EXECUTIVE BOARD
Dr. Peter Staats, MD, MBA
President, Founder and Co-Chair
Dr. Staats was founder of the Division of Pain Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he was the director for 10 years. Dr. Staats is internationally recognized for his work in inventing, developing, and implementing minimally invasive procedures for pain and neuromodulation.
He is President and chair of the vagus nerve society and is past President of the World Institute of Pain, North American Neuromodulation Society, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, and the Southern Pain Society.
Dr. Staats has written or co-edited 14 books, well over 500 articles, abstracts, monographs, and book chapters on pain medicine. His work has been highlighted on multiple national media outlets. Dr. Staats has received numerous awards including the lifetime achievement awards from the New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia branches of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, from American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), the North American Neuromodulation society (NANS) and the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), the trailblazer award from the World Institute of Pain, and the Legacy Award from the Napa pain conference.
Dr. Mark Tager, MD
Vice President, Founder and Co-Chair
Dr. Tager is known for the synergistic and entertaining approach he takes to educating and training his colleagues and consumers. He has trained hundreds of healthcare practitioners to improve their in-person and on camera skills. Clinically, he is most passionate about complementary treatment for chronic conditions, with personalized nutrition as one of the foundations for integrative care. He has served as the founding Vice President of Marketing for Reliant Technologies, where he launched the Fraxel® laser and has also served as Chief Marketing Officer for Syneron. Along with Dr. Peter Staats, he co-founded The Vagus Nerve Society. Most recently, Dr. Tager created the 40-hour CME course on Personalized Nutrition for Practitioners on behalf of The American Nutrition Association. He is on the faculty of Duke Integrative Medicine. His most recent book is Feed Your Skin Right: Your Personalized Nutrition Plan for Radiant Beauty. He did his medical training at Duke Medical School and Family Practice at the University of Oregon. He lives outside San Diego where he grows impressive tomatoes.
Robert Levy, MD, PhD
Secretary
Robert M. Levy, M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon, and currently holds the position of Editor-in-Chief of Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. He earned his medical degree and Ph.D. in neurosciences from Stanford University and the Stanford University Medical School, and has performed post-doctoral fellowships at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco. He has authored several textbooks and his current research involves novel applications of neurostimulation and targeted drug delivery to the brain.
Sean Li, MD
Treasurer
Sean Li, M.D. specializes in interventional pain management. His clinical interest is in neuromodulation therapy such as spinal cord stimulation, high-frequency stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation.
Prior to joining National Spine & Pain Centers, Dr. Li served as the medical director of Premier Pain Centers LLC. In addition to his work at National Spine & Pain Centers, Dr. Li continues to serve as an attending physician at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ. He has published numerous professional articles and written textbook chapters on the topic of pain and is actively involved in clinical research that will help advance the field of interventional pain medicine.
Dr. Li serves on the Ethics Committee at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, the Education Committee and Young Neuromodulators Committee at the International Neuromodulation Committee, on the Mentoring Committee for the North American Neuromodulation Society, and is secretary of the New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.
Dr. Li earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and underwent residency training in general surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and later in anesthesiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He completed his fellowship in interventional pain medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Dr. Anna Woodbury, MD, MSCR, C.Ac
Director at Large
Anna Woodbury, MD, MSCR, C.Ac currently serves as the Associate Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Anesthesiology at Emory University. She is double-board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and licensed to practice Acupuncture. She is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at Emory University School of Medicine and active in research at both Emory and VAHCS. She has been a member of the national Committee on Pain Medicine for the American Society of Anesthesiologists and has served on institutional and federal grant review committees including NIH and VA study sections. She has presented nationally and written book chapters, articles and clinical reviews on integrative medicine and neuromodulation, including applications for chronic pain management, anesthesia and neuroprotection. She has also edited a Pain Management Board Review book. Her clinical expertise and research interests include the use of nonpharmacologic therapies for the management of pain, and she has a specific interest in understanding and treating myofascial pain syndromes.
Dr. Linda Anh Nguyen, MD, FACG, AGAF
Director at Large
Dr. Linda Nguyen is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Vice Chief of Clinical Operations in the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Stanford University. She completed medical school at UCLA School of Medicine and GI fellowship training at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, CA.
Her clinical and research interests include GI motility disorders and disorders of gut brain interaction, with an emphasis on gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia and chronic abdominal pain. She was a recipient of the “Master Clinician Award” for the Stanford Department of Medicine. Her current research includes identifying biomarkers to better diagnose motility disorders, understanding the role/impact of physiologic testing on clinical care and exploring novel therapies for treatment of motility disorders. She is especially interested in developing cross disciplinary collaborations to expand the role of bioelectric medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic digestive disorders. She is also passionate about quality of life, professional development and physician wellness.
Dr. Navaz Habib
Director at Large
Dr. Navaz Habib, is the author of ‘Activate Your Vagus Nerve’ and host of ‘The Health Upgrade Podcast’. Dr. Habib graduated as class valedictorian from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 2010 and went on to practice traditional chiropractic for years, until he utilized the power of functional medicine to transform his own health. He is the founder of ‘Health Upgraded’ an online functional health consulting clinic, supporting optimal health by elevating the awareness and function of the Vagus nerve.
