The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is pleased to announce that Jo Mari Darvin C. Adorador, BSN, MD, of the Philippines, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Philip A. Spiegel Trainee Award.
The Philip A. Spiegel Trainee Award is presented to the trainee who receives the highest score through the World Congress on Pain financial aid application process. The award supports the recipient’s travel and attendance at the IASP World Congress on Pain, including economy airfare, Congress registration, and accommodation expenses.
Dr. Adorador was born and raised in Iloilo City, Philippines, and began his health care career as a nurse. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Central Philippine University in 2009, he worked for four years in medical-surgical and operating room care before pursuing medicine. He earned his medical degree from Iloilo Doctors College of Medicine in 2018 and later received the Most Outstanding Intern award at Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Metro Manila.
He returned to Iloilo City to complete his Anesthesiology residency at Western Visayas Medical Center and became a Diplomate in Anesthesiology in 2025. His experience caring for patients with acute, chronic, postoperative, burn, and cancer-related pain highlighted the need for greater access to specialized pain and palliative care in his region.
Dr. Adorador is currently a Senior Fellow in Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. His training includes advanced pharmacology, cancer pain management, palliative care, and interventional pain procedures. He has authored research on interventional pain management and is currently studying neuropathic pain in patients with cancer.
Following his fellowship, Dr. Adorador plans to return to Iloilo City and help expand access to specialized pain and palliative care. His goals include establishing a dedicated pain management center that integrates interventional pain medicine with compassionate palliative care, strengthening patient education, and contributing to the education of future health care professionals.
IASP congratulates Dr. Jo Mari Darvin C. Adorador on receiving the 2026 Philip A. Spiegel Trainee Award and is pleased to support his continued development and contributions to pain medicine and palliative care.