For the second time, the 16th Annual Pain Care Skills Training is combining with the Substance Use Disorder Symposium! The 2026 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 2026 Combined Pain Care Skills and Substance Use Disorder Training 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.
The format is as follows:
Day 1: August 11, Keynote Lecture is being live streamed from 1200-1300 ET; Pre-recorded Plenary sessions become available for viewing at 0730 ET
Day 2: August 12, Workshops are VIRTUAL; 0830 ET & 1300 ET
Day 3: August 17, International Military Pain Working Group Sessions (By Invitation Only)
Day 4 & 5: August 18 – 19, Workshops are IN-PERSON; 0730 ET & 1230 ET* – Washington, DC
Day 6: August 20, International Military Pain Working 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 Lecture will be live streamed on ZoomGov on 11 August 2026 from 1200 – 1300 ET. Plenary sessions will be pre-recorded and made available for viewing starting 11 August 2026 and will remain accessible for CME/CNE until 08/11/2027; CEU will be accessible until 08/17/2026 1200 ET. To access each recording starting 11 August 2026, 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 11 August 2026
Welcome by Dr. Christopher Spevak
(Information on Plenary Sessions, CME/CNEs, CEUs, Certificates and Trainings)
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
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.
Intersection of Hyperalgesia and Hyperkatifeia as a Driving Force for Negative Reinforcement in Addiction (60 Min) – Dr. George Koob, PhD, Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
Pre-Recorded Plenary Sessions
Drug Interactions & Cardiovascular Complications in Pain Management (60 min) – Dr. Abigail Brooks, PharmD; VA West Palm Beach
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
Neuroplastic Recovery Therapies for Chronic Pain (60 min) – Dr. Mark Lumley PhD; Wayne State University
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
Dr. Richard Niemtzow Memorial Lecture:
Sleep in the Military: Spanning the Field to the Clinic (60 min) – LTC Connie Thomas, MD, DFAPA, MC; US Army
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
Transcranial Stimulation for Alcohol Use Disorders & Chronic Pain (60 min) – Dr. Diana Martinez, MD; Columbia University
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
Urine Drug Testing / Opioid Metabolic Pathways (60 min) – Dr. Stephanie Weiss, MD, PhD; NIH
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
Gas Station and Corner Store Drugs: What Clinicians Need to Know About Kratom, Tianeptine, and Other Emerging Substances (60 min) – Dr. Arwen Podesta, MD, DFAPA, DFASAM; Podesta Wellness New Orleans
Access Link will be posted here on 11 August 2026
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS - AUGUST 12
Virtual workshops are organized by duration below. Click on the workshop title to open the session agenda.
2-Hour WORKSHOPS
Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) Instructor Training (No CEU Credit)
Neuropathic Pain – More Specific Breakdown (No CEU Credit)
Resilient Warrior: A Data-Driven Lifestyle & Performance Medicine Approach to Recovery
and Pain Management (No CEU Credit)
Stump Pain and Phantom Limb Pain After Combat-Related Amputation: Mechanisms, Risk Factors,
and Treatment Strategies from a Ukrainian Perspective (No CEU Credit)
Warfighter Gut Health: Functional Frameworks for Optimal Performance
3-Hour WORKSHOPS
4-Hour WORKSHOPS
TIME BREAKDOWN OF VIRTUAL WORKSHOP SESSIONS
AUGUST 12 - AM (0830 - 1130) ET
- A Multi-modal Approach to Women’s Midlife Change Symptoms: Impact of Perimenopause & Menopause – 3 hours
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Techniques to Treat Chronic Pain – 3 hours
- Bite-Sized Wellbeing for the Healthcare Worker – 3 hours
- Navigating Buprenorphine, Polypharmacy, and Controlled Substance Monitoring in Chronic Pain: A Cased Based Approach – 3 hours
- Neuropathic Pain – More Specific Breakdown (No CEU Credit) – 2 hours
- Resilient Warrior: A Data-Driven Lifestyle & Performance Medicine Approach to Recovery and Pain Management (No CEU Credit) – 2 hours
- Stump Pain and Phantom Limb Pain After Combat-Related Amputation: Mechanisms, Risk Factors, and Treatment Strategies from a Ukrainian Perspective (No CEU Credit) – 2 hours
- Warfighter Gut Health: Functional Frameworks for Optimal Performance – 2 hours
AUGUST 12 - PM (1300 - 1700) ET
- Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) Instructor Training (No CEU Credit) – 2 hours
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Multisystem Illness: Linking Neurobiology to Effective Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies of Nociplastic Pain Syndromes – 3 hours
- Orofacial Pain Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Management (No CEU Credit) – 3 hours
- Performance Enhancing Drugs and Synthetic Cannabinoids – Prevalence of Use in the Military – 3 hours
- Regenerative Medicine (Prolotherapy, Prolozone, PRP, and Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate – BMAC, Stem Cell) (No CEU Credit) – 3 hours
- Self-Care Management for the Patient with Pain – 3 hours
- Suicide Prevention Refresher & Updates – 3 hours
- Updates on Therapeutic Movement (No CEU Credit) – 4 hours
IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS - AUGUST 18 & 19
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 18 - AM (0730 - 1130) ET
- Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) – 4 hours
- Differences among Meditation Practices for Stress, Resilience, and Mental Health – 4 hours
- Ethical Crossroads in Pain Management & SUD: A Bioethics Workshop – 4 hours
- Functional Medicine for Warfighter Gut Dysfunction: an Interactive and Case-Based Discussion – 3 hours
- Motivational Interviewing for Pain and SUD – 4 hours
- MSK Ultrasound for Pain (No CEU Credit) – 8 hours* 1 FULL DAY
AUGUST 19 - AM (0730 - 1130) ET
- Adjunct Manual Therapies in East Asian Medicine (No CEU Credit) – 3 hours
- Art Therapy for Pain & SUD – 4 hours
- Massage Therapy for Pain (No CEU Credit) – 4 hours
- Physical Examination/Evaluation (Neck, Back & Lower Extremity) (No CEU Credit) – 4 hours
- Updates to Therapeutic Movement-Based Therapies for Pain Management (No CEU Credit) – 4 hours
- What Happens in Vagus Stays in Vagus: The Role of the Vagus Nerve in Immunity Regulation, Inflammation, Pain & Trauma – 4 hours
AUGUST 18 - PM (1230 - 1630) ET
- Anti-inflammatory Nutrition for Pain & SUD with Cooking Demonstration – 4 hours
- FDM – A Simple Manipulation Technique That Works Now (Fascial Distortion Model) – 4 hours
- Harnessing Neuroplasticity in Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation: Graded Motor Imagery for Pain – 3 hours
- Medical Hypnosis – 4 hours
- MSK Ultrasound for Pain (No CEU Credit) – 8 hours* 1 FULL DAY
- Principles and Applications of Osteopathic Manipulation and Manual Muscle Testing for Health Professionals: Treating Pain and Dysfunction without Drugs and Surgery – Basic (Part I) (No CEU Credit) – 4 hours
AUGUST 19 - PM (1230 - 1630) ET
- Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) – 4 hours
- Dry Needling/TPI/PENS (No CEU Credit) – 4 hours
- Easy Communications Skills for Difficult Situations (Pain & SUD cases) – 3 hours
- H2F (Army Holistic Health & Fitness) System Training – 4 hours
- Pain Reprocessing Therapy – 4 hours
- Principles and Applications of Osteopathic Manipulation and Manual Muscle Testing for Health Professionals: Treating Pain and Dysfunction without Drugs and Surgery – Advanced (Part II) (No CEU Credit) – 4 hours