Board of Directors
The "Canadian Academy of Pain Management" has been incorporated as a non-profit organization within Canada. The Letters Patent are on file in the administrative headquarters of the Canadian Academy of Pain Management.
CAPM is organized with a Board of Directors from which is chosen a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and other Officers, together acting as the executive of the Canadian Academy of Pain Management.
President - Lydia Hatcher, MD, CCFP, FCFP, CHE, D-CAPM
Dr. Hatcher graduated with her MD in 1982 from Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 1984, she received certification with the College of Family Physicians of Canada and in 1994, was certified with the Canadian College of Health Service Executives. In 2016 she became a Diplomate with the Canadian Academy of Pain Management. In 1998, Dr. Hatcher received the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s annual Mental Health Awareness Award. In 2001, the College of Family Physicians of Canada awarded her a fellowship.
Dr. Hatcher has been doing pain management for over 25 years. Her focus is on a bio-psycho-social approach to pain management. Dr. Hatcher is a medical inspector for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. She chairs a subcommittee for the National Opioid Use Guideline Group and was on the expert panel for the 2017 Canadian Opioid Guideline. She is a member of the Canadian Pain Society and the International Association for the Study of Pain. Dr. Hatcher is an Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at McMaster University.
Past President/Chair - Credentialing - Eldon Tunks, MD FRCP(C)
Graduated Toronto Faculty of Medicine 1969. Internship St. Joseph’s Hospital Hamilton 1969-1970
Residency Department of Psychiatry McMaster 1970-1974 – graduated FRCP(C). Academic appointment McMaster University 1974-2000. Academic Appointment since 2000-: Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, McMaster University.
Teaching Undergraduate Medical Students and Postgraduate Residents (McMaster Medical School).
Teaching CMCC Residents since 1997.
During 1973 headed up a group of faculty (Anesthesiology, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) to develop a multidisciplinary pain clinic at McMaster Medical Center (physiatrists, anesthetists, neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon, gynecologist, physiotherapists, occupational therapist, social worker, psychiatrist).
Director of Pain Clinic at McMaster Division from 1976 to 1979, then directed the Pain Program at Chedoke Division 1979 until 2000 and continued Pain Medicine Consultant role PM&R Department, Rehabilitation Center, to present.
Clinical activity includes pain management/pain relief with spinal cord injury, stroke, amputees, back and neck trauma, myalgias, neuralgias, headaches, central sensitization, arthritis, complex pain syndromes.
Present Clinical Appointment: Consultant in Pain Management and in Psychiatry, Regional Rehabilitation Center, Hamilton General Hospital/Hamilton Health Sciences Corp.
Publications: books, chapters, journal articles in epidemiology of pain, psychological and psychiatric and psychotherapy issues in pain, fibromyalgia and myofascial pain, chronic pain management, evidence based chronic pain management, pain management guidelines.
Past President of Canadian Academy of Pain Management.
Recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award, by Canadian Pain Society, June 2006
Recipient of Outstanding Leadership Award, by M.G. de Groote Pain Clinic /Hamilton Health Sciences / McMaster University, November 2013
Recipient of Patients’ Choice Award, by Patients Canada/St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton/Ontario Medical Association, January 17 2014
Recipient of Jane Gillett Award of Excellence in Teaching, McMaster U Div. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, June 19 2019
Vice-Chair, Associate Newsletter Editor - Dr. Eleni Hapidou, PhD, C. Psych
Dr. Hapidou received her Doctorate in Psychology from McMaster University in 1989. She completed three post-docs: a) University of Western Ontario (with a fellowship from the Arthritis Society) (1988-1991), University of Waterloo (Research Scientist, 1991-1992), and c) McMaster University – Chedoke McMaster Hospitals (Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology Residency, 1992-1993) before becoming a Registered Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario in 1993. Dr. Hapidou has been a psychologist with the Interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Management Program of Hamilton Health Sciences since 1992 (now, the Michael G DeGroote Pan Clinic). She has trained several psychologists, residents, and students in the field. She has also been a Faculty member in Psychiatry, Psychology, Bachelor of Health Sciences Program, and Clinical Behavioral Sciences for almost 30 years. She has served two terms as a) the Psychology Practice Leader and b) Chief of Psychology at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). She has also served two terms on the New Investigator Fund and Early Career Awards Committees at HHS. Dr. Hapidou has founded the Yoga classes at the Interdisciplinary Pain Program and has been serving as the Yoga Instructor since 2009. She is currently a psychologist at the Michael G DeGroote Pain Clinic, and an executive member of the Michael G DeGroote Pain Institute for Research and Care. She has her own research program in program evaluation, and is involved in many research projects, has presented nationally and internationally, and has published extensively. She has also developed psychometric instruments to measure pain satisfaction, and goal accomplishment, and has validated several measures for use in research with patients with chronic pain. She is a reviewer for several pain journals such as the Journal of Pain (editorial board) and the Clinical Journal of Pain. She is also a Diplomate of the Canadian Academy of Pain Management (Vice President) and has been teaching credentialing courses for an interdisciplinary group of clinicians for over 10 years.
Secretary - Dr. Lisa Goldstein, BSW, MD, CCFP, FCFP, D-CAPM
Dr. Lisa Goldstein practices in Pain Medicine and Psychiatry and is currently providing virtual care for her patients during the Covid 19 restrictions.
Prior to Covid 19, Lisa Goldstein was dividing her time volunteering abroad with a “first responder" trauma care organization. Lisa was involved in direct care provision as well as guideline development for the provision of care and support to providers suffering from post - event pain, whether physical or psychological, and she is hopeful to be able to continue this important work.
