Pain Schools and Camps - International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)

Pain Schools

IASP Pain Schools are multidisciplinary/multiprofessional residential educational events intended to promote the development of the next generation of basic science and clinical pain researchers.

IASP Pain Schools are targeted at young, early career members of IASP, with 20-30 participants attending each school. Participants come from multiple regions and countries. Participants must be selected through a competitive process by the Pain School organizers against specified criteria. Participants are expected to be, or become, an IASP member. The first Pain School was in Siena, Italy, the site for the European Pain School, in 2002. Since then, other Pain Schools, such as the North American Pain School and the Australian Pain School have been formed.

Australian Pain School

The Australian Pain Society has established painSTAR - the Pain School for Translation And Research. painSTAR aims to bring together the brightest lights in early career and expert pain researchers.

Create a ‘Pain Think Tank’ to drive innovation; have committed and spirited minds in one place to define problems and identify avenues to find solutions; have access to latest results and discuss emerging trends; enable cross-disciplinary collaborations between researchers, clinicians, consumers, and industry in order to grow translational thinking.

painSTAR will do this by bringing together enthusiastic and skilled early career researchers from wet- and dry-lab research, from clinical areas, and from community areas. We will ‘hot house’ them with expert mentors from across the globe (travel restrictions permitting), and engage them with consumers (people living with pain) and industry to create a collective immersive experience that traverses from the benchtop to the bedside and beyond; facilitating the translation of research findings into clinical practice and the community.

European Pain School

The European Pain School (EPS), founded at the University of Siena (Italy) in 2002, is the first and still the premier school intended for students working on basic science and clinical topics related to acute and chronic pain. EPS has an interdisciplinary perspective and a distinct research orientation. Young scientists at the Ph.D. or postdoctoral levels (or equivalent) in all fields of pain science and pain medicine are encouraged to apply.

North American Pain School

The North American Pain School (NAPS) brings together leading experts in pain research and management to provide a unique educational and networking experience for the next generation of basic science and clinical pain researchers. NAPS offers opportunities for scientific education, professional development, and connections with peers in a setting far removed from the lab, steeped in the character and culture of Quebec.

Yearly programs will have a different theme and will bring together 30 trainees with six dynamic, internationally recognized pain investigators from around the world and NAPS permanent faculty for an intensive four-day workshop.

Latin American Pain School

Pain Camps

IASP Pain Camps are multidisciplinary/multiprofessional residential educational events aimed at promoting interdisciplinary pain management by improving the knowledge and skills of the next generation of healthcare professionals in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

Pain Camps, like Pain Schools, also target young, early career members of IASP. Pain Camps are seen as more suitable for those from LMICs. Prospective participants must be selected through a competitive process by the Pain Camp organizers against specified criteria. Participants are expected to be, or become, an IASP member. The first Pain Camp was the Southeast Asia Pain Camp held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2011. The Southeast Asia Pain Camps are held in different ASEAPS countries biennially. Biennial Pain Camps are also organized by FEDELAT (e.g in Mexico in 2016), and in 2025 the first African Pain Camp and SARPS Pain Camp were held in Nairobi, Kenya and New Delhi, India respectively.

African Pain Camp

IASP African Pain Camp

IASP hosted its first African Pain Camp in Nairobi, Kenya, in February 2025, to develop pain management knowledge, skills, and attitudes across a range of domains, focusing on the multidimensional nature of pain. All participants were healthcare professionals working in Sub-Saharan Africa. The African Pain Camp offered interdisciplinary training that deepened participants’ knowledge in the multidimensional nature of pain, holistic pain assessment relevant to Southeast Asian contexts, and both pharmacological and non-pharmacological management strategies, including lifestyle changes, exercise, mindfulness, and psychological approaches.

The curriculum addressed conditions with high prevalence in the region, such as low back pain, sickle cell disease, HIV-related pain, burn injuries, headaches, caesarean section pain, trauma, and cancer-related pain, ensuring relevance and practical application.

Pain camp graduates developed skills in safe prescribing, clinical reasoning, and therapeutic communication, and learned non-pharmacological techniques such as breathing exercises, graded motor imagery, sleep hygiene, and mindfulness.

Additionally, graduates of the Pain Camp demonstrated a clear shift from a biomedical to a biopsychosocial understanding of pain, embracing person-centered care and interdisciplinary collaboration. The camp not only strengthened clinical competencies but also fostered a deeper appreciation of pain as a complex, multifaceted experience, laying the groundwork for improved pain management across African healthcare settings.

Latin American Pain Camp

ASEAPS Southeast Asian Pain Management Class

The IASP-Southeast Asian Pain Management Camp

IASP hosted its Southeast Asian Pain Management Camp in Singapore from 27 April to 1 May 2025, welcoming healthcare professionals from across South-East Asia and neighboring regions who were beginning their careers in pain management.

Participants shared an interest in exploring care models, treatment approaches, and collaborative initiatives for chronic pain in the region. The camp offered a unique opportunity to build practical knowledge and skills for delivering holistic pain care, while fostering meaningful connections among professionals.

