ISPN Annual Conference 2026: Amsterdam

Ultrasound Lab

• 8:00-8:10A - Welcome & Course Overview | Giuliano Lo Bianco and Ali Valimahomed
• 8:10-8:25A - Ultrasound Fundamentals & Sonoanatomy Essentials | Ali Valimahomed (USA)
• 8:25-8:35A - Patient Selection & Procedure Strategy | Giuliano Lo Bianco (Italy)
• 8:35-11:35A - Hands-On Ultrasound Lab — 5 Rotating Stations, 35-minutes per rotation
• MSK & Peripheral Nerve Entrapments (Upper Limb) - David Dickerson (USA), Reda Tolba (UAE)
• MSK & Peripheral Nerve Entrapments (Lower Limb) - Adnan Al-Kaisy (UK), Robert Moghim (USA)
• Lumbar Spine & Sacrum - Anuj Bhatia (Canada), David Brinkman (NL)
• Trunk (Thoracic Spine and Abdomen) - Megan Linehan (USA), Remco Liebregts (Netherlands)
• Cervical Spine & Head Pain - Nasir Khatri (USA), Hesham Elsharkawy (USA)
• 11:35-11:50A - Advanced Applications & Future Directions (regenerative, PNS, hybrid imaging) - Massimo Allegri
• 11:50A-12:00P - Wrap-Up, Key Takeaways & Q&A Additional Faculty: Wout van Oosterwyck

Course Directors: Giuliano Lo Bianco and Ali Valimahomed

Regenerative Medicine Lab

Course Director: Christopher Robinson, Ansar Mahmood BMAC - Sudhir Diwan, Aaron K. Calodney mFAT - Timothy T. Davis, Adnan Al-Kaisy PRP/Protein Concentrate - Ricardo Ruiz Lopez, Jordan Lee Tate Business of Regenerative Medicine - Ansar Mahmood Additional Faculty: Nasir Khatri

Young Innovator Pre-Conference Sessions

• From Fellow to Force: Building a High-Impact Career in Pain Medicine — Faculty: Vinny Francio, Anuj Shah, Benjamin Gill, Sheila Black, Timothy Deer. This session is aimed at providing practical, real-world guidance for engaged and motivated early-career pain physicians. Topics will include making the most of training and the early consultant/attending years, personal and professional development, skills acquisition, research involvement, and building meaningful professional networks.
• Inventing Impact: Turning Pain Innovation into Clinical Reality — Faculty: Jason Hannon, Ben Goss, Christopher Gilligan, Ganesan Baranidharan, Kavita Poply. This session will focus on how an idea becomes a real-world clinical solution. We plan to cover the full journey- from idea generation and IP protection, through prototyping, regulatory pathways and early clinical trials, to commercialization and widespread clinical adoption. Speakers will include industry representatives, regulators, and clinician-researchers.

Course Directors: Harry Soar and David van Vemde Young Innovators Committee Chair: Martina Rekatsina

*Not part of the CME program

Day 1 - Innovative Options for Pain Management

Welcome to ISPN 2026: The Global Spine & Pain Revolution

Matterhorn

Harold Nijhuis, Jan Willem Kallewaard

Advancements in Regenerative Medicine

Matterhorn

Kasra Amirdelfan

Orthobiologics: Has the Time Arrived to Incorporate Regenerative Medicine into Your Practice?

Matterhorn

Moderated by Kasra Amirdelfan, Douglas P. Beall Panelists: Jordan Lee Tate, Sudhir Diwan, Ricardo Ruiz Lopez, Aaron Calodney, Jose De Andres, Corey Hunter

Cellular, Acellular or Synthetic: The Research, the Evidence and the Indications

Matterhorn

Moderated by Douglas P. Beall, Sudhir Diwan Panelists: Jonathan Carlson, Stanley Golovac, Christopher Robinson, David Brinkman, Victor M Silva Ortiz, Ansar Mahmood

Restorative Neuromodulation for Low Back Pain: Patient Selection, Evidence, and International Experience

Matterhorn

Moderated by Vivek Mehta, Vinny Francio Panelists: Craig Montgomery, David Abejon, Simon Thomson, Harry Soar, Chris Gilligan, Kiran Patel, Megan Linehan

