Cite as: Ip V. Editor’s corner: collaboration makes us stronger. ASRA Pain Medicine News 2023;48. https://doi.org/10.52211/asra110123.002.

It is the exciting time of the year when the ASRA Pain Medicine News community is getting to the final stages of the preparation for the fall meeting in New Orleans this month. If you have not registered, there is still an opportunity to do so (Register Now). If you are pondering whether to attend, please read the ASRA Pain Medicine News article by our fall program chair, Dr. Alexios Carayannopoulos, or the highlights of the program. No doubt you will be convinced that the fall meeting is jam-packed with practical and educational materials that are applicable to a wide range of audience: residents and attendings in both academic centers and private practice, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.

Additional exciting news for ASRA Pain Medicine is, as mentioned in our President’s message, the initiation of collaboration with our sister societies, such as ESRA in Europe as well as LASRA in Latin America, AOSRA-PM in Asia and Oceania, and AFSRA in Africa. Discussion has also begun with the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society Regional Anesthesia Section and the American Society of Anesthesiology. This is very promising as collaboration will only encourage growth and development of our profession as a whole. I believe that through international collaboration, we can learn a great deal from each other and embrace our differences—fulfilling the vision of diversity. Our first article in collaboration with ESRA will be an introductory piece due to be published in the February 2024 edition—so watch this space. The aim is to have the hyperlink to the ESRA Updates (as well as those of other societies) on our website and vice versa, bringing our sister societies closer. This is a big step forward for both ASRA Pain Medicine and ESRA, as well as other sister societies. We welcome any comments and feedback during this journey. 

For this issue of the newsletter, Dr. David Julius, the recipient of the 2023 John J. Bonica Award, shares his ups and downs during his journey to success in an interview piece. He will present the annual lecture on Saturday, November 11, in conjunction with the 22nd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting. This is another reason to attend the meeting!

Additional exciting news for ASRA Pain Medicine is, as mentioned in our President’s message, the initiation of collaboration with our sister societies, such as ESRA in Europe as well as LASRA in Latin America, AOSRA-PM in Asia and Oceania, and AFSRA in Africa.

If you are someone interested in different receptors and transmembrane proteins, this edition is for you, as we have articles on modulation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 for pain control and the implications of the agonists to the Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor on our clinical practice to highlight the usefulness of gastric ultrasound. We also have our popular POCUS Spotlight series, and for this edition, check out our article on Advanced FATE. If you want more hands-on learning experience, then our POCUS courses will be for you. For the trainees amongst us, it is not too early to learn POCUS as outlined in our Part 1 of the learning POCUS article in this edition. In fact, ASRA Pain Medicine has created so many learning opportunities that it has great resources whether you are looking to learn new materials or consolidate existing knowledge. An example would be the upcoming virtual Perioperative and Outpatient Management of Patients with Opioid Use Disorder Symposium, and you will find more details at the end of the article, How I Do It: Discontinuation of Opioid Prescription.

As always, please email me at ASRAeditor@asra.com with your ideas and comments.