2023 47th Annual Scientific Meeting

Dr. Tonya Palermo is Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at University of Washington with adjunct appointments in Pediatrics and Psychiatry. She holds the Hughes M. and Katherine Blake Endowed Professorship in Health Psychology. Dr. Palermo serves as Associate Director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute where she directs the Pediatric Pain & Sleep Innovations Lab. Her NIH-funded research focuses on innovative psychological treatments for managing and preventing chronic pain in children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Palermo has published over 290 articles and has published two books on cognitive-behavioral therapy for pediatric chronic pain. Dr. Palermo is the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Pain. She is active in training clinician-scientists at the postdoctoral and faculty level and directs a T32 postdoctoral training program in anesthesiology research.

Richard Ohrbach earned a D.D.S. (University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill), certificate in pain management (University of California–Los Angles), M.S. in Oral Sciences and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (University at Buffalo), and a post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral epidemiology (University of Washington). As a member of the teaching faculty, his mentoring with students focuses on the development of independent thought grounded in rigorous use of methodology. As a member of the research faculty, he has pursued several research objectives. One objective has been the development of new diagnostic standards for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) as well as the development of other assessment tools related to pain or function. These standards, development supported by NIDCR and now internationally recognized, for both researchers and health professionals comprises an improved screening tool, validated diagnostic criteria, and improved psychosocial assessment tools. A second objective, via the OPPERA studies of painful TMDs, has focused on identification and understanding of risk determinants for initial onset, transition to chronicity, and maintenance of chronicity. A third objective, more recently, has focused on the application of ontological principles to better depictions of clinical reality – for example, mechanisms underlying co-morbidity within the chronic overlapping pain conditions, and the bidirectional relationship between behavior and physical structure-based interoception. Dr. Ohrbach is a member of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, United States Association for the Study of Pain, and International Association for the Study of Pain.

Dr. Eli Eliav joined the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2013, when he was appointed Director of Eastman Institute for Oral Health and Vice Dean for Oral Health within the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Previously, Dr. Eliav served as Director of the Center for Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain and as Chair, Dept. of Diagnostic Sciences at UMDNJ – New Jersey Dental School. He was also the University’s Carmel Endowed Chair in Algesiology since 2004.

Dr. Eliav’s current research projects involve orofacial pain, quantitative sensory testing, neuropathic pain, pain modulation and the role of inflammation in neuropathic pain.

Richard S. Zimmerman, M.D., is a consultant in the Department of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and staff neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 1990 and holds the academic rank of professor of neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Dr. Zimmerman earned his B.A. with honors at Boston University and his M.D. at Boston University School of Medicine. He completed an internship in general surgery and residency in neurosurgery at Medical College of Virginia – Virginia Commonwealth University, followed by a fellowship in neurovascular surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Dr. Zimmerman’s clinical work focuses on trigeminal and other cranial neuralgias, hemifacial spasm, vascular and skull base neurosurgery, and epilepsy surgery. He has served as principal investigator and co-investigator on research protocols and has frequently presented his work both nationally and internationally. He has authored over 100 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, abstracts, and other written publications. Dr. Zimmerman serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Facial Pain/Trigeminal Neuralgia Association and has championed innovations in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia surgery focusing on improving outcomes and increasing safety.

In addition to his clinical interests, Dr. Zimmerman has held numerous administrative leadership positions. He served as the inaugural Medical Director and opened the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, as Associate Dean for Mayo Clinic Graduate Medical Education, and as the Dean of Education for Mayo Clinic Arizona.

Luigi Taranto Montemurro MD is an Italian physician with extensive of experience in the field of pulmonology and sleep medicine. He specialized as a pulmonologist and sleep doctor in Italy and then continued his education as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and at Harvard Medical School. Currently, he is working at Apnimed, a biotech company in Cambridge (MA) that specializes in OSA pharmacotherapy, and at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston. During his post-doctoral years at Harvard, Luigi made a significant contribution to the field of OSA pharmacotherapy by pioneering the discovery of a combination of adrenergic and antimuscarinic drugs for the treatment of OSA. He was also a founder of Apnimed, where he currently holds the role of Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Dr. Montemurro’s current research focuses on identifying new pharmacological interventions that can improve the effectiveness of OSA treatment. He has published numerous articles on the subject in peer-reviewed journals, and his work has been widely recognized in the scientific community. In this presentation, Dr. Montemurro will provide the most recent updates related to OSA pharmacotherapy, including the latest research findings and ongoing clinical trials. He will also discuss the potential benefits of using a combination of adrenergic and antimuscarinic drugs for the treatment of OSA, and provide an overview of the current state of OSA pharmacotherapy.

Dr. Martel is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and the Department of Anesthesiology at McGill University. He received a PhD in Clinical Psychology from McGill University in 2012, and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Martel’s current research program primarily focuses on the biopsychosocial determinants of opioid use problems among patients with chronic pain who are prescribed opioids. He is also interested in the factors associated with cannabis use and cannabis use problems in patients with chronic pain. During his training as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Martel has acquired clinical experience working with patients presenting with various types of chronic pain conditions. He is currently the research director of the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), a multidisciplinary pain treatment setting for patients with chronic pain. Over the years, Dr. Martel has authored or co-authored more than 85 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics related to pain, mental health, and substance use. He currently holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) and his work has received financial support from various funding sources, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Quebec Health Research funds.