Over four days of intensive training, participants engaged in didactic sessions, role play, and small group learning with close faculty support. They had access to experts in subspecialties such as pediatrics, oncology, psychology, and movement, gaining insights into both clinical and contextual aspects of pain care. The program emphasized interdisciplinary teamwork, communication, and co-creating pain education and services tailored to local needs.

Participants were also inducted into a Community of Practice in Pain Management, leaving the camp better equipped to bring pain education and resources to their institutions and communities.

The ASEAPS 2025 Pain Camp was a rewarding experience that combined self-development, mentorship, and capacity building, marking a significant step forward in advancing pain care across Southeast Asia.

SARPS Pain Camp

2nd South Asian Regional Pain Camp
22 - 24 September 2025
Delhi

This intensive camp equips healthcare professionals with essential skills for managing chronic pain. Through small-group learning, expert-led discussions, role-playing, and interactive activities, participants gain a strong foundation in pain assessment, examination, and interdisciplinary management.

In addition to hands-on training, attendees build lasting professional networks, enhancing collaboration in pain education, research, and clinical practice.

Eligibility Criteria:

Age: Below 40 years
Open to IASP members from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan etc.
Maximum Participants: 30

Who Can Participate:

Anaesthesiologists
PMR
Physiotherapists
Orthopaedicians
Psychologists
Pain Nurses
Any clinician looking to learn pain medicine

Past Pain Schools and Camps

Southeast Asia Pain Management Camp

Held from April 7-11, 2019, in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, this intensive residential course was followed by the 8th ASEAPS Congress April 11-14, 2019.

The pain camp aimed to boost understanding of pain concepts and the basics of interdisciplinary pain management for health care workers starting pain services or working in pain and related fields in Asia. Learning objectives included improving participants’ knowledge of pain pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management using a biopsychosocial approach; providing an impetus for pain practitioners in Asian countries to develop multidisciplinary pain management infrastructure or to enhance existing infrastructure; fostering closer collaboration among Asian pain practitioners; and raising the level of care for Asian pain patients.

Latin American Pain Camp

The most recent was held in Santiago, Chile, November 19-22, 2018.

The IASP PMC-Chile 2018 was a 4-day intensive course, whose main objective was to initiate and / or update health professionals on the approach of patients with pain, in basic and clinical subjects, and in an interdisciplinary way. It was aimed at health professionals who want to start pain services or who are already working with patients with chronic pain, both in medical specialties and in other health professions. The program included topics relevant to the day-to-day clinical practice of pain, as well as others aimed at the educational and organizational aspects of health services for pain management.

European Pain School

The European Pain School (EPS2018), an educational project of IASP, took place in Siena, Italy, June 10-17, 2018.

Young scientists at the Ph.D. or postdoctoral levels (or equivalent) in all fields of pain science and pain medicine were encouraged to apply. The theme of the meeting was "CNS Versus PNS Contributions to Persistent Pain." The European Pain School (EPS) was the first and is still the premier school intended for students working on basic science and clinical topics related to acute and chronic pain. EPS has an interdisciplinary perspective and a distinct research orientation.

International Pain Summer School in South America

The International Pain Summer School in South America addressed mechanisms mediating the transition between acute pain and chronic, pathological pain and how these are modulated by, and in turn, modulate societal factors. This pain school also focused on interrogating, discussing, and debating the structure-function properties of neural circuits that are of key importance to acute and chronic pain and how they are dynamically altered over the course of pain chronicity.

The school incorporated refresher courses, special lectures, methods-oriented workshops, trainee talks, debates, and direct one-to-one interactions with dynamic and inspiring international faculty. Another key aim was to promote scientific and cultural exchange between South American scientists and the international pain community.

IASP-ISSP Multidisciplinary Evidence-Based Pain Management Program

The IASP-ISSP Multidisciplinary Evidence-Based Pain Management Program was a partnership between the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and the Indian Society for the Study of Pain (ISSP), bringing together experts from multiple specialties to provide a unique education and training experience for health-care professionals in India.

The program provided an interactive, participatory, educational experience for health-care workers in India who are interested in pain management. The curriculum included fundamentals of pain physiology and pathophysiology and practical concepts of the assessment, diagnosis, and interdisciplinary management of acute and chronic pain conditions. The program covered topics relevant to day-to-day clinical practice in small-group sessions, and provided learning materials and tools to help manage patients with a broad spectrum of pain states. The course took place over a six-month period, with three two-day in-person sessions at two sites, Delhi and Mumbai. The most recent programs were held in March, May, and July 2017.

EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Other Education Opportunities

IASP has gathered information from various sources on programs for continuing education in pain. These may be fellowships, degree programs, distance-learning programs, web-based training, and so forth. Inclusion in this list does not imply IASP endorsement of these programs or courses, unless otherwise specified. To learn more, please view Graduate Opportunities .

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Pain Schools & Camps

Pain Schools

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Past Pain Schools and Camps

The European Pain School (EPS2018), an educational project of IASP, took place in Siena, Italy, June 10-17, 2018.

EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Other Education Opportunities

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Sabrina Gmuca, MD MSCE

Steffan Wittrup McPhee Christensen, Ph.d., M.Phty, B.Pt