August 2017 World Experts on Pain after Surgery to Attend Annual Scientific Meeting at NUI Galway

The 17^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Irish Pain Society will be held at NUI Galway on Saturday 26 August. It will mark the 10-year anniversary since the establishment of the Centre for Pain Research at the University, Ireland’s first multidisciplinary pain research centre. The theme of this year’s meeting will focus on the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) theme for 2017, ‘Pain After Surgery’.

Professor David Finn, Co-Director of the Centre for Pain Research at NUI Galway and President of the Irish Pain Society, said: “Unfortunately, pain can be a serious unwanted consequence of surgery, affecting millions of people worldwide and exacting a very significant toll on health, wellbeing, society and the economy. To address this important unmet clinical need, we require a better understanding of pain neurobiology, and the mechanisms and factors influencing the transition from acute to chronic pain. The Irish Pain Society meeting this year has been organised to increase our understanding of postoperative pain and its treatment.”

The event will welcome international speakers from across the key disciplines relevant to post-surgical pain to discuss:  

• Prediction and prevention of pain after surgery - Professor Esther Pogatzki-Zahn, Germany
• Postoperative pain management in children - Professor Alison Twycross, UK
• The transition from acute to chronic pain - Dr Patricia Lavand’homme, Belgium
• The profile and management of persistent pain following breast cancer treatment - Dr Niamh Moloney, Guernsey
• The psychological aspects of understanding and reducing postoperative pain - Dr Rachael Powell, UK

The meeting will also include poster presentations by Irish pain researchers, a data blitz short oral symposium in association with the Irish Pain Research Network, and a masterclass in the use of ultrasound imaging to aid with pain treatment. The meeting will provide an opportunity to broadening knowledge and networks across Pain disciplines, with the aim of moving towards a more enlightened approach for improved understanding and management of pain post-surgery.

Professor Finn added: “I am really excited to be hosting this year’s Irish Pain Society meeting in Galway and anticipate a day filled with informative and thought-provoking talks covering the cutting edge of research on pain after surgery, as well as fruitful discussions and interactions with colleagues.”

Further details can be found at www.irishpainsociety.com

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