For the first time, the 15th Annual Pain Care Skills Training is combining with the Substance Use Disorder Symposium! The 2025 Combined Pain Care Skills Training and Substance Use Disorder Symposium is brought to you by the National Capital Region Pain Initiative at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This training brings colleagues and subject matter experts together to learn more about optimizing care and integrative approaches to pain management within the Department of Defense (DoD). The focus will be in sharing best practices, conducting hands on training and learning integrative approaches. The overall goal of the 2025 Pain Care Skills Training and Substance Use Disorder Symposium will be to promote readiness, restoration of function and relief of pain while reducing the misuse of opioids. The program is designed to help clinicians and healthcare teams prevent, identify, and treat substance use disorders as it requires a multifaceted approach including education, research, intervention and clinical care.
This year’s 2025 Combined Pain Care Skills Training and Substance Use Disorder Symposium will be held as a HYBRID event.
The format is as follows:
Day 1: August 12, Keynote Session is being live streamed from 1200-1300 ET; Pre-recorded Plenary Sessions become available for viewing at 0730 ET
Day 2: August 13, Workshops are VIRTUAL; 0830 ET & 1300 ET
Day 3: August 18, World Pain Group Sessions (By Invitation Only)
Day 4 & 5: August 19 – 20, Workshops are IN-PERSON; 0730 ET & 1230 ET* – Washington, DC
Day 6: August 21, World Pain Group Sessions (By Invitation Only)
*Attendee requirements apply (see Logistics page).
When you register (see Registration button above), the specific dates and times of workshops will be listed. Workshops will be held via ZOOMGov and/or In-person. Web links and entrance instructions for virtual sessions will be sent closer to the dates of the training.
CME/CNE will be available for this training, CEU is pending, (see CME & CEU Registration button above).
Please note – some workshops are 2, 3, 4 or 8 hours in length.
Virtual Keynote and Plenary Sessions
This year’s Dr. Anita Hickey Memorial Keynote Session will be live streamed on ZoomGov on 12 August 2025 from 1200 – 1300 ET. Plenary Sessions will be pre-recorded and made available for viewing starting 12 August 2025 and will remain accessible until 12/20/2027. To access each recording starting 12 August 2025, click on the links below and enter the information requested. After viewing each recording, remember to download, complete and return the Sign-In Sheet/Questionnaire for Enduring CME/CNE and CEU purposes.
Tuesday 12 August 2025
Welcome by Dr. Christopher Spevak
(Information on Plenary Sessions, CME/CNEs, CEUs, Certificates and Trainings)
Live Keynote at 1200 ET
Dr. Anita Hickey Memorial Lecture:
NCRPI honors Dr. Anita Hickey with a keynote memorial lecture each year during the Pain Care Skills Training. Read more about Dr. Anita Hickey’s contributions and impact to pain management in the military.
Dopamine Nation and the Pleasure Pain Balance (60 Min) – Dr. Anna Lembke, Professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
Pre-Recorded Plenary Sessions available at 0730 ET
An Overview of the Management of Benzodiazepine Use Disorder (60 min) – Dr. Logan Adams
Artificial Intelligence in Pain Medicine: Transforming Assessment and Treatment Through Technology (60 min) – Dr. Meredith Adams
Cognitive Functional Therapy for Pain (60 min) – Dr. Peter O’Sullivan
Dr. Richard Niemtzow Memorial Lecture:
Pain & Substance Use Disorder an Integrative Approach (60 min) – Dr. Ajay Manhapra
More Than Just Head Pain: The Variety of Headache Disorders and How We Approach Management (60 min) – Dr. Emmanuelle Schindler
Neuropathic Pain Diagnosis – Using the NEP SIG Guidance to Support Appropriate Treatment (60 min) – Dr. Harriett Kemp
Secret and Arcane Strategies in the Understanding of Substance Use Disorders (60 min) – Dr. Gerald Busch
Substance Use Disorder Prevention (60 min) – CAPT Christopher Jones
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS - AUGUST 13
Virtual workshops are organized by duration below. Click on the workshop title to open the session agenda.
