Congratulations to Prof. Hegarty (President of WIP and Clinical director of Pain Relief Ireland) on hosting the 7th WIP Symposium, Workshop & Examination held National Taiwan University Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan (January 2025)

His involvement was part of his commitment to improve the educational reach of WIP globally and provide pain physicians with the knowledge and expertise to deliver the best care to patients. Professor Hegarty led a faculty of international and local experts at the three day event with over 100 delegates before being part of the examination board for the fellowship examination where 55 new delegates sat the exams.

“Over the last 7 years, I have had the pleasure of watching the team in Taiwan, develop and expand...

Prof. Hegarty says “Over the last 7 years, I have had the pleasure of watching the team in Taiwan, develop and expand into what is recognised in Asia as an important Symposium, Workshop and Examination site. It has become one of the 4 leading sites globally to teach advanced education in interventional pain management.”

This year's program builds upon that legacy, offering great speakers, key opinion leaders, new initiatives for the Asian community. An innovative aspect to this meeting was Masterclass featuring the latest techniques for alleviating chronic pain and the Inaugural Symposium on Regenerative Medicine & Surgery.

"There has been an 18% increase in the number of examination candidates this year reflecting the increased awareness of the fellowship in the region.

“This event meets the global ambition of WIP which is to equip pain physicians with the knowledge and training to transform their practices and improve patient outcomes” says Prof. Hegarty. There has been an 18% increase in the number of examination candidates this year reflecting the increased awareness of the fellowship in the region. Prof. Hegarty’s ambition is to extend the examinations into the Asia region so that it becomes the accepted accreditation examination.

In his opening address as president, he thanked the local Taiwan committee for their commitment to the WIP Mission. He mentioned several people led by a team of exceptional professionals:
Prof. Chih-Peng Lin (Taiwan), Vice Chair of Organizing Committee
Dr. Chia-Shiang Sean Lin (Taiwan), Coordinator of the CIPS Program
Prof. Ray Wen (Taiwan), Coordinator of the FIPP Workshop
Prof. Monique Steegers (Netherlands), Chair of the Board of Examination with her distinguished Team. Their combined expertise and dedication promise an enriching experience for all participants.
Two Key Leaders who have ensure learning environment for this world-class event Prof. Grace Tai (Taiwan) and the vision & guidance by Prof. R. Lopez (Spain) founder of WIP and past president.

Under Prof. Hegarty’s term as President, he has established 5 annual examination sites (Budapest, Istanbul, Orlando and Taipei) and the next newest site will be in Latin America in 2026. This will allow WIP bring the examination to the doctors who need it in a cost-effective way building a truly a global network.

“We are presently working on transferring part of the examination into a digital format to make it easier for doctors to undertake the theory part virtually....

“We are presently working on transferring part of the examination into a digital format to make it easier for doctors to undertake the theory part virtually. However, as this is a clinical examination the need to assess the interventional skill, and judgement will require onsite cadaver training and examination. Until we have suitable stimulation models it will be necessary to have face to face testing to ensure the skills are kept at the highest levels” according to Prof. Hegarty.

Congratulations again on such a wonderful contribution to global healthcare.