Moderated Q&A

Matterhorn

Moderated by Kasra Amirdelfan All Faculty

The Sea Inside the Spine: The Role of Ziconotide

Matterhorn

Georgios Matis

The Current and Future of Targeted Drug Delivery in Common Indications

Matterhorn

Moderated by Amin Elyas, Sheila Black Panelists: Georgios Matis, Fabricio Assis, Sam Eldabe, Adam Williams, Salim Hayek, Konstantin Slavin

Cancer Pain: Practical Implementation of Targeted Drug Delivery for Chronic Cancer Pain and Beyond

Matterhorn

Moderated by Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Jason Pope Panelists: Ricardo Plancarte, Ashish Gulve, Maarten Moens, Aaron Calodney, Melissa Murphy, Jan Vesper

Moderated Q&A

Matterhorn

Jason Pope

ISPN Top Abstracts

Matterhorn

Kasra Amirdelfan

Top Abstract: RESTORE: One-year Outcomes of Control Crossover from Optimal Medical Management to Restorative Neurostimulation

Matterhorn

Christopher Gilligan

Top Abstract: Intraosseous Basivertebral Nerve Ablation for Chronic Vertebrogenic Pain: 6-Month Outcomes from the IMPROVE Prospective Multicenter Study

Matterhorn

Ramo Naidu

Top Abstract: Hybrid Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Using Combined Compressive Lateral and Posterior Implants in Patients with BMI 35 or Greater: A Retrospective Case Series of 10 Patients

Matterhorn

Mazhar Rasul

Top Abstract: Analysis of prospective multi-center studies (comparative and RCT) assessing the accuracy of a smartphone-based spinal navigation as compared to legacy CT-based image-guided navigation in the placement of thoracolumbar pedicle screws.

Matterhorn

Mark Arts

New Frontiers in Ablative Therapy

Matterhorn

Ganesan Baranidharan

The Evolution & Innovation in Facet Disease Treatments: Is There a New Treatment of Choice?

Matterhorn

Moderated by Nameer Haider, Ashley Bailey-Classen Panelists: Leonardo Kapural, Fabricio Assis, Wout van Oosterwyck, Jan Vesper, Stephen Ward, Rutvij Shah

Basivertebral Nerve Ablation: Updates on Evidence, Technique, and Patient Selection

Matterhorn

Moderated by Dawood Sayed, Kiran Patel Panelists: Ramo Naidu, Douglas P. Beall, Nomen Azeem, Richard Ibrahim, Vinny Francio, Jad Khalil

Moderated Q&A

Matterhorn

Ganesan Baranidharan

Challenges in Global Expansion of New Technologies

Matterhorn

Moderated by Timothy Deer, Dawood Sayed

Industry TBD

Matterhorn

Moderated by Jason Pope, Kasra Amirdelfan

Industry TBD

Matterhorn

Moderated by Steven M. Falowski, Reda Tolba

Artificial Intelligence and How It Will Impact Global Spine and Pain Care (Title TBD by the lecturer)

Matterhorn

Robert Moghim

The Modernization of Pain Practices with AI Tools: The Current Available Options

Matterhorn

Moderated by Robert Moghim, Usman Latif Panelists: Lisa Goudman, Anuj Bhatia, Derron Wilson, John Prunskis, Melissa Murphy, Giuliano Lo Bianco

How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Patient Selection, Technique and Surgical Outcomes around the World?

Matterhorn

Moderated by Melissa Murphy, Krishnan Chakravarthy Panelists: Lisa Goudman, Usman Latif, Christopher Robinson, Giuliano Lo Bianco, Pankaj Mehta, Giustino Varrassi

Moderated Q&A

Matterhorn

Robert Moghim

Novel Pharmacological Agents in Pain Management - (Title TBD by the lecturer)

Matterhorn

Xander Zuidema

Beyond Opioids: How a New Generation of Medications Will Change Pain Management

Matterhorn

Moderated by Jan Willem Kallewaard, David Dickerson Panelists: Jose De Andres, Xander Zuidema, Haggai Sharon, Vivek Mehta, Kavita Poply, Martina Rekatsina

The Role of Nutraceuticals in Wellness and Chronic Pain

Matterhorn

Moderated by Timothy Deer, Angel Boev Panelists: Massimo Allegri, Christopher Robinson, Kiran Patel, Jordan Tate, Timothy T. Davis, Victor M Silva Ortiz

Moderated Q&A

Matterhorn

Jan Willem Kallewaard

Basic Science in SCS for Pain: What Have We Learned After 40 Years?