Dr. David Darrow is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota and the Rockswold-Kaplan Endowed Chair for Traumatic Brain Injury at Hennepin County Medical Center, specializing in functional and pain neurosurgery. Dr. Darrow treats diseases of the central nervous system with neuromodulation including epilepsy, movement disorders, trigeminal neuralgia/facial pain, chronic pain, and psychiatric diseases. Dr. Darrow is co-PI of the Herman-Darrow Human Neuroscience Lab with a mission of understanding and treating disorders of the nervous system with neuromodulation. The Herman-Darrow Lab links together circuit-level electrophysiology with behavior. By pairing neuromodulation with a quantitative understanding of the pathological circuits of the brain, the lab hopes to help patients improve symptoms and quality of life.

Paul L. Durham, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology at Missouri State University and Director of its Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences, a multidisciplinary laboratory utilizing cellular/molecular, microbiological, biochemical, and chemical techniques. A major focus of his research has been to elucidate the cellular/molecular mechanisms by which novel drugs, devices, and nutraceuticals modulate the excitability state of neurons and glial cells under pathological conditions. More recently, his laboratory has been investigating changes in the GABAergic system in the upper spinal cord and trigeminal ganglion neurons and glia in preclinical models of chronic migraine and TMD. Another focus has been on understanding auditory changes associated with chronic migraine and TMD since hearing sensitivity is reported as a most bothersome symptom. A frequently invited guest lecturer and the author of ~ 90 peer-reviewed research articles and ~ 200 published abstracts. Dr. Durham has served on numerous NIH study sections and pharmaceutical company advisory boards and is currently a reviewer for more than 10 journals. Dr. Durham is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, American Headache Society, American Pain Society, and American Academy of Orofacial Pain.

Dr. James Hawkins currently serves as Chair of the Orofacial Pain Center at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School (NPDS) in Bethesda, MD, as well as the Orofacial Pain Specialty Leader to the Navy Surgeon General. He completed a residency in Orofacial Pain at NPDS and received a Master’s Degree in Oral Biology from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2015. In 2017, he received a certificate in Medical Acupuncture from Helms Medical Institute. Dr. Hawkins is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. His recent academic awards include the NPDS Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence (2021) and the Walter Reed Associate Master Clinician Award (2021). He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. He is also an oral board examiner for the American Board of Orofacial Pain.

Harry is a Professor at the University of Applied Science in Osnabruck (Germany) and is study director of the Master of Science in Musculoskeletal Therapy. He is senior IMTA Teacher of the International Maitland Teacher Association (IMTA) and founder of Cranial Facial Therapy Academy. He successfully completed his Master of Science degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Leuven (Belgium). His thesis was on „The Neurodynamic Testing of the Mandibular Nerve: Reliability and norm-data. In 2005 he received his PhD in Rehabilitation science on the Staffordshire University(UK). He directs several musculoskeletal research projects and works part-time in his specialized clinic in musculoskeletal therapy of craniofacial dysfunction and pain in Ootmarsum, The Netherlands. He published 4 Books in 3 languages and more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in the field of physical therapy, TMD, pain and motor control

Daniele Manfredini received his DDS from the University of Pisa, Italy in 1999, a MSc in Occlusion and Craniomandibular Disorders in 2001 from the same University, a PhD in Dentistry from the ACTA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 2011, and a Post-Graduation Specialty in Orthodontics from the University of Ferrara, Italy, in 2017. He achieved the Diplomate Status from the American Board of Orofacial Pain in 2021. He is an active Member of the European Academy of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction (former EACD). He is Founder Member of the Italian Society of Prosthodontics and Oral Rehabilitation (SIPRO), and President of the Italian Study Group on Orofacial Pain (GSID).

He was a clinical fellow at the Section of Prosthetic Dentistry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Pisa, Italy until 2005. From 2006 to 2016, Daniele Manfredini has been Assistant Professor at the School of Dentistry and coordinator of the research projects at the TMD Clinic, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Padova, Italy
On January 2017, the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) appointed him as a Full Professor by scientific merit at the age of 41. Since 2017, Daniele Manfredini has served as Professor at the School of Dentistry, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Italy, where he holds teachings in Oral Physiology and in Clinical Gnathology. He is currently the Director of the Orofacial Pain Unit.
Daniele Manfredini authored more than 300 papers in the field of bruxism and temporomandibular disorders in journals indexed in the Medline and Scopus databases (Scopus H-index=62). Since 2018, Daniele Manfredini is Member and Coordinator of the Bruxism Consensus Panel within the International Association for Dental Research, which works on the updated definition and classification strategies for bruxism and for which he currently serves in the INfORM Board of Directors.
Since January 1st, 2024, Daniele Manfredini acts as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Craniomandibular and Sleep Practice.

