16th Pediatric Pain Master Class

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Presented by
Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative and Integrative Medicine
Benioff Children’s Hospitals, University of California at San Francisco

Registration Fees

	Early Bird Rate Ends November 24, 2025	Regular Rate Starts November 25, 2025	On Site Rate
On-site/In Person Attendance:
Physicians (High Income Countries)	$3,550.00	$3,750.00	$3,950.00
Allied health professionals/Trainees/Residents/Fellows (High Income Countries)	$2,350.00	$2,550.00	$2,750.00

Virtual (Zoom) Attendance:
Physicians (High Income Countries)	$3,550.00	$3,750.00	$3,950.00
Allied health professionals/Trainees/Residents/Fellows (High Income Countries)	$2,350.00	$2,550.00	$2,750.00

Middle, upper middle, and Low-income countries: reduced rates available at request. Please fill out this request: https://forms.office.com/r/4fcrpwb1ZC

For questions, contact: [email protected]

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations received in writing before December 31, 2025 will be refunded, less a $100 administrative fee. No refunds will be made on cancellations received after that date. Please submit your cancellation request at https://tiny.ucsf.edu/cmehelp

Course Description

The Pediatric Pain Master Class offers state of the art education in pain management for the pediatric patient from a holistic and interdisciplinary perspective. The course features a faculty of internationally recognized experts who will cover pharmacological, medical, psychosocial, and integrative therapies for the management of children’s acute, procedural, and complex/chronic pain. Assessment and management of acute somatic, visceral, neuropathic, psychosocial, and total pain will be explored in depth using interactive lectures and case presentations and small-group learning. The conference will be offered live in-person (with and optional online Zoom option). All sessions (plenaries and breakouts) will be recorded and are available for participants for up to 6 months after the conference.

Intended Audience
We welcome all disciplines who work with pediatric patients. The master class has originally been designed for physicians and advanced practice nurses to develop their expertise in the field of pediatric pain medicine in a highly interactive seminar format. Clinicians who attended in the past have and gave us positive feedback also included nurses, social workers, psychologists, chaplains, child-life specialists, and administrators.

Registration for the Symposium includes:

6 ½ -day live interactive conference with plenaries and small group breakouts
6 conference lunches, coffee/tea breaks & networking evening reception
Handouts for all sessions
Online (ZOOM) option: attendance with live plenary
The class is open to all clinicians and staff interested in pediatric pain treatment and prevention
Fees include access to course materials and handouts via Dropbox and post-course access to recorded sessions. All sessions will be recorded and are available for registered participants for up to 6 months after the conference.

Accreditation

Jointly Accredited Provider with Commendation

In support of improving patient care, the University of California, San Francisco is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Onsite and Remote Learning Options:
The course will be offered as a live conference. Registrants have the option to attend in person or to tune in remotely via zoom live stream during programming hours (Pacific Time). Login instructions along with the digital syllabus will be shared with attendees before the meeting. Included in your registration fee is access to the course recordings on demand after the conference and for 30 days after the course. You must tune in to the live conference (in person or remotely) to claim CME.

Child with hand on forehead, child high-fiving doctor, child grasping stomach in pain

Learning Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

Describe best practice strategies and overview evidence supporting best practice strategies for the management of pediatric pain, including acute, procedural, disease-specific, and complex/persistent pain.
Detail evidence based and best practice strategies for management of pain and distressing symptoms in pediatric palliative situations.
Select and appropriately dose medications for pediatric pain management, including ability to explain evidence and rationale for medication choice, cross-rotation of medication, and management of side effects and safety concerns.
Employ at least two integrative medicine strategies for pain management.
Understand the importance of language when communicating with patients and their parents, particularly for complex/persistent pain and palliative care situations.
Identify the barriers to changing pediatric pain management at existing institution and develop strategies to overcome these barriers (strategies include, but not limited to knowledge of myths and misperceptions of pediatric pain management and research demonstrating evidence based practices).

Travel and Lodging

Course Chairs

Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP
Elisa and Marc Stad Professor in Pediatric Pain Medicine, Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine
Chief, Division of Pediatric Pain, Palliative and Integrative Medicine
University of California at San Francisco
Medical Director, Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative and Integrative Medicine
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

In the News!

Dr. Friedrichsdorf has been voted one of the most influential people in health in 2024 by Time Magazine TIME100 HEALTH

Karen Sun, MD
Clinical Chief, Division of Pediatric Pain, Palliative and Integrative Medicine
University of California at San Francisco
Associate Medical Director, Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative and Integrative Medicine
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