Matterhorn

Ilona Obara

Waveforms in SCS: Do They Really Have Different Mechanisms of Action?

Matterhorn

Moderated by Ilona Obara Panelists: Usman Latif, Jose de Andres, Cecile de Vos, Krishnan Chakravarhty, Dirk de Ridder, Mazhar Rasul

Loss of Efficacy in SCS: What Does the Science Tell Us?

Matterhorn

Moderated by Jan Willem Kallewaard Panelists: Anuj Bhatia, Sam Eldabe, Lisa Goudman, Ilona Obara, Jason Pope, Salim Hayek

Day 1 Closing Remarks

Matterhorn

Jan Willem Kallewaard, Harold Nijhuis, Krishnan Chakravarthy

Day 2 Neuromodulation

Welcome Day 2

Matterhorn

Harold Nijhuis, Jan Willem Kallewaard

Expanding the Boundaries: Emerging Indications in Neuromodulation

Matterhorn

Timothy Deer

Restoring Perfusion: The Expanding Role of SCS in Ischemic Disease

Matterhorn

Moderated by Harold Nijhuis, Jan Willem Kallewaard Panelists: Naoufel Ouerchefani, Jarek Maciaczyk, Frank Wille, Wout van Oosterwyck, Martina Rekatsina, Mark Malinowski

Neuromodulation in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: Real-world Evidence and Patient Selection

Matterhorn

Moderated by Steven Falowski, Krishnan Chakravarthy Panelists: Ashish Gulve, Aaron Calodney, Cecil de Vos, Kenneth B. Chapman, Tiago Freitas, Sean Li

Moderated Q&A

Matterhorn

Jason Pope

The Intelligent Era of Spinal Cord Stimulation: Innovation Across Platforms

Matterhorn

Dawood Sayed

The Neuromodulation Ecosystem: Closed Loop, Remote Monitoring, Personalized Multi-waveform & AI Driven SCS

Matterhorn

Moderated by Kasra Amirdelfan, Timothy Deer Panelists: Harold Nijhuis, Usman Latif, Isaac Pena, Jan Willem Kallewaard, Stephano Palmisani, Tiago Freitas

Rethinking SCS Systems: Advancing the Neural Interface in SCS Hardware & Lead Design

Matterhorn

Moderated by Steven Falowski, Jason Pope Panelists: Dirk De Ridder, Jarek Maciaczyk, Rob Levy, Leonardo Kapural, Konstantin Slavin, Ilona Obara

Is DRG Stimulation Underutilized Worldwide? Barriers to Adoption Across Borders and a Global Perspective for Therapy Expansion

Matterhorn

Moderated by Derron Wilson, Reda Tolba Panelists: Kenneth B. Chapman, Stefan Schu, Jan Vesper, Pankaj Mehta, Frank Huygen, Kiran Patel

ISPN Top Abstracts

Matterhorn

Kasra Amirdelfan

Top Abstract: Two-Year Outcomes with Fast-Acting Sub-Perception Spinal Cord Stimulation in Non-Surgical Refractory Back Pain: SOLIS Randomized Controlled Trial Sub-Analysis

Matterhorn

Jan Willem Kallewaard

Top Abstract: Continuous Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Vascular Pain: A Retrospective Case Series of Seven Patients

Matterhorn

Naoufel Ouerchefani

Top Abstract: Clinical Outcomes of Passive Recharge Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Intractable Pain: A Global Systematic Review and Pooled Meta-Analysis

Matterhorn

Dirk De Ridder

Top Abstract: Holistic Treatment Response and Objective Therapy Delivery with ECAP-Controlled Closed-Loop SCS in a Real-World Chronic Pain Population: 24-Month Outcomes of the European PMCF Study

Matterhorn

Jan Willem Kallewaard

ISPN Awards

• Lifetime Achievement - Frank Huygen
• Excellence in Global Education Award - Kavita Poply; Vivek Mehta
• International Clinical Excellence Award 2026 - Victor M. Silva-Ortiz
• Young Innovator of the Year - Martina Rekatsina

Matterhorn

ISPN Hall of Fame Lecture: Innovative Neuromodulation Therapies for Head and Facial Pain

Matterhorn

Presented by 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Jean-Pierre Van Buyten

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation: Foundations, Clinical Applications and Future Directions

