Neuromodulation Competency Development: Education, Training, and Onboarding
Part of Training the Next Generation of Neuromodulators: Guidelines, Gaps, and the Road Ahead
Details
- Date
- Saturday, January 23, 2027
- Time
- 11:20 AM – 11:30 AM
- Session type
- Concurrent Session
- Schedule
- See this day
About
Neuromodulation training across Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited programs remains highly variable, with limited procedural standardization and competency assessment. While the ACGME outlines general educational milestones, these requirements often lack procedural specificity for neuromodulation techniques, resulting in variable trainee competency. This session critically evaluates existing ACGME training requirements for spinal cord stimulation (SCS), intrathecal drug delivery (IDDS), peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and compares them with the NANS Education Committee's evidence-based curricula. The session will also discuss future directions, including post-graduate certification pathways, competency verification, and the growing influence of payer expectations on formal neuromodulation training standards.
Presenters
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Blake Parente is a Physician Assistant (PA) at Duke University Medical Center specializing in functional neurosurgery and treating high impact pain. For almost 15 years, Parente has worked on expanding pain modulation and functional ablative procedures across a variety of new neurological indications and is excited to be collaborating on multiple projects involving interdisciplinary care and spinal cord injury. Parente holds a Master of Health Sciences from the Duke University Physician Assistant Program and a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Smith College. They have also completed a Certificate in Health Professions Education & Teaching Program and a Health Equity Leadership Certificate.