Dr. Irfan Suleman and the pediatric pain team at the Kennedy Krieger Institute will lead the 3rd Annual Management of Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents conference on Saturday, November 6, 2021. This single-day conference features keynote speakers as well as faculty and staff from Johns Hopkins and Kennedy Krieger institute. It will focus on the importance of avoiding opioid medications for long-term management of chronic pediatric pain. The conference will present state-of-the-science information on medical aspects of chronic pediatric pain treatment, including multimodal, multidisciplinary, and rehabilitation-focused interventions and management approaches. Emphasis will be placed on early diagnosis and appropriate intervention modalities, including non-opioid medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for individuals and families, as well as social work and psychiatric interventions. Speakers will present information and recommendations concerning the functional, psychological, educational, social, and comorbid mental health aspects of pediatric chronic pain. In addition to scheduled lectures, a multidisciplinary panel discussion will be held at the end of the conference. The conference is aimed at outreach and continuing education of community medical and allied health care providers, including physicians, psychiatrists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, school nurses, coaches, and any other professionals who may encounter youth with pain conditions during their daily practice. The overarching goal is to disseminate information that will lead to appropriate management, early intervention, and referral of children and adolescents with chronic pain to help decrease the chances of opioid misuse, dependence, and addiction consistent with state and national initiatives to combat what has been referred to as the opioid epidemic and related morbidity/mortality from opioid abuse.

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