World Academy of Pain Medicine United

What World Academy of Pain Medicine United does

World Academy of Pain Medicine United (WAPMU) is a Delaware-incorporated non-profit educational organization founded on March 11, 2015, and operationally headquartered in North Reading, Massachusetts. Its mission is to advance evidence-based interventional techniques for acute and chronic pain conditions through multidisciplinary education, research, innovation, and advocacy. The organization is governed by an Executive Board and Board of Directors, with founding members — Scot H. Sarver (Executive Director), Amitabh Gulati, MD (President, Memorial Sloan Kettering), Einar Ottestad, MD (Past President, Stanford), and Michael Gofeld, MD, PhD (Director Emeritus) — holding lifetime positions under its amended bylaws.

WAPMU's core offering is a portfolio of CME-accredited courses and live procedural training in interventional pain medicine. Signature programs include the Interventional Ultrasonography Workshop ("Ultrasound Underground"), Foundations of Interventional Fluoroscopy, Pain-Based Neuromodulation (peripheral nerve stimulation and spinal cord stimulation), Cutting-Edge Minimally Invasive Spine Procedures, and Regenerative Medicine / Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography. Curriculum is delivered through cadaveric labs, live models, phantom-based needle-guidance systems, and didactic lectures, with separate tracks for Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) and Young Physicians. Annual events rotate across US cities — Clearwater Beach FL, Chicago IL, Miami FL, New York NY, Rosemont IL, and Redwood City CA — and include a flagship annual Interventional Pain Symposium (now in its 17th year as of 2026), the 2026 Spring Meeting with parallel Interventional Pain and Master's in Ultrasound tracks, and the newly launched 1st Annual West Coast Pain Symposium.

WAPMU monetizes through tiered annual memberships — $89 standard, $65 Advanced Practice Provider, $50 Resident/Fellow — and per-event registration fees for workshops and conferences. Members receive free workshop lectures, video tutorials, interactive faculty blog access, live case instruction, and forthcoming product releases. The organization is supplemented by corporate sponsorship from medical-device manufacturers including Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Stryker, SI-BONE, Globus Medical, AIS Healthcare, elliquence, Mindray, Stratus Medical, Clint Pharmaceuticals, SaferSonic, and SPR Pain Relief. WAPMU endorses the American Society of Pain & Neuroscience (ASPN) annual conference, extending distribution to ASPN's membership base.

Name

World Academy of Pain Medicine United

Legal name

World Academy of Pain Medicine United

Website

https://wapmu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WAPMU is a US-based non-profit (founded 2015) that delivers CME-accredited hands-on training, workshops, and annual conferences in interventional pain medicine to practicing physicians, fellows, and advanced practice providers, funded by membership dues, event fees, and medical-device corporate sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Continuing Medical Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAFABAH

Virtual Labs, Remote Labs & Hands-On Practice Tools

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Virtual Classrooms, Video Conferencing & Remote Instruction Tools

Keywords

• Pain medicine education
• Interventional pain training
• CME accredited courses
• Medical workshops
• Physician continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

North Reading

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide recurring revenue. Tiers include $89 for 1-Year Membership, $50 for Resident/Fellow, and $65 for APP membership. Members receive free workshop lectures, video tutorials, interactive blog access, and live case instructions.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from registration fees for annual conferences, workshops, and specialized training programs including the Interventional Pain Symposium, Comprehensive Interventional Spine & Neuropathic Pain Symposium, and procedural lab courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WAPMU is a non-profit educational organization that delivers CME-accredited courses, hands-on workshops, and annual conferences in interventional pain medicine. Its offerings cover procedural techniques such as peripheral nerve stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, ultrasound-guided interventions, kyphoplasty, radiofrequency ablation, and minimally invasive spine procedures, delivered through cadaveric labs, live model demonstrations, and phantom-based needle guidance practice.

