15th Annual Pain Society of Alberta
Conference
Virtual Event
Friday October 15, to Sunday October 17, 2021
Coming Together. Learn. Share. Inspire.
Building on the momentum of 2020, planning is already underway for our next conference that will be held virtually, and if safety guidelines prevail, a hybrid version that includes in-person attendance at the Chateau Lake Louise.
Our focus to deliver a high quality, evidence-informed and diverse event to improve pain management strategies remains our primary objective to:
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Enhance professional development and pain management skills for all of our healthcare participants
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Bring leaders and healthcare professionals in the field of pain management together to improve patient care
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Reduce learning barriers and effectuate change for people living with persistent pain in their clinical practice.
As we continue to advocate for continuing professional development opportunities for all health care providers in Alberta and beyond, we invite you to share and learn a wealth of knowledge, and become inspired to effectuate change for those living with pain.
Become a part of this very exciting virtual event, by registering using the link below to ensure you have full access to our event, the ability to pose questions, time to engage with our exhibitors, and receive all of our updates and communications.
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$49 for Allied Health
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$99 for Medical Professionals
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FREE for Full Time Medical Learners/Residents
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FREE People with Lived Experience
MORE INFORMATION TO COME
Become an Exhibitor
Join us to engage and educate our participants about your new and innovative research and treatments
Introducing Our Keynote
Dr. Gabor Maté

Dr. Gabor Maté is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of four books published in twenty-five languages, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness.
His book on addiction received the Hubert Evans Prize for literary non-fiction. For his groundbreaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. His books include In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction; When the Body Says No; The Cost of Hidden Stress; Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder; and (with Gordon Neufeld) Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. To learn more, join his e-news list at www.drgabormate.com.
2021 Distinguished Speakers
Learn about our Distinguished Speakers thus far with many more to come!
Carol Bennett
Chief Executive Officer, Pain Australia.
Dr. Jason Busse
Associate Professor in the Departments of Anesthesia and Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University.
Dr. Fiona Campbell
Professor, Department of Anaesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Past President, Canadian Pain Society, Co-Chair Canadian Pain Task Force.
Dr. David Dodick
Professor of Neurology, Director of the Headache and Concussion Programs at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
Dr. Andrea Furlan
Associate Professor Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Staff Physician and Senior Scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.
Dr. Michael Gold
President, United States Association for the Study of Pain (US ASP).
Janet Holly
Senior physiotherapist, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
Dr. Carol Hopkins
Executive Director, Thunderbird Partnership Foundation.
Maria Hudspith
Executive Director, PainBC and Co-Chair Canadian Pain Task Force.
Dr. Jaeun Macen
Certified Spiritual Care Practitioner, Alberta Health Services.
Dr. Liam Martin
Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.
Dr. John Pereira
Past President, Pain Society of Alberta, and President-Elect of the Canadian Pain Society.
Dr. Mick Sullivan
Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Health, McGill University.
Dr. Bronnie Lennox Thompson
PhD, MSc, DipOT who teaches postgraduate courses in pain, pain management and psychosocial and cultural aspects of pain, and takes a strong interest in translating research into healthcare systems.
Dr. Susan Tupper
Strategy Consultant, Saskatchewan Pain Quality Improvement and Research.
Dr. Jillian Vinall-Miller
Developmental Neuroscientist in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Tracy Wasylak
Chief Program Officer, Strategic Clinical Networks and Co-Chair, Alberta Pain Strategy.
Dr. Verna Yiu
President and CEO, Alberta Health Services
Topics We Are Exploring
Distinguished speakers and topics are forthcoming.
Neuroplasticity and Neuroscience
Provincial, National and International Pain Strategies
Novel Areas in Pain Science and Research
Transitional Pain
Medical Cannabis
Headache and Migraine
Self-Compassion, Resilience and Burnout
Physical Rehabilitation Approaches
Therapeutic Alliance
Rheumatology
Diversity, Inclusion in Pain Management Delivery
Interdisciplinary Pain Teams
Nominate for our Patient Champion and Pain Excellence Award
The Patient Champion Award recognizes the significant contributions made by a person or a group who advocate and improve the lives of other people and their families faced with similar pain issues.
The Pain Excellence Award honours outstanding and dedicated excellence by a clinician, researcher, educator or team in the areas of acute, chronic or palliative care.
Application Deadline September 10th, 2021
Silver Exhibitors
2021 Exhibitor Guide
As one of our exhibitors, you will have ample opportunities to engage and network with our participants, share research updates, and information about your products and services. Most importantly, your commitment and support will allow us to provide a wider array of educational opportunities from all over the world to further enhance learning.
The Pain Society of Alberta is offering you and your teams an exclusive opportunity to be present and support all of the educational opportunities we are offering throughout the year.