August 2025 issue
August 31, 2025 | The 7th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, held July 16–20, 2025, at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, brought together more than 4,100 attendees—roughly half healthcare professionals. As ASPN continues to grow in influence and reach, this year’s event emphasized its core mission: improving education, elevating young professionals, and embracing innovation through disruption. “From the beginning, our goal was to fill the gaps left by other societies—mentoring the next generation and fostering collaboration,” said ASPN co-founder and chairman Timothy Deer.
In contrast with the North American Neuromodulation Society meeting, whose focus is neuromodulation across all indications, ASPN covers all aspects of pain management approaches, including neuromodulation for pain, but also RF ablation, treatment of minimally invasive treatments for spinal stenosis, and non-opioid pharmacological treatments for pain.
Within neuromodulation, this year there was a significant focus on peripheral nerve stimulation, a rapidly growing sector within the sector, compared to SCS which today is a slower growing, mature market. In addition, to a heavy focus on PNS, there was an entire session on noninvasive neuromodulation approaches to pain, a commercially emerging sector with enormous potential once reimbursement is better established.
With the theme “Embracing Disruption, Driving Innovation,” ASPN 2025 offered an ambitious program across five days, anchored by practical, hands-on labs, vibrant panel discussions, and groundbreaking scientific presentations. From neuromodulation advances to artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine, and health policy, the agenda underscored the society’s commitment to fostering dialogue across disciplines and geographies.
Day one featured immersive technical training with specialized labs, including a Fellows Hands-On Lab, Practicing Physicians Master Class, and Ultrasound-Guided Injections Lab—all aimed at developing the next generation of interventional pain experts.
Among the most impactful sessions were ASPN’s top abstracts and poster presentations, where researchers unveiled data on novel therapies. One highlight was the study presented by Morteza Rabii exploring SCS in patients with peripheral arterial disease. The research showed not only a 50% or greater pain reduction in most patients but also improved circulation and reduced need for additional vascular interventions—supporting a potential role for SCS prior to repeat vascular surgery or amputation.
Another standout came from Tolga Suvar, who presented a compelling case series on the use of DRG, SCS, and PNS for phantom limb pain. The personalized neuromodulation strategies led to meaningful reductions in pain and opioid use, reinforcing the importance of tailoring therapy to patient-specific neural pain signatures.
Beyond clinical science, ASPN continued to expand its strategic agenda. Deer and colleagues unveiled plans for a Minimally Invasive Spine certification program, a comprehensive outcomes registry, and perhaps most notably, an increased focus on AI —in a session led by Keith-Austin Scarfo, Michael Leong, Chris Gilmore, and others.
In alignment with ASPN’s growing global vision, the society also announced that its international counterpart, the International Society of Pain & Neuroscience, will hold its annual meeting in London October 9-12 and will become an independent entity by 2026 according to Deer.
The conference featured more than 180 exhibitors, with major players like Medtronic, Abbott, Nevro, Boston Scientific, and Saluda Medical showcasing the latest device technologies. Sessions on payer strategy, ASC optimization, and practice growth attracted both clinicians and industry executives, reinforcing ASPN’s value as a hybrid clinical-business forum.
The ASPN/ISPN movement is also aligning with other societies. As we reported earlier this year, ASPN has joined forces with NANS and NASS to form a more unified voice on health policy and coverage guidelines. “By working together, we avoid competing recommendations and present a united front to payers,” Deer said.
With more than 6,000 members across ASPN and its sister societies, the future is bright for this dynamic, inclusive, and fast-moving organization. Whether through its young innovators program, AI initiatives, or cross-continental reach, ASPN is charting a course that embraces disruption not for disruption’s sake—but to build a smarter, more compassionate field.
The upcoming ISPN Annual Conference in London this Fall will continue this momentum, offering cadaver labs, regenerative workshops, and plenary sessions featuring global leaders in pain and neuroscience.
In a field where tradition often lingers, ASPN is proving that change—when rooted in collaboration and purpose—can make a difference.