Faculty

Coming soon

Course Outline

All Times Listed are Pacific Time

Saturday, Jan 24th, 2026
Start Time	End Time	Duration	Title	Presenter
900	930	30 min	Registration (breakfast on own)
930	1050	80 min	Welcome, Announcements & Introductions & Zoom practice for online audience	Karen Sun, MD & Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1050	1100	10 min	Coffee Break
1100	1150	50 min	Does prescribing opioids to children in acute pain increase the risk of substance use disorder in adulthood? Addressing myths and barriers preventing adequate pediatric analgesia	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1150	1240	50 min	Integrative Medicine in the Treatment of Pain and Distressing Symptoms in Children	Robyn Adcock, DACM, L.Ac., Anna Hoffman, MSN, RN, FNP-C
1240	1340	60 min	Lunch at Conference Center
1340	1430	50 min	Pain - nothing but a memory?	Melanie Noel, PhD
1430	1520	50 min	Pain Treatment in Neonates and Infants	Brian Carter, MD, FAAP
1520	1535	15 min	Coffee Break
1535	1715	100 min	Multimodal Analgesia Workshop: Advanced pediatric pain treatment and prevention	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1715	1730	15 min	Q&A	All Faculty
1730	1930	120 min	The Awesome Analgesia Animal Challenge
			Evening Social: Appetizers & Drinks
Sunday, Jan 25th, 2026
Start Time	End Time	Duration	Title	Presenter
730	800	30 min	Registration (breakfast on own)
800	815	15 min	Welcome, Announcements

			10-minute Experiential “Self-Hypnosis” (Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM)
815	955	100 min	Treating Neuropathic Pain in Children. From graded motor imagery to adjuvant analgesia	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
955	1010	15 min	Coffee Break
1010	1100	50 min	Pediatric Pain Prevention and Treatment as a Human Right	Brian Carter, MD, FAAP
1100	1150	50 min	Pediatric pain treatment - what have we learned over the past 40 years and where are we going?	Charles Berde, MD, PhD
1150	1320	90 min	Lunch at Restaurant “SF Kebab”
1320	1410	50 min	Know Pain and Know Gain: Pain neurophysiology education	Michael Sangster, BScPT, MBA, DPT
1410	1500	50 min	It’s all in our bodies AND heads: Addressing mental health in children with pain	Melanie Noel, PhD
1500	1515	15 min	Coffee Break
1515	1605	50 min	From Erythromelalgia to Suzetrigine: sodium channel and non-sodium channel genes in painful and painless diseases and in development of novel analgesics	Charles Berde, MD, PhD
1605	1655	50 min	Pediatric Pain Treatment in Low-Medium Income Countries	The Jennifer Smorgon Scholars
1655	1710	15 min	Q&A	All Faculty
Monday, Jan 26th, 2026
Start Time	End Time	Duration	Title	Presenter
730	800	30 min	Registration (breakfast on own)
800	815	15 min	Announcements & Welcome
815	955	100 min	The Comfort Promise: Preventing Pain and Anxiety Caused by Needle (and Other Painful) Procedures. The “Why”, the “What”, and the “How”	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
955	1010	15 min	Coffee Break
1010	1100	50 min	The Comfort Promise: Utilizing quality improvement methodology to bring evidence to the bedside.	Barbette Murphy, MSN, RN, CPNP and Kristen Beckler, M.Ed, CTRS, CCLS
1100	1150	50 min	How to Start a Movement: Innovative Physical Therapy Approaches for the Patient with Pain	Michael Sangster, BScPT, MBA, DPT
1150	1250	60 min	Lunch at Conference Center
1250	1300	10 min	Soothing Color Muscle Relaxation	Anna Hoffman, MSN, RN, FNP-C
1300	1350	50 min	Opioid Selection in the Pediatric Population (Part I): Mixed agonist/antagonist, partial opioid agonists & multi-mechanism analgesics	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1350	1440	50 min	Responding to Non-Medical Opioid Use in Children and Teenagers	Lucien Gonzalez, MD, MS, FAAP
1440	1455	15 min	Coffee Break
1455	1545	50 min	Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) and Pediatric Pain	Cristina Benki, PhD
1545	1615	30 min	Cannabis and Cannabinoids for Pain Treatment in Pediatrics: Safe and effective?	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1615	1630	15 min	Q&A	All Faculty
1630	1730	60 min	Optional: Visit of Stad Center Outpatient Clinics San Francisco
Tuesday, Jan 27th, 2026
Start Time	End Time	Duration	Title	Presenter
730	800	30 min	Registration (breakfast on own)
800	815	15 min	Welcome, Announcements, Reflection, Teach-Back
815	905	50 min	The Neurobiology of Pain Generation and its Control	Allan Basbaum, PhD
905	955	50 min	Opioid Selection in the Pediatric Population. Part II: Full μ -opioid agonists	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
955	1010	15 min	Coffee Break
1010	1100	50 min	Neural circuitry and pain and itch: A Yin and Yang story	Allan Basbaum, PhD
1100	1150	50 min	How to Implement RN-Administered Nitrous Oxide Sedation into Clinical Practice	Mindy Brice, RN-BSN, CLC, CPN
1150	1320	90 min	Lunch on own: SPARK Social SF Food Trucks
1320	1330	10 min	10-minute Experiential “Qigong”	Robyn Adcock, DACM, L.Ac.
1330	1420	50 min	Buprenorphine for patients with opioid use disorder. An introduction	Lucien Gonzalez, MD, MS, FAAP
1420	1510	50 min	Pediatric Pain Treatment in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease	Karen Sun, MD & Neha Bhasin, MD
1510	1525	15 min	Coffee Break
1525	1615	50 min	Opioid-Rotation in Infants & Children: The complete crux of the incomplete cross-tolerance	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD
1615	1705	50 min	Meditation Experiential: From focusing, wandering or clearing your mind	Jennifer Smorgon, PsyD
1705	1715	15 min	Q&A	All Faculty
1715	1845	90 min	Social Outing with Drinks and Appetizers
Wednesday, Jan 28th, 2026
Start Time	End Time	Duration	Title	Presenter
730	800	30 min	Registration (breakfast on own)
800	815	15 min	Welcome, Announcements, Reflection, Teach-Back
815	955	100 min	Primary Pain Disorders: Chronic pain in head, abdomen, muscles, and joints	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
955	1010	15 min	Coffee Break
1010	1020	10 min	10-minute Experiential “Progressive Muscle Relaxation”	Anna Hoffman, MSN, RN, FNP-C
1020	1110	50 min	Pain, Sex, and Death	Jeffrey Mogil, PhD, FCAHS, FRSC
1110	1200	50 min	The Global Comfort Promise: Prevention of Pain and Anxiety from Needle Procedures in Children with Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.	Michael McNeil, MD, MPH
1200	1300	60 min	Lunch at Conference Center
1300	1440	100 min	How to use Language Hypnotically to Alleviate Pain and Anxiety in Pediatric Patients	Leora Kuttner, PhD
1440	1455	15 min	Q&A	All Faculty
Thursday, Jan 29th, 2026
Start Time	End Time	Duration	Title	Presenter
730	800	30 min	Registration (breakfast on own)
800	815	15 min	Welcome, Announcements, Reflection, Teach-Back
815	905	50 min	Software problems unrelated to a hardware problem? The “Broken Smoke Detector” and other analogies explaining chronic pain to kids and their parents.	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
905	955	50 min	The Magic Glove: A versatile hypnotic technique	Leora Kuttner, PhD
955	1010	15 min	Coffee Break
1010	1100	50 min	Mistakes Were Made: How to fix pain research (and treatment)	Jeffrey Mogil, PhD, FCAHS, FRSC
1100	1150	50 min	From Nerve Blocks to Epidural Infusions: Regional anesthesia to treat pain in children – An Introduction	David Burns, MD
1150	1240	50 min	Chronic intractable pain and irritability in children with neurological impairment	Julie Hauer, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1240	1340	60 min	Lunch at Conference Center
			Biofeedback table open (Anna Hoffman, MSN, RN, FNP-C)
1340	1350	10 min	10-minute Experiential “Ear Seeds”	Robyn Adcock, DACM, L.Ac and Anna Hoffman, MSN, RN, FNP-C
1350	1440	50 min	Intensive Inpatient Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation: Treating Pain by Restoring Function	Will Bernal, MD and Cristina Benki, PhD
1440	1530	50 min	Basic Analgesia - Yet Not So Basic? From Acetaminophen (Paracetamol), NSAIDs, COX-2 Inhibitors, dipyrone (metamizole) and more	Stephen Wilson, MD, PhD
1530	1545	15 min	Coffee Break
1545	1635	50 min	CBT versus (or and) ACT? Evidence-Based Behavioral Treatment for Kids with Chronic Pain	Colleen Cullinan, PhD
1635	1650	15 min	Q&A	All Faculty
Friday, Jan 30th, 2026
Start Time	End Time	Duration	Title	Presenter
730	800	30 min	Registration (breakfast on own)
800	815	15 min	Welcome, Announcements, Reflection, Teach-Back