Gary practiced family general dentistry from 1980 until 2003 when he began to devote the majority of his time to teaching. In 2004 he earned a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from The University of Toledo College of Medicine. He served as clinical director at the Pankey Institute from 2003 to 2008. In 2008 he joined Frank Spear as the president of The Seattle Institute, which was merged with The Scottsdale Center to form Spear Education. He has served as Executive Vice-President since that merger. He teaches in Spear workshops and seminars as well Spear Online. He maintains a limited private practice on the Spear Campus.

Emily Kahnert, DPT, CCTT is a Physical Therapist in the Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD), Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and a Rehabilitation Science PhD Candidate. Her 19 years of clinical practice have been exclusively focused on treating TMD and Orofacial pain in interdisciplinary settings. She earned her Certified Cervical and Temporomandibular Therapist designation through the Physical Therapy Board of Craniofacial and Cervical Therapeutics in 2019 and is part of the TMD PT Clinical Practice Guideline development group. Her dissertation examined telerehabilitation effectiveness for individuals with TMD; her research is supported by the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, the Academy of Orthopaedic PT, the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, and the University of Minnesota Graduate school.

Dr. Howell is a Professor and the Division Head of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota. He is dedicated to developing novel strategies to improve brain functioning through sleep health. He is the Director of the Sleep Performance Training for Athletes Program at H Health Fairview, helping elite athletes and sports teams optimize their performance through better sleep and circadian health. He is also the Vice-Chair for Education and Faculty Affairs in the Department of Neurology.

Dr. Collins received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in 1984 and his Medical Degree from Wayne State University in Detroit in 1988. He started his residency at Letterman Army Hospital in 1999, and completed his Neurology Residency at University of California San Francisco in 1992. After serving as the Chief of Neurology at Darnal Army Community Hospital (Ft. Hood Tx) for 4 years, he started a private practice in North Carolina. He joined the Duke University Faculty in 1998. Over the last 10 years he has grown the Duke Neurology Headache Clinic to a comprehensive service with 3 Physicians, 4 APPs. He started a Headache Fellowship Training program in 2018 which has graduated a headache fellowship trained neurologist every year since.

Dr. Mona Riskalla is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Riskalla has spent most of her 20 year career as a busy clinician caring for children with all types of rheumatic disorders but with special interests in lupus, systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis and uveitis. She serves as Co-Director for the Pediatric Uveitis Program at Minnesota Lions Children’s Eye Clinic. Dr. Riskalla received her MD degree from Michigan State University. She completed her Pediatric residency and her Fellowship in Pediatric Rheumatology at the University of Michigan. Additionally, she has an MS in Biostatistics/Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis from the University of Michigan. She is a fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and an active member of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) and is member of the TMJ and Uveitis work groups within CARRA.

Dr. Glenn Clark is a currently full Professor in the Division of Diagnostic Sciences at the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and Associate Dean of Distance Education and Telehealth. He is Director of the Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine Center, and Director of the Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine 3-year Master’s Degree and Dr. Clark is Co-Director of the 1 year certificate in Orofacial Pain at Trinity College Dublin and a Visiting International Professor at Trinity. Dr. Clark’s academic career began at UCLA and he held various administrative posts including Director of the Clinical Research Center, Director of the Dental Research Institute and Associate Dean of Research. Dr. Clark began his research work focusing on both temporomandibular disorders and trigeminal motor function and dysfunction including bruxism, dystonia, and chronic myofascial pain disorders of the jaw system. In 1986 Dr. Clark’s expanded his research work to include studies on the diagnosis and treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. This work has involved him as Principal Investigator on several National Institute for Dental Research grants. Dr. Clark has written over 225 research articles, review papers, or chapters in textbooks. He has served as editor or co-editor of five books on Temporomandibular Problems and on Diagnostic and Surgical Arthroscopy. His most recent book is title Orofacial Pain: A guide to medications and management and is published by Wiley-Blackwell Inc. He has been granted membership as a Diplomat of the American Board of Orofacial Pain; he was voted alumnus of the Year of the UCLA School of Dentistry (1990). Dr. Clark was given the Pierre Robin Award for Academic Excellence (2001) by the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and in 2004 he was awarded honorary fellowship in the American Academy of Oral Medicine. In 2005 he was given a lifetime achievement award by the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. Finally, he was given the USC Mentoring Award by the University Provost in 2018.

Dr. Boggero is the Director of Psychological Services and Director of Research at the University of Kentucky Orofacial Pain Clinic. He also has joint appointments in Anesthesiology and in Psychology. He completed his undergraduate education at UCLA and obtained his Ph. D. in clinical psychology from the University of Kentucky, with a graduate certificate in biostatistics. After his Ph.D. he completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center where he worked with children and families with chronic pain. His research interests are in developing brief psychological interventions for improving pain, sleep, and fatigue in patients with chronic pain. His work has been funded by the NIH and the American Psychological Association among other organizations. He has over 100 publications or poster presentations, and has been invited to give talks across the country and the world on psychological management of chronic orofacial pain. He is currently working on an NIDCR K23 award which aims to develop a brief telehealth treatment for patient with chronic masticatory muscle pain.  In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, playing soccer, hiking, cooking, and reading. He would love to play you chess online (but he is not very good).