Newsletter

Review: 2019 NANS Hands-On Cadaver Workshops

Michael Hanes, MD; Bryan Hoelzer, MD; Michael Fishman, MD MBA

The NANS preconference neuromodulation workshop again was a great success in 2019. The foundation and growth of the course over the years cannot go without recognition of the course directors emeriti, David Provenzano, MD; Jason Pope, MD; and Steven Falowski, MD, who continue to provide invaluable mentorship and guidance.

In 2019, Michael Fishman, MD; Michael Hanes, MD; and Bryan Hoelzer, MD, continued as course directors with Dr. Fishman taking the additional role of leading the Peripheral Nerve Stimulation course. Other specialty-specific course directors included Al Mashal, PhD (Engineering); Shannon Clark, MD (Neurosurgery); Jonathan Riley, MD (Neurosurgery); Scott Pello, MD (Neurology); and Chris Skidmore, MD (Neurology).

As in previous years, the overall attendance of the course grew this year, with a total attendance of 231 participants. This included 96 pain medicine fellows, 19 certificate of attendance (pain medicine physicians currently in practice), 32 peripheral nerve stimulation attendees, 30 neurosurgery residents, 20 neurology residents, and 34 engineers, making it the largest attendance in the course’s history. This reinforces that the NANS workshop is one of the largest international cadaver labs and perhaps the only multidisciplinary workshop of its kind in the world.

State-of-the-art neuromodulation technology was showcased this year, including spinal cord stimulation (SCS), dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG), peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), targeted drug delivery (TDD), deep brain stimulation (DBS), responsive neurostimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, and percutaneous trigeminal access.

The primary goal of the workshop this year was to improve multidisciplinary interaction and discussion. Neurology residents and engineers were integrated into pain medicine, neurosurgery, and peripheral nerve stimulation labs and didactics to encourage interdisciplinary discussions. Didactic offerings highlighted all aspects pertinent to the successful use of neuromodulation, including patient selection; surgical technique; risk management; programming considerations; evolving technologies; and lectures specifically devoted to cancer pain, movement disorders, and more.

In an effort to improve the experience of the participants, over 70 world-class faculty members delivered the host of didactics and provided hands-on instruction in the aforementioned cadaver labs. In addition, the number of cadaver stations increased from last year. This decreased the participant-to-faculty ratio by record numbers while also improving the exposure to a record number of industry sponsors.

The neurology section was tailored to address potential gaps in knowledge and experience for junior neurology residents and focused on the clinical application of neuromodulation in a general neurology practice. Topics included SCS, PNS, and TDD pain therapies; movement disorder therapies; DBS; treatment of headaches and facial pain; and spasticity. The sessions were concluded and followed by a panel discussion including internationally renowned key opinion leaders.

NANS is committed to fostering collaboration and mentorship opportunities in the relatively neuromodulation community. The NANS mentorship program, now in its fifth cohort, aims to bridge the gap between fellowship and practice by pairing current fellows with NANS faculty members. The 1-year structured mentorship curriculum includes phone calls on key neuromodulation and practice management topics, a site visit, and ongoing assessments. In addition, the NANS Women in Neuromodulation section has continued to grow in strength and numbers to help engage more early-career female neuromodulators. The mentor-mentee pairs were introduced at the Annual Neeting and will conclude at next year’s meeting.

The NANS Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) has grown significantly, and this year’s concurrent session during the general meeting was well attended. It was designed as an introduction to practice and included a variety of lectures aimed at practice management, revenue streams, marketing a neuromodulation practice, the importance of advocacy and policy to our specialty, contract negotiation, state-of-the-art therapies, and incorporating research into practice.

Following the RFS breakout session, the fourth annual NANS RFS Job Fair was held Friday evening. Fourteen employers were represented at the fair, including both member practices and recruiters. The job fair is complimentary to all NANS members, so if you are considering growing your practice at next year’s meeting, please contact one of the course directors.

Overall, these offerings epitomize NANS’s commitment to patient care, education, mentorship, collaboration, and personal and professional development. We look forward to continuing to improve and expand on these offerings to elevate the level of training, address gaps in knowledge, and provide value to our early-career members.