Matterhorn

Moderated by Ali Valimahomed, Reda Tolba Panelists: Morad Nasseri, Corey Hunter, Sheila Black, Naoufel Ouerchefani, Stefan Schu, Jan Vesper

The Best Targets in PNS for Effective Therapy

Matterhorn

Moderated by Harry Soar, Jean-Pierre Van Buyten Panelists: Jarek Maciaczyk, Simon Thomson, Eric Cornidez, Jordan Tate, David Dickerson, Dustin Reynolds

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Craniofacial Pain and Headache Disorders

Matterhorn

Moderated by Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Salim Hayek Panelists: Sinan Barazi, Konstantin Slavin, Girish Vajramani, Eleni Maratos, Phillipe Rigoard, Jean-Pierre Van Buyten

Moderated Q&A

Matterhorn

Ali Valimahomed

Guidelines or Guardrails? The Role of Society Recommendations in Spine and Pain Care

Matterhorn

Moderated by Jan Willem Kallewaard, Sam Eldabe Panelists: Hemant Kalia, Mark Malinowski, Robert Levy, Stephen Ward, Johan van de Minkelis, Mazhar Rasul

Best Practice Guidelines for Spine Injections and Radiofrequency Ablation: Evidence and Implementation

Matterhorn

Moderated by Krishnan Chakravarthy, David Abejon Panelists: Eric Cornidez, Hemant Kalia, Salim Hayek, Stanley Golovac, Ricardo Plancarte, Sean Li, Guilherme Ferreira Dos Santos

Defining Best Practices in Neuromodulation: Guidelines, Evidence and Clinical Reality

Matterhorn

Moderated by Mark Malinowski Panelists Maarten Moens, Phillipe Rigoard, Frank Huygen, Georgios Matis, Johan van de Minkelis, Jean-Pierre Van Buyten

Best Practices in Pharmacological Approaches for the Pain Patient

Matterhorn

Moderated by David Dickerson, Xander Zuidema Panelists: Wout van Oosterwyck, Frank Wille, Sudhir Diwan, Haggai Sharon, Ilona Obara

Day 2 Closing Remarks

Matterhorn

Jan Willem Kallewaard and Harold Nijhuis

Cadaver Lab - Offsite - Continue to the next page for the full agenda!

Please Use Public Transportation Instructions from Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre to Amsterdam Skills Centre

Recommended Departure Time from Movenpick

Public Transportation Directions:

Mövenpick → Amsterdam Skills Centre (Please plan 40-50 minutes for travel)

1. From the Mövenpick, walk to the Muziekgebouw/Bimhuis tram stop directly outside the hotel.
2. Take Tram 26 toward Centraal Station — 1 stop.
3. At Amsterdam Centraal, follow signs for the Metro.
4. Take Metro 54 toward GEIN.
5. Exit at Station Holendrecht.
6. Walk to Amsterdam Skills Centre, Tafelbergweg 47, 1105 BD Amsterdam.

Important: On Metro 54, make sure the destination shown is GEIN. That means you're traveling in the correct direction.

Check In at Lab – Coffee and Pastries

Lecture Series - Mumbai Room

Patient Selection, Pearls and Pitfalls: DRG

Sean Li

Patient Selection, Pearls and Pitfalls: Closed Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation

Eric Cornidez

Patient Selection, Pearls and Pitfalls: Occipital Nerve Stimulation

Frank Huygen

Patient Selection, Pearls and Pitfalls: Advanced Interventional Injections

W.J.L. van Duin

Hands-On Cadaver Workshop — 1-Hour Rotation at Each Station

Groups will rotate through 2 of the 4 stations - 1 hour rotation per station

• DRG — Sean Li
• Closed Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation — Eric Cornidez, Ted Braun
• Occipital Nerve Stimulation — Frank Huygen
• Advanced Interventional Injections: ESI, TFESI, Facet Blocks, SIJ Injections, Celiac Plexus and LSB — W.J.L. van Duin

Lunch

**not part of the CME program, not eligible for CME credits

Groups to complete final 2 rotations - 1 hour rotation per station

• DRG — Harold Nijhuis
• Closed Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation — Eric Cornidez, Ted Braun
• Occipital Nerve Stimulation — Frank Huygen
• Advanced Interventional Injections: ESI, TFESI, Facet Blocks, SIJ Injections, Celiac Plexus and LSB — W.J.L. van Duin

Departures