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Come to the World Pain Congress
Pain, 52 (1993) 125-126 0 1993 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved 0304-3959/93/$06.00
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PAIN 02273
Editorial Comment Come to the World Pain Congress
What promises to be the best attended World Congress on Pain is a short 7 months away. The 7th World Congress on Pain will be held in Paris, France on 22-27 August 1993. This most recent triennial meeting of the IASP will bring together unprecedented numbers of scientists, physicians, dentists, psychologists, nurses and other health professionals, representing virtually every basic science and clinical discipline, to discuss current and emerging issues related to pain and its control. The Scientific Program Committee has developed an exciting program that we expect will be of broad appeal. One central theme of the Congress addresses the dynamic aspects of the nervous system’s response to pain. Beginning at the level of the nociceptor (silent and active nociceptors, immune-competent cell and nociceptor interactions, and nociceptor dynamics in humans) and extending through consideration of the role of proto-oncogenes and transcription factors in pain and pre-emptive treatments of postoperative pain control, plenary lecturers will explore ‘plasticity’ of the central nervous system in response to painful inputs. Understanding such mechanisms and appreciating their consequences will lead to better pain management now and to new strategies for pain control in the future. Other plenary sessions will address Psychologic Fuctors Related to Chronic Pain, including measures to prevent chronic pain, and new developments in our understanding of Neuropathic Pain, including mechanisms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy. New developments in the area of opioids as analgesics, with an emphasis on the therapeutic implications of tolerance development, and in mechanisms and treatment of vascular headache will also form the bases of plenary sessions. New to the scientific program for this Congress are an increased number of Special Lectures addressing a wide range of important topics, including Pain, Suffering and Ethics, Pain Management: Quality Assurance and Changing Practice, Cancer Pain Relief Cancer Pain in Children, Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Pain Management in Primary Care. In addition, the Scien-
tific Program Committee endeavored to bring new faces as speakers to the Congress and have invited a number of respected individuals who have not previously presented plenary lectures.
As in the past, Refresher Courses will be given on Sunday, August 22, before the beginning of the Congress, providing health professionals with an opportunitjr to learn new information relative to Basic Mechanisms of Pain and Pain Contrbl, Assessment and Management of Pediatric Pain, Management of Chronic Low Back Pain, Assessment and Management of Headache, Pain Issues Relevant to Nursing, Cancer Pain, Assessment and Management of Orofacial Pain, Design of Analgesic Drug Trails and Psychological/Psychiatric Assessment of the Chronic Pain Patient.
During the Congress itself, issues raised as part of Refresher Courses or during Plenary Sessions will be complemented by Topical Seminars given each afternoon. A total of 70 Topical Seminars, derived principally from IASP member-initiated suggestions, will address in more informal sessions a wide area of more specifically focused, important topics. Luncheon Sessions of course will also be a part of this Congress, but their number has been reduced to those associated only with Plenary Lectures. Most important to the vitality of the Congress are the abstracts members submit as free communications for posters and slide sessions during the Congress. We anticipate that more abstracts than ever before will be submitted for this Congress. The location of the Congress in the Palais des Congres will provide ideal space for interaction and discussion of member-initiated poster communications. There will also be slide sessions on 4 of the 5 days of the Congress to further facilitate communication and interaction between members. For the first time, the IASP will undertake publication of the Proceedings of the Congress. As in the past, plenary lecturers will contribute papers to the Proceedings and the Scientific Program Committee will also select from among the submitted abstracts some which suggest novel and important contributions to be expanded and included in the Proceedings. The Scientific Program Committee is excited about what we hope will be the best World Congress on Pain ever, both in terms of number of participants and quality of the Scientific Program. The IASP is a growing organization and pain as an area of investigation, management, public interest and importance has assumed a prominent place across a broad range of
health and health-related disciplines. The 7th World Congress on Pain will provide participants with the special opportunity to engage their colleagues in discussion and consideration of multiple, important issues in pain and pain control, furthering our advancement of knowledge in this area. The setting is perfect, the
time is right and expectations Paris!
