I am a triple board-certified interventional pain management physician based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Beyond clinical practice, I contribute to the field through peer-reviewed publications, society leadership, textbook authorship, clinical teaching, and consensus-guideline work. This page collects that work in one place so patients, referring physicians, journalists, and trainees can verify credentials and review primary sources.

Peer-reviewed publications

I have contributed as a co-author or chapter author on the following peer-reviewed and textbook publications. Every PubMed entry below links to the primary source on the National Library of Medicine.

1. Best Practices and Guidelines for the Interventional Management of Cancer-Associated Pain

Citation: Aman MM, Mahmoud A, Deer T, Sayed D, Hagedorn JM, Brogan SE, Singh JR, Gulati A, Strand N, Weisbein J, Goree JH, Xing F, Valimahomed A, Pak DJ, El Helou A, Ghosh P, Shumsky K, Patel A, Hussain N, Schmidt KW, et al. The American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) Best Practices and Guidelines for the Interventional Management of Cancer-Associated Pain. Journal of Pain Research. 2021 Jul 22;14:2139-2164.

Role: Co-author (consensus task force).
Affiliation listed: AMITA Neurosciences Institute, Comprehensive Pain Management Program at St. Alexius Medical Center, Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Open access: PubMed PMID 34295184
Why it matters: This consensus document defines best-practice interventional approaches to cancer pain – intrathecal drug delivery, neurolytic blocks, neuromodulation, kyphoplasty for vertebral metastases, and palliative interventions – and is referenced by oncology and palliative care teams nationally.

2. Artificial Intelligence and Pain Medicine: An Introduction

Citation: Hagedorn JM, George TK, Aiyer R, Schmidt K, Halamka J, D’Souza RS. Artificial Intelligence and Pain Medicine: An Introduction. Journal of Pain Research. 2024 Feb 8;17:509-518.

Role: Co-author.
Open access: PubMed Central PMC10848920
Why it matters: This article introduces practicing pain physicians to applied artificial intelligence – candidate selection for procedures, outcomes prediction, image analysis, large language model use – and frames the responsible-use questions interventional pain medicine must address as AI integrates into clinical workflows.

3. Book chapters – The Handbook of Neuromodulation

Citation: Schmidt KW, contributing chapter author. The Handbook of Neuromodulation (Nova Science Publishers). Chapters 31, 36, 37, 39, 41, and 42.

Role: Chapter author.
Why it matters: This textbook is one of the comprehensive references in clinical neuromodulation, covering spinal cord stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery, and emerging therapies. Multi-chapter authorship reflects sustained involvement across the discipline rather than a single topic of expertise.

Society leadership

Member, Healthy, Longevity, and Age-Related Pain Committee – American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN)

I currently serve on the ASPN Healthy Longevity & Age-Related Pain Committee. ASPN is one of the leading subspecialty societies for interventional pain physicians, with strong overlap into neuromodulation and consensus-guideline development.

The Healthy Longevity committee’s mandate sits at the intersection of pain medicine and the science of healthspan – how interventional pain care, neuromodulation, and lifestyle medicine can be sequenced to support function and longevity in adults dealing with chronic pain conditions. As a triathlete and longevity-medicine practitioner, this is the area where I focus my society-level work.

Reference: ASPN Committees page

Cancer pain guideline contributions

Beyond co-authoring the 2021 ASPN cancer pain guidelines (above), I incorporate the consensus framework into clinical practice for patients with cancer-related pain. The interventional toolset spans neurolytic celiac plexus block, superior hypogastric block, intrathecal drug delivery for refractory pain, vertebral augmentation for compression fractures from metastasis, and neuromodulation for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Patient-friendly summary of the cancer pain guidelines: What the ASPN cancer pain guidelines mean for you.

Medical director appointments

Medical Director, Neuroscience Institute Pain Program – Ascension Saint Alexius Medical Center

I serve as Medical Director of the Pain Program within the Neuroscience Institute at Ascension Saint Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates. The role involves clinical program oversight, neuromodulation case selection, and cross-specialty coordination with neurosurgery, neurology, oncology, and physiatry.

Provider profile: healthcare.ascension.org

Education and training

  • Pain Medicine Fellowship – Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Rush is one of the established pain medicine fellowships nationally and the longest-tenured ACGME-accredited program in Illinois.
  • Anesthesiology Residency and Chief Residency – Cook County Health and Hospitals System, Chicago, IL. Chief residency reflects elected clinical and academic leadership during anesthesiology training.

Board certifications

  • Diplomate, American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
  • Diplomate, American Board of Anesthesiology in Pain Medicine
  • Diplomate, American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP)

Triple board certification in this combination – anesthesiology base certification plus subspecialty pain medicine plus interventional pain – is uncommon and reflects training in both core anesthetic management and the procedural skill set required for advanced interventional pain procedures.

Teaching, lectures, and clinical training

I am involved in clinical teaching of trainees rotating through the Pain Program at Ascension Saint Alexius and present at industry-sponsored case conferences for spinal cord stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, MILD procedure, and basivertebral nerve ablation (Intracept).

If you are a fellow, resident, or training program coordinator looking for case observation or preceptor opportunities, please use the contact form to inquire about availability.

Public and patient education

I produce short-form patient education content on pain medicine, neuromodulation, and longevity at:

External profiles and citations

For verification or citation:

Press, media, and interview availability

Available for interviews on interventional pain medicine, neuromodulation, MILD procedure for spinal stenosis, basivertebral nerve ablation, cancer pain interventions, CRPS, longevity medicine, and the integration of AI into pain medicine. To request an interview or background source, please use the contact form on this site.

Currently working on

  • ASPN Healthy Longevity Committee deliverable – committee-led consensus statement and patient-facing materials on age-related pain and longevity-supporting interventional pain care.
  • Continued chapter contributions in the neuromodulation literature.
  • Patient-education long-form content on advanced procedures (next: BVA outcome data review, cancer pain interventional decision tree).

Last updated: 2026-05-08. For corrections or to request a citation update, use the contact form.