Special Symposium:
Advancing Practice Across the Military and VA Health Systems
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | JW Marriott Tampa Water Street
Faculty
Aditya Arya, FNP-BC, is nationally recognized for advancing pain care and opioid safety for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Administration through forward-leaning, data-grounded systems leadership. As associate director for Pain Care Integration within VA’s Office of Pain Management, Opioid Safety, Prescription Drug Monitoring (PMOP) program, Aditya shapes enterprise strategies that strengthen evidence-informed, interdisciplinary pain care across 139 VA medical facilities.
Timothy J. Atkinson, PharmD, is the acting associate director of Opioid Safety for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Pain Management, Opioid Safety, Prescription Drug Monitoring (PMOP) program. Dr. Atkinson previously served as the national pain/opioid pharmacy program specialist for PMOP where he contributed to policy and guidance documents on opioid- and pain-related issues. Prior to working with PMOP, he served as a clinical pharmacy practitioner, Pain Management, and director, PGY2 Pain Management & Palliative Care Residency Program at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in Nashville, TN. Dr. Atkinson represents pain on the VA Pharmacy Residency Advisory Board.
Melissa Echevarria Baez, PsyD,is a licensed clinical psychologist and national health care leader specializing in chronic pain management and telehealth innovation. She serves as the national telehealth program manager for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, advancing access to high-quality care for Veterans.
Harold Gelfand, MD, is executive director and principal investigator of the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management within the Department of Anesthesiology at the Uniformed Services University. A captain in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, Dr. Gelfand has served as director of the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship since 2017 and previously served as director of Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His work includes research and education focused on pain management in military and veteran populations.
Jennifer Lee, MD, is pain medicine section director at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System and an associate professor at the University of Washington. She is board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine and completed her pain medicine fellowship at the University of Washington. Dr. Lee provides comprehensive pain management for Veterans and contributes to the education and training of pain medicine fellows.
C. Ryan Phillips, MD, MBA, is a captain in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps and serves as chief medical officer for Naval Medical Forces Pacific and the Navy’s Pain Specialty Leader. He is also an associate professor of anesthesiology at the Uniformed Services University. Dr. Phillips has served as a Navy physician for more than 20 years in roles including flight surgeon, anesthesiologist, and pain medicine physician, with assignments across the United States and in Japan and Afghanistan, as well as aboard an aircraft carrier. He earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Asbury University and attended the University of Kentucky College of Medicine through the Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program.
Mazhar Rasul, MD, is section chief of Pain Management at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky. He is board-certified in anesthesiology and holds triple board certification in pain management. His clinical interests include minimally invasive spine (MIS) procedures, regenerative medicine, and other advanced interventional treatments for chronic pain. Dr. Rasul has contributed to clinical research, medical education, and innovation in pain medicine. A dedicated educator, he mentors residents, fellows, and colleagues.
David E. Reece, DO, is director of Interventional Pain Medicine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and an interventional spine and pain physiatrist. A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, Dr. Reece is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, with subspecialty certification in pain medicine. He completed his residency at Walter Reed and an interventional pain medicine fellowship spanning Walter Reed, Johns Hopkins, and the National Institutes of Health. His clinical interests include interventional pain medicine, neuromodulation, and the treatment of complex peripheral nerve and musculoskeletal conditions.
Stephen Rodriguez, MD, is an active-duty U.S. Navy pain physician and associate chief of pain medicine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Rodriguez is board-certified in psychiatry, pain medicine, and addiction medicine. His clinical and research interests include the use of stellate ganglion blocks to treat refractory post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans.
Friedhelm Sandbrink, MD, is a clinical associate professor of neurology and rehabilitation medicine at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and a clinical associate professor of neurology at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. He is chief of pain medicine at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center and executive director of the National Pain Management, Opioid Safety and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in the Veterans Health Administration.
Radinka Samardzic, PhD, is a pain psychologist with the Pain Medicine Service at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Northeast Ohio Healthcare System. She is actively involved in the Office of Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and Prescription Drug Monitoring TelePain for Evaluation of Neuromodulation Treatment (TENT) program, specializing in behavioral treatments for chronic pain and psychological assessments for neuromodulation. Her research interests focus on refining neuromodulation candidate selection and improving patient outcomes.
Elias Veizi, MD, PhD, is a pain medicine physician and chief of the Pain Medicine Service Line at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Northeast Ohio Healthcare System. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and an investigator with the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center. Dr. Veizi’s clinical and research interests include chronic and neuropathic pain, spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery, and the development of neuromodulation technologies to improve outcomes for Veterans with intractable pain.
Jody Young, MD, is chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation for the Canadian Armed Forces. She completed training in family medicine before specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation and interventional musculoskeletal pain medicine at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Young has served with the Canadian Armed Forces in clinical and deployed settings and has completed advanced dive and flight surgeon training. Her clinical interests include musculoskeletal conditions, rehabilitation, interventional musculoskeletal medicine, and chronic pain.