			10-minute Experiential “Breathing Meditation” (Anna Hoffman, MSN, RN, FNP-C)
815	905	50 min	The Pain JEDI: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Delivering Pediatric Pain Treatment	Marsha Treadwell, PhD
905	955	50 min	Methadone in Pediatrics: Taming of the shrew	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
955	1010	15 min	Coffee Break
1010	1100	50 min	From Acupuncture Research to Clinical Service: Implementing an integrative medicine at your institution	Robyn Adcock, DACM, L.Ac. and Anna Hoffman, MSN, RN, FNP-C
1100	1150	50 min	Pediatric Sedation and Anxiolysis for Children Undergoing Painful Procedures	Karen Sun, MD and Robin Alley, RN
1150	1220	30 min	Lunch at Conference Center
1220	1310	50 min	How to grow your pain program	Stephen Wilson, MD, PhD, Lena Ngo, RN, PMGT-BC
			Part 1: The Institutional Vision and Mission
			Part 2: Strategies to Improve the Pain Care of Children in Hospital: The Role of Pain Nurses
1310	1400	50 min	Is it Pain, Withdrawal, and/or Delirium…? Assessment and Treatment of Pain Behavior in Infants, Toddlers and Children on an Intensive Care Unit	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1400	1450	50 min	Massage Therapy in Pediatric Pain & Symptom Management	Carolyn Tague, MA, CMT
1450	1520	30 min	Called to Arms: The adventure of pediatric pain management & next steps	Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
1520			Adjourn