Product overview

The World Academy of Pain Medicine United (WAPMU) is a multidisciplinary educational non-profit organization (founded 2015) that offers a portfolio of CME-accredited workshops, annual conferences, and membership programs in interventional pain medicine. The core offerings consist of hands-on procedural training workshops — including the signature Ultrasound Underground ultrasonography course, interventional fluoroscopy, neuromodulation (peripheral nerve stimulation and spinal cord stimulation), minimally invasive spine procedures, and regenerative medicine — delivered via cadaveric labs, live models, and phantom-based needle guidance. The 2026 Spring Meeting bundles an Interventional Pain Track and a Master's in Ultrasound Track, while the 1st Annual West Coast Pain Symposium (2026) and WAPMU-endorsed ASPN Annual Conference expand the event portfolio. All educational content is accessible to members through free workshop lectures, a video tutorial library, and an interactive faculty blog. The organization is not a software product company; it has no API, no AI capabilities, and no certifications listed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WAPMU Membership Annual membership program providing practicing physicians, fellows, residents, and Advanced Practice Providers with access to free workshop lectures, video tutorial library, interactive faculty blog, live case instructions, and all WAPMU educational products as they become available.
• WAPMU Workshops Comprehensive suite of practical CME-accredited courses including cadaveric labs, live model demonstrations, phantom-based needle guidance practice, and didactic lectures across interventional pain techniques.
• Annual WAPMU Conference Annual flagship scientific meeting bringing together international membership to present research papers, technical information, and pain management innovations.
• Interventional Ultrasonography Workshop (Ultrasound Underground)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AIS HealthcareminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting in Chicago. AIS Healthcare specializes in targeted drug delivery and non-opioid pain management solutions.
• SI-BONEminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. SI-BONE is a medical device company focused on minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion.
• Globus MedicalminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. Globus Medical develops and manufactures spinal implant solutions and enabling technologies.
• Boston ScientificminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. Boston Scientific develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices used in interventional pain medicine.
• Clint PharmaceuticalsminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. Clint Pharmaceuticals distributes specialty pharmaceutical products.
• elliquenceminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. elliquence provides radiofrequency-based surgical devices for pain management.
• Mark2 Medical/MindrayminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. Mindray is a medical device manufacturer providing ultrasound imaging solutions.
• MedtronicminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. Medtronic is a global leader in medical technology providing spinal cord stimulation and other pain management devices.
• StrykerminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. Stryker is a medical technology company offering products in orthopedics and neurotechnology.
• SaferSonicminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. SaferSonic provides nerve monitoring and surgical safety solutions.
• SPR Pain ReliefminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. SPR Pain Relief offers non-opioid pain management therapies.
• Stratus MedicalminorOthersCorporate sponsor for WAPMU 2026 Spring Meeting. Stratus Medical focuses on nerve ablation technology for chronic pain.
• American Society of Pain & Neuroscience (ASPN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAPMU endorses ASPN's Eighth Annual Conference scheduled for July 16-19, 2026. ASPN provides cutting-edge updates in pain medicine and neuroscience with debates, access to care discussions, patient safety, and treatment outcomes. Features Fellow's Lab and Practicing Physicians Master's Class.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA): Major professional society delivering CME-accredited workshops, cadaveric labs, and consensus guidelines in regional anesthesia and interventional pain medicine. Comparable to WAPMU in offering hands-on procedural training for the same physician audience.
• North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS): Society focused on neuromodulation — including spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation — areas where WAPMU delivers substantial training. NANS runs annual meetings and Fellow's Courses that directly overlap with WAPMU's neuromodulation workshops.
• Spine Intervention Society (SIS): Specialty society offering hands-on cadaveric courses and fluoroscopy-based training in minimally invasive spine procedures. Directly competes with WAPMU's Foundations of Interventional Fluoroscopy and Cutting-Edge Minimally Invasive Spine Procedures workshops.
• American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM): Multispecialty pain medicine society running an Annual Meeting and CME programs for pain physicians, including interventionalists. Shares WAPMU's audience of practicing pain physicians and overlaps on CME, advocacy, and guideline development.
• American Society of Pain & Neuroscience (ASPN): Closest peer to WAPMU — a physician society running annual conferences, Fellow's Lab, and Master's Class training in interventional pain and neuromodulation. ASPN and WAPMU operate a mutual endorsement relationship, indicating direct overlap in audience and curriculum.

Broad incumbents

• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R): Specialty society for PM&R physicians, many of whom practice interventional pain medicine. WAPMU's faculty includes AAPM&R members and the society offers overlapping MSK ultrasound and procedural workshops.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA): Large specialty society under which many interventional pain physicians (anesthesiology-trained) are credentialed. ASA's pain medicine curriculum and annual meeting cover overlapping content with WAPMU's workshops.
• International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP): Largest global pain medicine organization with broad scientific and educational scope. IASP's interventional and clinical updates reach the same audience WAPMU targets, though IASP's footprint is broader (research, public health) rather than hands-on procedural training.

Others

• Boston Scientific: Medical device sponsor of WAPMU events and a major manufacturer of interventional pain products including spinal cord stimulators. An industry partner whose product launches and training requirements influence WAPMU's curriculum agenda.
• Medtronic: Major medical device sponsor of WAPMU events and a leading vendor of spinal cord stimulation and targeted drug delivery systems. While not a peer educator, Medtronic is a key industry counterpart whose commercial strategy shapes demand for WAPMU's training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wapmu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Academy of Pain Medicine United