-C
8:45–9:15 AM Tapering with Dignity Alyson Brzezinski, APRN, FNP-C
9:15–10:15 AM Documentation Kelley Pennell, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
10:15–10:55 AM AI in Clinical Practice Chris Massey, MD
10:55–11:40 AM Orthopedic Joint Pain Treatment Options Earl Kilbride, MD
11:40–11:55 AM Q&A —
11:55 AM–12:55 PM Lunch —
12:55–1:25 PM Physical Examination of the Spine and Joints Angela Ash
1:25–2:10 PM Surgical vs. Pain Management Nicole Busch
2:10–2:25 PM Q&A —
2:25–3:10 PM Right Procedure, Right Patient: A Selection Framework for Interventional Pain Therapies Kaycee Frederick , MSN, APRN, FNP-C
3:10–3:40 PM Physician/APP Working Relationship Bennjamin Fronk, MD
3:40–4:40 PM Red Flags in Spine Care Sixtus Z. Atabong DMSc, PA-C DFAAPA

Friday, October 23, 2026 Main Session

Session 1   Beyond the Prescription Pad

Moderator: Stephanie Jones, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
11:00–11:00 AM Welcome & Introductions Dhanalakshmi Koyyalagunta, MD
11:00–11:30 AM Rewiring Pain: Clinical Psilocybin, Neuroplasticity, and the Next Frontier in Pain Medicine Lynn Puana, MD
11:30 AM–12:00 PM Kratom Michael Sprintz, DO
12:00–12:30 PM Panel Discussion Session Faculty
12:30–1:30 PM Sponsored Lunch (Non-CME)  
1:30–2:00 PM Exhibit Hall Break  

Session 2   Multidisciplinary Pain Strategies

Moderator: Gulshan Doulatram, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
2:00–2:20 PM Liability and Risks of Chronic Opiate Therapy Brent Van Dorsten, PhD
2:20–2:40 PM Buprenorphine Allen Dennis, MD
2:40–3:00 PM A Review of the Efficacy of Treatments for Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Brent Van Dorsten, PhD
3:00–3:30 PM Panel Discussion Session Faculty
3:30–4:00 PM Heavner Lectureship: Neurobiology and the Basic Science of Addiction Corey Waller, MD
4:00–4:30 PM Exhibit Hall Break  

Session 3   Streaming Stimulation: Updates, Complications, and Operational Efficiency

Moderator: Shiraz Yazdani, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
4:30–4:50 PM Updates in Spinal Cord Stimulation Donald Atkins, MD
4:50–5:10 PM Complications in Neuromodulation Damiano Barone, MD, PhD, FRCS
5:10–5:30 PM Getting from Order to OR Jen Backstreet
5:30–6:00 PM Panel Discussion Session Faculty
6:00–6:45 PM Exhibit Hall Reception and Fellowship Reunion Meet-Up  

Back to top ↑

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Session 4   Brave New World: Managing MIS Therapies

Moderator: Marte Martinez, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
8:30–8:50 AM Medico-Legal Considerations Daniel Sternthal, JD
8:50–9:10 AM Pain Physician Perspective Maged Mina, MD
9:10–9:30 AM Neurosurgical Perspective Mazin Al Tamimi, MD
9:30–10:00 AM Panel Discussion  

Session 5   The Digital Doctor

Moderator: Saba Javed, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
10:30–10:50 AM Artificial Intelligence Eddie L. Patton Jr., MD, MBA, MS
10:50–11:10 AM Technology Leon Anijar, MD
11:10–11:30 AM Digital Updates TBD
11:30 AM–12:00 PM Panel Discussion  
12:00–1:30 PM Fellows Case Presentations During Lunch (CME Event) Fellows TBA
1:30–2:00 PM Exhibit Hall Break  

Session 6   Cutting-Edge Therapies

Moderator: Maged Mina, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
2:00–2:20 PM Regenerative Medicine TBA
2:20–2:40 PM Endoscopic Medial Branch Ablation and Transection Kenneth Wu, MD
2:40–3:00 PM Targeting Anterior Column Pain: Intradiscal therapy vs Basivertebral nerve ablation Matthew McClure, MD
3:00–3:30 PM Panel Discussion Session Faculty
3:30–4:00 PM Hassenbusch Lectureship Brian Bruel, MD
4:00–4:30 PM Awards, Prize Drawings and Gavel Transition Dhanalakshmi Koyyalagunta, MD
4:30–5:30 PM TPS Member Networking Event  
5:30 PM Adjourn; Dinner on Your Own  

Back to top ↑

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Session 7   Regulatory Updates

Moderator: Marte Martinez, MD

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
  Breakfast (Non-CME Event)  
9:00–10:00 AM Texas Medical Board Update Sherif Zaafran, MD
10:00–10:30 AM TMA “Ambulatory Medicare” Update Kim Harmon
10:30–11:30 AM Legislative Landscape and 2026 Elections & TPS Initiatives Courtney Williamson; Bao Vinh, MD
11:30 AM–12:00 PM Panel Discussion Session Faculty
12:00 PM Closing Remarks and Adjournment Mitch Engle, MD, PhD

Fellows Workshop Dry Lab (Fellows ONLY Lab)

Instructors: Drs. Javed, Eckmann, and Doulatram;

TimePresentation or EventSpeaker
8:30 AM Registration and Coffee  
9:00 AM Didactic Lecture Workshop Instructors
9:30 AM Rotating Stations (every 30 minutes) Workshop Instructors
Station 1 Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)
Practice epidural access, lead advancement, positioning, anchoring, and fluoroscopic guidance.		 Workshop Instructors
Station 2 Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) Stimulation
Perform foraminal access, guide catheter manipulation, lead placement, loop creation, and final lead positioning.		 Workshop Instructors
Station 3 Kyphoplasty / Vertebral Augmentation
Practice pedicle access, balloon placement and inflation, cement delivery techniques, and fluoroscopic confirmation.		 Workshop Instructors
Station 4 Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression (MILD®)
Perform portal placement, tissue debulking techniques, instrument handling, and fluoroscopic localization of the ligamentum flavum.		 Workshop Instructors
Station 5 Basivertebral Nerve Ablation (BVN)
Practice transpedicular access, trajectory planning, target localization within the vertebral body, probe placement, and ablation workflow.		 Workshop Instructors
12:00 PM Adjourn  

Back to top ↑