e
K VIN L.
ZACHAROFF
MD, FACPE, FACIP, FAAP
the Guest Editor, I am honored and take great
pleasure in welcoming you to the inaugural edition of the PAINWeek Journal. It seems to me that it is both a natural
progression and a necessary step for PAINWeek to develop a literary
bridge to deliver knowledge to frontline practitioners that complements the successful meetings that take place throughout the year.
Many of the existing pain-related publications often target pain specialists, which may devalue some of the cutting-edge information delivered to frontline practitioners. Reasons for this diminished value
are because the information delivered sometimes lacks the necessary
translation into practical, clinically meaningful points that can make
a difference in the lives and practices of frontline practitioners. In my
opinion, the information needs to resonate with this group of clinicians (presumably you) in order to make it most relevant and valuable.
My background is first and foremost as a member of the Board of
Directors of the American Society of Pain Educators. Additionally, I am the Vice President of Medical Affairs at Inflexxion, Inc., a
Board Certified Anesthesiologist with over 20 years of clinical practice experience in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and an active
faculty member and clinical instructor at the State University of
New York Stony Brook School of Medicine. In addition to speaking
and presenting at many pain meetings throughout the year, I have
also authored a number of articles and books on the subject of pain
management, including The PainEDU.org Manual: A Pocket Guide
to Pain Management, 3rd and 4th editions; Managing Chronic Pain
With Opioids in Primary Care, 2nd edition; Your Guide to Pain Management: A Road Map for painACTION.com, 1st and 2nd editions;
and Cross-Cultural Pain Management: Effective Treatment of Pain in
the Hispanic Population.
Lastly, I manage the web-based resource, PainEDU.org, which is the
single largest nonpromotional educational resource for clinicians just
like you, with almost 60,000 registrants to date. Specifically focusing
on physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists, PainEDU’s
mission aligns with PAINWeek and is entirely devoted towards educating nonspecialist clinicians about the management of pain. The
program contains informat