Treasurer - Michael A. Boucher - BKin, MD, CCFP, MCIME
Assistant Clinical Professor, McMaster University
I am a duly qualified physician licensed to practice in Ontario, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. I have been in active practice since 2003. I obtained both a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree and a Doctor of Medicine degree from McMaster University. I then completed two years of residency training in Orthopaedic Surgery followed by a postgraduate program in family medicine. I have been affiliated with McMaster University as an Assistant Clinical Professor.
I am experienced in the management of poly-trauma, having previously been employed as a Trauma Team Leader at the Hamilton General Hospital for over seven years. I have previously practiced general emergency medicine in a variety of tertiary care and rural hospitals in Ontario. I am the Medical Director of Burlington Pain Care, a Level II OHP Facility, where I coordinate the efforts of a multidisciplinary team in the treatment of chronic pain. My current research interests surround the role of Ketamine in chronic pain management.
The Canadian Academy of Pain Management has granted me Diplomate status with credentialing in Interventional Chronic Pain Medicine; I now serve on the board of directors.
I have completed numerous defence and plaintiff Medical Legal Examinations within my field of expertise. I am certified in the use of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Editions of the “AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment” and have been granted the prestigious Master Certified Independent Medical Examiner qualification by the ABIME.
I was previously engaged as an Infantry Officer, and subsequently as a Medical Officer with the Canadian Forces for 17 years. I have extensive experience managing patients in the pre-hospital environment, in a general emergency hospital setting and as a Trauma Team Leader in a Level I Trauma Facility, and now manage the long-term impact of injury in its chronic form.
Board Members
Newsletter Editor / Membership - Martha Bauer, BSc, OT
Martha Bauer began her Occupational Therapy practice in pain management in 1991 at Chedoke Pain Management program 1991-2000 and the Ennis Pain Centre 2000- 2018. Martha worked for employers, insurers, lawyers and now works at the McMaster Family Practice for the past 10 years and runs a function focused pain management group in that setting. Martha has been involved in research and program evaluation about this program and has presented at the AFHTO conference regarding the pain management program at MFP. Martha has taught in the McMaster School of Rehabilitation Sciences programs for both Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy students regarding the role of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary rehabilitation in chronic pain management. Martha has presented on the role of occupational therapy and activity engagement and the Ontario Pain Network. Martha was the President -Elect of the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists 2018-2019 and is now President 2019-2021. Martha has been with CAPM and on the Board for 10 years and is involved in facilitating the CAPM Credentialing Course. Martha is currently the Editor of the CAPM Newsletter and looks forward to continuing to use the Newsletter to both present relevant information about multidisciplinary pain management as well as receiving input about accomplishments and topics of interest from the members.
Membership - ALI FATEH, HBSc, MD
Dr. Fateh is a graduate from McMaster University where he completed his Specialty Training in the Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program. He has a keen interest in the field of Pain Medicine with special focus into Musculoskeletal pain, Headaches, Chronic pain management and Image-guided interventional procedures . He has worked extensively with Dr. Eldon Tunks in the field of Chronic Pain management consecutively throughout the course of his residency. Dr. Fateh believes assessment of pain should revolve more around functional capability rather than a numeric rating scale. As a Physiatrist he looks at the world of pain through a lens of functionality.
Membership - GARRY PALAK, MD, BCH, BAO, FRCPC
Garry Palak is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and duly licensed to practice Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine in the Provinces of British Columbia. After his primary residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation he completed a second Royal College sub-specialty residency in Pain Medicine. He is presently a Consultant Specialist and Co-Owner of the Initium Centre for Pain Medicine in the Fraser Valley and at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia. He is the Medical Lead for Rehabilitation Services in the Northern Health Authority. His current practice in physiatry and pain medicine is broad based where areas of interest include musculoskeletal medicine, axial spine pain, spasticity management, PRP, and interventional procedures. He is involved in teaching medical students, residents, fellows, staff physicians and parahealth professionals.
Membership - Chris Giorshev, MD, MBA
Dr. Giorshev is a licensed physician in the province of Ontario. He has a change of scope in both interventional chronic pain and addiction medicine with the CPSO (College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario). He has been practicing addiction medicine since 2012 and interventional pain management since 2007.
He is a Diplomate with the Canadian Academy of Pain Management (CAPM) and was a Diplomate with the American Academy of Pain Management. Both of these organizations emphasize educational efforts to improve physicians’ care.
Dr. Giorshev was a part of the CPSO Interventional Pain Working Group. This committee applied the Out-of-Hospital Standards in Interventional Pain Premises to the Out-of-Hospital Premises (OHP) Inspection Program.
As a member of the Clinical Expert Advisory Committee of the 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain, he helped to establish a framework by which physicians prescribe opioids in Canada.
He was an assessor with the CPSO and assessed many practices as they relate to chronic pain and addictions.
He has been a member of the executive of the Ontario Medical Association Section on Chronic Pain since 2010 and is currently the past chair of the section. The scope as chair involves negotiations with the MOH and working with the CPSO on the standards of care for chronic pain management in the province.
He was included on the advisory committee on the chronic pain quality standard for the province. The goals include to establish ideal standards for the treatment of chronic pain patients in Ontario.
Honorary Members
Ruth Dubin, MD, PhD, FCFP
Physician, Project Echo Ontario
Harold Merskey, DM, FRCP, FRCPC, FRCPsych
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario
Barry J. Sessle, MDS, PhD, FRSC
Professor and Canada Research Chair, University of Toronto