are high. See you in
For the Scientific Program Committee G.F. Gebhart, Chair
125
PAIN 02273
Editorial Comment Come to the World Pain Congress
What promises to be the best attended World Congress on Pain is a short 7 months away. The 7th World Congress on Pain will be held in Paris, France on 22-27 August 1993. This most recent triennial meeting of the IASP will bring together unprecedented numbers of scientists, physicians, dentists, psychologists, nurses and other health professionals, representing virtually every basic science and clinical discipline, to discuss current and emerging issues related to pain and its control. The Scientific Program Committee has developed an exciting program that we expect will be of broad appeal. One central theme of the Congress addresses the dynamic aspects of the nervous system’s response to pain. Beginning at the level of the nociceptor (silent and active nociceptors, immune-competent cell and nociceptor interactions, and nociceptor dynamics in humans) and extending through consideration of the role of proto-oncogenes and transcription factors in pain and pre-emptive treatments of postoperative pain control, plenary lecturers will explore ‘plasticity’ of the central nervous system in response to painful inputs. Understanding such mechanisms and appreciating their consequences will lead to better pain management now and to new strategies for pain control in the future. Other plenary sessions will address Psychologic Fuctors Related to Chronic Pain, including measures to prevent chronic pain, and new developments in our understanding of Neuropathic Pain, including mechanisms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy. New developments in the area of opioids as analgesics, with an emphasis on the therapeutic implications of tolerance development, and in mechanisms and treatment of vascular headache will also form the bases of plenary sessions. New to the scientific program for this Congress are an increased number of Special Lectures addressing a wide range of important topics, including Pain, Suffering and Ethics, Pain Management: Quality Assurance and Changing Practice, Cancer Pain Relief Cancer Pain in Children, Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Pain Management in Primary Care. In addition, the Scien-
tific Program Committee endeavored to bring new faces as speakers to the Congress and have invited a number of respected individuals who have not previously presented plenary lectures.
As in the past, Refresher Courses will be given on Sunday, August 22, before the beginning of the Congress, providing health professionals with an opportunitjr to learn new information relative to Basic Mechanisms of Pain and Pain Contrbl, Assessment and Management of Pediatric Pain, Management of Chronic Low Back Pain, Assessment and Management of Headache, Pain Issues Relevant to Nursing, Cancer Pain, Assessment and Management of Orofacial Pain, Design of Analgesic Drug Trails and Psychological/Psychiatric Assessment of the Chronic Pain Patient.
During the Congress itself, issues raised as part of Refresher Courses or during Plenary Sessions will be complemented by Topical Seminars given each afternoon. A total of 70 Topical Seminars, derived principally from IASP member-initiated suggestions, will address in more informal sessions a wide area of more specifically focused, important topics. Luncheon Sessions of course will also be a part of this Congress, but their number has been reduced to those associated only with Plenary Lectures. Most important to the vitality of the Congress are the abstracts members submit as free communications for posters and slide sessions during the Congress. We anticipate that more abstracts than ever before will be submitted for this Congress. The location of the Congress in the Palais des Congres will provide ideal space for interaction and discussion of member-initiated poster communications. There will also be slide sessions on 4 of the 5 days of the Congress to further facilitate communication and interaction between members. For the first time, the IASP will undertake publication of the Proceedings of the Congress. As in the past, plenary lecturers will contribute papers to the Proceedings and the Scientific Program Committee will also select from among the submitted abstracts some which suggest novel and important contributions to be expanded and included in the Proceedings. The Scientific Program Committee is excited about what we hope will be the best World Congress on Pain ever, both in terms of number of participants and quality of the Scientific Program. The IASP is a growing organization and pain as an area of investigation, management, public interest and importance has assumed a prominent place across a broad range of
health and health-related disciplines. The 7th World Congress on Pain will provide participants with the special opportunity to engage their colleagues in discussion and consideration of multiple, important issues in pain and pain control, furthering our advancement of knowledge in this area. The setting is perfect, the
time is right and expectations Paris!
are high. See you in
For the Scientific Program Committee G.F. Gebhart, Chair