Synne Wing Venuti, MSW, is the Product Manager of Pain Management Intervention and Prevention Programs at Inflexxion, Inc., where she manages the PainEDU.org and painACTION.com websites, the Inflexxion Health series publications, and the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain (SOAPP®) and Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM)® patient assessment tools. Ms. Venuti has worked on NIH and pharmaceutical company-funded pain grants at Inflexxion since 2003. Her prior clinical experience includes working with adults with mental illness, and conducting psychiatric assessments in an Emergency Department.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Questions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evelyn Corsini, MSW:

What is the purpose of this scholarship competition?

Synne Wing Venuti, MSW: For the second year in a row, the team at PainEDU decided to help make it possible for more clinicians to gain access to a meeting where they can be exposed to the latest ideas in pain management, and meet well-known experts in the field, as well as others who share their same concerns, by granting ten scholarships for the conference registration. We hear from the PainEDU subscribers often, and we understand that many of them do not have the means or the support to attend a national conference, though they would benefit greatly and bring information home with them to teach others.

We chose PAINWeek as the perfect meeting because there are so many hours of education to choose among, and because there is such a vast variety of topics. It is now the largest pain meeting in the country. We also feel that the mission of PAINWeek aligns well with the mission of PainEDU, which is to improve pain management through education for front line clinicians.

EC: Were many essays submitted, and what was their quality and variety?

SWV: We received about 20% more essays than we did last year, and their quality was excellent. We had a difficult time choosing the winners as there were so many good essays, and so many clinicians we felt would benefit from the experience.

We were struck by the variety of professionals who submitted essays as well as the variety of their work, all touching some aspect of pain management. The largest numbers were physicians, nurses, or pharmacists, but other professionals were also represented. They live all over the US and abroad, from Alaska to Iraq. Applicants work in settings as varied as the Indian Health Service, academic medical centers, small hospitals, community clinics, group practices, and correctional institutions.

EC: What did reading these essays tell you about pain management in the US?

SWV: It really hit home how extensive the problem of pain management is, especially chronic pain management, and how much clinicians want to provide the best care they can to their patients. A number of applicants described the paucity of information they had received in their professional training, and their attempts to ally with other colleagues to help each other learn more. The applicants expressed both compassion for the plight of their patients, and passion about their desire to do something to help relieve their burden of pain.

EC: Who won the grand prize and when will the winning essay be posted?

SWV: The grand prize winner, receiving registration for the conference as well as a travel stipend, is Moshe Usadi, MD. He is a family doctor at the Charlotte Medical Center – Biddle Point, in Charlotte, North Carolina. We felt that his essay perfectly captured the current dilemma of primary care providers facing problems that they do not feel prepared for, but who remain determined to carry out their ethical duty for their patients. Dr. Usadi’s essay will be posted on the PainEDU website on June 27, 2012.

EC: Who were the other scholarship winners?

SWV: In addition to Dr. Usadi, here are the names and the affiliations of the other nine scholarship winners.

Kelly Brewer, LCSW
The Montana Center for Wellness & Pain Management
Kalispell, Montana

Renee Dahring, MSN, RN, CP
Ramsey County Adult Correctional Facilities
St. Paul, Minnesota

Sandra Doxtater, RNC, NP-BC, APNP
Medical College of Wisconsin Pain Management Clinic
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Maria Foglio, RN
Ashtabula County Medical Center
Ashtabula, Ohio

Toni L. Glover, MSN, FNP-BC
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Gregory Hargett, BSN, RN
St. Francis Medical Center
Bon Secours, Virginia

Maria Maldonado, MD
Stamford Hospital
Stamford, Connecticut

Rebecca A. Maxson, PharmD, BCPS
Princeton Baptist Medical Center
Birmingham, Alabama

David J. Paris, D.C.
VHA-Northern California Healthcare System
Redding, California

EC: What is the next step for the scholarship winners?

SWV: Over the rest of the summer we will feature several of the prize winning essays on the PainEDU website. We hope that many, if not all, of the winners will be able to attend the conference in September, where we will be delighted to meet them and participate in a ceremony where they will be presented with their awards. We congratulate all applicants for sharing their stories with us.