Cite as: Narouze S. President's message: one year later, how has our rebranding initiative been going?. ASRA Pain Medicine News 2022;47. https://doi.org/10.52211/asra110122.040 

A year has passed since we announced our rebranding to ASRA Pain Medicine, supporting healthcare professionals who care for patients across the pain continuum from acute to chronic and everything in between. I will repeat what I’ve said before – the rebranding is more than just a new name and logo, it is a process of reigniting our commitment to the entire field of pain medicine. That process is not done – in fact, it has just begun.

One of the key goals of the rebranding initiative has been to recognize and build upon our history and tradition of representing the regional anesthesia and acute pain field while also extending our reach further into the chronic pain side, positioning ASRA Pain Medicine as the expert on evidence-based practice standards. We are embracing multiple disciplines because we know that working together with physical medicine, neurology, and psychology allows us to build care plans that benefit the whole patient. These goals will continue to be foremost in our strategic plans and will take time to truly be realized. But our vision – to relieve the global burden of pain – remains clear.

When you join or renew your membership in ASRA Pain Medicine, you are asked to indicate your specialty area. Over the past few years, the number of people selecting both acute and chronic pain medicine continues to increase. We recognize that not all of these members necessarily practice in both of these areas, but they still want to be informed on the latest evidence across the spectrum because understanding the science and evidence associated with treatments throughout the pain continuum helps each of us provide better care at our stage in the process.

When I hear criticisms that ASRA Pain Medicine offers too many resources exclusively for chronic pain medicine specialists, I balance that with those who say that we focus too much on regional anesthesiology. What we all need to understand is that these roles are intrinsically intertwined. We should not view our work like an assembly line, performing our specific tasks and then moving the patient on to the next specialist. This is what our founding fathers and predecessors recognized when they expanded the society to include “pain medicine” back in the 1990s. More than 30 years later, we continue to fight the perception of pain doctors only performing specific procedures. And this is where ASRA Pain Medicine’s value lies – we look at what the science says – we strive to understand the full landscape – and we work together for a better future based on evidence, standards, and diverse perspectives.

As a Society, ASRA Pain Medicine continues to grow while other societies may struggle through dwindling support and fickle memberships. ASRA Pain Medicine now has a seat at the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates, we are asked to provide expert opinions on regulatory matters, and our in-person meetings have rebounded from the pandemic and are better than ever – evidenced in part by the 20% increase in abstract submission to the 21st Annual Pain Medicine Meeting, compared to pre-COVID meetings.

As the year draws to a close, ASRA Pain Medicine is gearing up for an even better 2023 with a full line-up of exciting educational programming including a special tribute to 100 years of regional anesthesia at our 48^th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting being held April 20-22, 2023, in Hollywood, FL. You’ll hear more about this event very soon, and, in the meantime, check out interviews with past Gaston Labat Award Recipients and past ASRA Pain Medicine presidents.

Next year holds much promise as our commitment to research, education, and advocacy – our commitment to you – never wavers. Be sure to check out our upcoming events including our weekend courses, covering ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia, musculoskeletal and pain medicine, and point-of-care ultrasound (now with an advanced-level course), plus monthly “Hot Topics” webinars, a full-day Chronic Postoperative Pain Virtual Symposium, and our popular 22^nd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting planned for November 10-12, 2023, in New Orleans, LA. There’s something for everyone who practices across the entire pain continuum. We look forward to learning and collaborating together for an even brighter future.