2-Hour WORKSHOPS
3-Hour WORKSHOPS
4-Hour WORKSHOPS
TIME BREAKDOWN OF VIRTUAL WORKSHOP SESSIONS
AUGUST 13 - AM (0830 - 1230) ET
- Hyperbaric Medicine & Pain – 2 hours
- Navigating Polypharmacy in Chronic Pain: Case Studies and Clinical Insights – 3 hours
- Neuropathic Pain – 2 hours
- Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy to Prevent and
Treat Chronic Pain Across the Servicemembers Lifespan – 3 hours - Opioid Reduction in Pain Management: the UK Perspective – 3 hours
- Orofacial Pain Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Management – 3 hours
- Pain and SUD Essentials in the Primary Care Setting – 3 hours
- Reframing Pain in the Brain: A Sensory Cognitive Toolkit for Pain Management – 3 hours
AUGUST 13 - PM (1300 - 1700) ET
- Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Pain and Addiction – 3 hours
- Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) Instructor Training – 2 hours
- Beyond Breaking Bad: Substance Abuse Treatment in 2025, including AI, Pop Culture, and Political Sensitivity – 3 hours
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Multisystem Illness: Linking Neurobiology to Effective Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies of Nociplastic Pain Syndromes – 3 hours
- Lifestyle & Performance Medicine – 2 hours
- Navigating Grief, Loss, and Adjustment to Chronic Pain: A Trauma-Informed Approach – 3 hours
- Substance Use Disorders in Women: Unique Challenges, Treatment Strategies for Primary Care Settings, and Legal and Ethical Considerations – 4 hours
- Updates on Therapeutic Movement – 4 hours
IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS - AUGUST 19 & 20
In-Person workshops are organized by duration below. Click on the workshop title to open the session agenda.
3-Hour WORKSHOPS
4-Hour WORKSHOPS
8-Hour (ALL DAY) WORKSHOP
TIME BREAKDOWN OF IN-PERSON WORKSHOP SESSIONS
AUGUST 19 - AM (0730 - 1130) ET
- Active Therapies for Pain: A Physical Therapist’s Guide to Improved Patient Outcomes – 4 hours
- Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) – 4 hours
- Medical Hypnosis – 4 hours
- Motivational Interviewing for Pain and SUD – 4 hours
- MSK Ultrasound for Pain – 8 hours* 1 FULL DAY
- Self-Care & Peer Support for Providers & Self Care for the Pain & SUD Patient – 3 hours
AUGUST 20 - AM (0730 - 1130) ET
- Benefits of Meditation for Pain & SUD (with skills practice) – 3 hours
- Cultivating Presence in Patient Care Using Emerged Principles of Five Element Theory and the Self-Protective Response – 4 hours
- DoD Workplace Drug Testing and Medical Review Officer Workshop – 4 hours
- FDM – A Simple Manipulation Technique that Works Now (Fascial Distortion Model) – 4 hours
- Nutrition and Supplements to Fight Inflammation and Pain – 4 hours
- Updates to Therapeutic Movement-Based Therapies for Pain Management – 4 hours
AUGUST 19 - PM (1230 - 1630) ET
- Applying Mindfulness & Hypnotherapy for Patients with Pain and Substance Use Affliction – 4 hours
- Art Therapy for Pain & SUD – 4 hours
- Functional Medicine Approach to Understanding and Addressing Autoimmune-related Pain in the Warfighter – 4 hours
- MSK Ultrasound for Pain – 8 hours* 1 FULL DAY
- Principles & Applications of Osteopathic Manipulation & Manual Muscle Testing for Health Professionals – 4 hours
- Practical Cupping Therapy for Pain Management – 3 hours
AUGUST 20 - PM (1230 - 1630) ET
- Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) – 4 hours
- Dry Needling/TPI/PENS – 4 hours
- Easy Communications Skills for Difficult Situations (Pain & SUD cases) – 3 hours
- Massage Therapy for Pain – 4 hours
- Physical Examination/Evaluation (Neck, Back & Lower Extremity) – 4 hours
- Principles & Applications of Osteopathic Manipulation & Manual Muscle Testing for Health Professionals – 4 hours