IAPCD - International Association for Pain and Chemical Dependency

Membership
Member Profile
Benefits of Membership
Member Dues
Membership Application
General Assembly of Member Minutes
Corporate Membership

Membership

The IAPCD is a growing association of health care professionals, scientists, policy makers and members of the legal and regulatory community who have an interest in promoting the appropriate use of pain management techniques and medications, with the ultimate goal of providing analgesia to patients with chronic pain and improving patient outcomes. The IAPCD is currently recruiting health care professionals and other professionals who wish to be a part of this international community, and who are interested in assisting the current membership in growing an organization that is internationally recognized as the voice of the interface of pain and chemical dependency and of the appropriate use of opioids. It is the goal of the IAPCD to provide members with resources, tools and networks that will promote active communication among members, and support the ongoing needs of health care professionals in the field of chronic pain management. As the only truly international association devoted to forwarding patient care at the interface of pain and chemical dependency, the IAPCD will have a significant impact on how patients with chronic pain, chemical dependency, or the complex challenges of both, will be treated and managed in the coming decades.

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Member Profile

Current membership of IAPCD is 567 members from the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Israel. The most recent profile of IAPCD members was completed in June 2007, with more than 425 new members reporting. Analysis of the profile shows that the majority of the members are:

• Clinically focused
• Work in a specialized treatment center or hospital
• Are either a physician or another health care professional

Click here to view member profile pie charts.

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Benefits of Membership

• Access to members section of the IAPCD website
• Access to the IAPCD online membership directory – members can opt in or out
• Participation in an online discussion forum, to facilitate direct communication among colleagues with similar professional interests - coming soon
• An electronic member newsletter designed to rapidly communicate association and industry news and information
• Reduced registration fees for future ICPCD conferences
• Opportunities to volunteer and to be involved in the development of an organization that will have a significant impact on the fields of pain and chemical dependency in the years to come

Complimentary Membership for Non-Member Registrants of ICPCD
One of the goals of the IAPCD is to extend the important work of its annual meeting, the ICPCD throughout the year. In 2007 the Board of Directors determined that:

• Active members will receive a discounted registration fee for the ICPCD, and
• Non-members would be charged a premium equal to the amount of dues they would pay, and registration would include membership for one year

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Member Dues

*As defined by the United Nations classification

Click here to complete the online IAPCD Membership Application

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General Assembly of Member Minutes

Minutes of the First General Meeting
of the International Association for Pain and Chemical Dependency
Friday, June 22, 2007 at 5 PM - 7 PM
Sheraton Hotel, Manhattan, New York

Dr. Ian Buttfield, chairman of the International Association for Pain and Chemical Dependency, called the meeting of approximately 75 participants to order. He briefly addressed the history of the organization, which was originally founded as an extension of the successful International Conference on Pain and Chemical Dependency. The association was established just 1.5 years ago, and this meeting was the first opportunity for the current Board of Directors and members to meet face-to-face while attending the 7th International Conference on Pain and Chemical Dependency.

Dr. Buttfield introduced the members of the Board of Directors to the attendees.
Ian H. Buttfield, MBBS, MD, Chairperson
Joyce H. Lowinson, MD, Deputy Chairperson
Douglas L. Gourlay, MD, MSc, FRCP
Howard A. Heit, MD, FACP, FASAM
Herman Joseph, PhD
Icro Maremmani, MD
Steven D. Passik, PhD
Russell K. Portenoy, MD
M. R. Rajagopal, MBBS, MD
Seddon R. Savage, MD

The meeting began with a report of decisions made by the Board of Directors and activities from its first full meeting the previous afternoon, June 21. The Board announced the following:

• Since the conference and the association are linked by mission, and because building the community of members engaged in these matters is of utmost importance, all attendees paying for full registration at the ICPCD would be offered complimentary membership in the IAPCD for 12 months.
• Future ICPCD meetings would be affordably priced with discounts for members and fees for non-members that include a premium equal to the amount of dues, making it advantageous to all to become members.
• The Board agreed to make the ICPCD the association's premier annual event, with the next meeting, and subsequent meetings, to be held in October or November, at a time with minimal conflicts with other pain or addiction conferences, in affordable, accessible locations.
• The Board agreed to set up several working committees to advance the work of the association in the following areas - Membership, the Annual ICPCD Program, Communications, Website, and Finance.
• The Executive Committee of the Board will continue to formalize policies and procedures designed to support the goals of the association and the work of the Board on behalf of the interests of members.
• Based on its successful management of the ICPCD and its ongoing executive administrative support of the association, the MediCom Education Group of Companies (ROI Media Group, Corona Productions, and MediCom Worldwide) was asked to continue to provide management and executive administrative support services to the meeting and the organization for 2008 and 2009.

Dr. Buttfield led a general discussion about what members needed to support their professional development and improve treatment outcomes in managing chronic pain and how the association could help. Comments included the following list. It was agreed at the conclusion of the discussion that a member survey would be conducted to assist in focusing association efforts.

• There is a need for support for the multidisciplinary health and non-health care professionals performing a difficult and controversial job.
• There is a need for improved access to the international community of practitioners and enhanced networking communication vehicles. The Board of Directors agreed on prioritizing the E-bulletin, the newsletter, and a new website, to be developed as soon as possible.
• It was made clear that the timing of conferences needs to be annually and not held in June which is the peak of the conference season in the United States of America. The next conference is anticipated to be in the Northeast corridor of the US in the fall of 2008, and annually thereafter.
• International attendee/members expressed the need to have more international communications, representation, and participation.
• Discussion was centered on the need for research and the possible development of a publication to communicate practice impacting innovation and evidence.

Dr. Buttfield stressed the importance of being a member driven organization and encouraged all in attendance to send their suggestions or volunteer their services to him personally at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . He further announced that there would be a strategic plan developed over the next year.

Dr. Russell Portenoy spoke briefly about the extremely positive reaction of attendees to the 7th ICPCD, which he chaired. Special note was made of the high caliber of presenters, the multidisciplinary perspectives addressed, and the ongoing need to provide practical support to clinical challenges that are rooted in the latest scientific knowledge. Dr. Portenoy, who agreed at the board meeting to lead the development of the 8th ICPCD in 2008, emphasized the importance of having the next conference continue to evolve in the tradition of excellence, balancing the best science known with the best practices proven at the interface of pain and chemical dependence.

Meeting attendees expressed their general support of the concept of the IAPCD and the work of the Board of Directors to date. Dr. Buttfield committed the organization to the provision of a steady stream of relevant and timely information to the membership in the upcoming year.

There was a motion from the membership that those in attendance at the general meeting supported the re-election of the current Board of Directors for the next 12 months, or until the next ICPCD. During that period, the Board of Directors will develop a plan for both leadership transition and continuity, including a process for election by the general membership.

The meeting was adjourned at 7 PM.
Minutes recorded by Kathleen Strauser, Vice President, MediCom Education Group
Accepted by the Board of Directors (July 2007)
Reported to Members (July 2007)

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Corporate Membership

In the worldwide community of pain and addiction organizations, there are only a few associations that offer corporate memberships. But the Board of Directors of IAPCD recognizes that meeting the mission of the association requires not only a multidisciplinary and multinational approach; it requires the perspectives of a diverse range of organizations - care providers, government agencies, academic institutions, and product manufacturers.

While corporate memberships in many other organizations are quite expensive, IAPCD has set the dues structure at $3,500 per company, a level that is affordable to both large and small companies. As with individual membership, there are distinct benefits that accrue to IAPCD corporate members.

• One seat on a corporate face-to-face meeting with the Board of Directors at the annual ICPCD to discuss matters of common interest to IAPCD and industry
• Recognition in a "corporate member" section of the monthly e-newsletter to members
• Recognition on the IAPCD website in a "corporate member" section that will include a 50-word description, a corporate logo, a link to the corporate website, and a listing of corporate address, phone, email
• Right of first refusal for symposia and exhibit space at the ICPCD and a $500 discount on one 10 x 10 booth space
• One complimentary registration for an employee at the ICPCD

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