Dr. Jan Van Zundert

ASRA Pain Medicine has selected Jan Van Zundert, MD, PhD, FIPP, to receive the 2024 John J. Bonica Award. The honor recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to the development, teaching, and practice of pain medicine in the tradition of John J. Bonica, MD, the pioneering anesthesiologist regarded as the founding father of pain medicine.

Known for his work in the development and recognition of interventional pain management as a multidisciplinary approach for chronic pain in Belgium and the Netherlands, Dr. Van Zundert will present his lecture, “Less is More”, on Saturday at 1:30 pm PT, during the 23rd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting being held November 21-23, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV.

Dr. Jan Van Zundert has served as the chair of the Multidisciplinary Pain Center at Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg in Genk, Belgium for over 20 years, and as professor of pain medicine at Maastricht University Medical Center in Maastricht, the Netherlands since 2019, in succession of Maarten van Kleef, MD, PhD, FIPP. He also teaches at the University of Hasselt in Belgium.

Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Dr. Van Zundert earned his medical degree at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He received his PhD from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. His doctoral research focused on the use of pulsed radiofrequency in the treatment of chronic pain​. He performed his pain fellowship at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands and was also a visiting fellow in interventional pain therapy at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Van Zundert has made significant contributions to scientific literature and education in pain management. He has mentored ten PhD students. He is involved in several professional organizations and regularly speaks at international conferences. He is an associate editor for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. His work has been extensively published, with over 150 peer-reviewed papers and numerous book chapters.

John J. Bonica championed the collaboration of specialists from multiple disciplines in the evaluation and treatment of patients with pain. He wrote the first comprehensive textbook devoted to pain management, mentored clinicians and colleagues, and started the International Association for the Study of Pain. Nominees for this award embody the ideals of Dr. Bonica and his passion for pain medicine as manifested through their contributions by way of research, teaching, and clinical practice.