FPM Board meeting update - December 2025

Governance  

Election of the FPM dean-elect 

Professor Michael Veltman has been elected by the FPM Board as the FPM dean-elect. Professor Veltman will commence his term in May 2026, after the annual business meeting at the ANZCA Annual Scientific Meeting in Auckland.  

2026 FPM Board election 

The faculty received three nominations for two vacancies on the FPM Board so will undertake an election from 31 January to 16 February 2026. The nominations are Dr Dilip Kapur, Dr Glen Sheh and Dr Murray Taverner.  

Strategy

Advocacy 

The faculty has recently lodged a submission to the MBS Review Taskforce as part of the continuous review process, seeking more equitable access to MBS items 132 and 133 for specialist pain medicine physicians (SPMPs). 

The submission highlights that SPMPs are superspecialists who complete two years of advanced full-time training in pain medicine following their primary specialty. Despite this shared scope of practice and level of expertise, only SPMPs with a physician-based primary qualification are now recognised as consultant physicians and able to claim Medicare Benefit Schedule items 132 and 133. This creates inequity within a single specialty and restricts patient access to longer, complex consultations required for high quality, multidisciplinary pain care. 

FPM engagement with New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore

The faculty continues to strengthen its education partnerships locally and internationally. 

In New Zealand, a visit to Waikato Hospital with senior faculty representatives included engagement with clinicians and staff at the newly accredited Practice Development Stage unit. The visit confirmed strong local commitment and highlighted clear opportunities to further develop pain medicine education and training capability across New Zealand. 

In Singapore, senior faculty representatives visited Singapore General Hospital, FPM’s long-standing level one training unit first accredited in 2008 and currently supporting two trainees. The visit reinforced the maturity of the partnership and underscored the faculty’s expanding global footprint and leadership role in advancing specialist pain medicine education in the region. 

To support and coordinate international engagement more systematically, the faculty has established the FPM International Education Network. The network is a non-decision-making advisory group reporting to the Training and Assessment Executive Committee, with a remit to support high quality pain medicine education and training outside Australia and New Zealand, aligned with ANZCA and FPM strategic priorities. 

The network provides a dedicated platform for internationally based fellows and trainees to connect, share insights, raise issues, and contribute to the development of education and training resources. Expressions of interest are now being sought, with the network to be chaired by Dr Timmy Chan from Hong Kong.  

Collectively, these activities reflect a deliberate and coordinated approach to strengthening FPM’s international partnerships, supporting trainees and fellows offshore, and positioning the faculty as a leader in pain medicine education across the Asia Pacific region.  

Professional affairs

Procedures Endorsement Program 

The Procedures Endorsement Program (PEP) continues to mature. As of early November 2025, there are 90 endorsed faculty fellows, supported by 23 approved PEP supervisors, with 13 active endorsees currently undertaking the program, in addition to a number of applications progressing through the approval pipeline. Ongoing work is focused on ensuring the long-term sustainability and scalability of the program. 

Professional documents 

Significant progress has been made in the development and review of professional documents. Four new professional documents are in development: 

• Statement on the Scope of Clinical Practice for Specialist Pain Medicine Physicians.
• Statement on the provision of pain medicine care to children and adolescents.
• Minimumstandards for multidisciplinary pain services.
• Statement on spinal cord stimulators.

In addition, two existing professional documents are under active review: 

• PS10(PM) Statement on medicinal cannabis and chronic non cancer pain.
• PS12(PM) Position statement on the use of ketamine in the management of chronic non cancer pain.

Three documents have been updated to incorporate recommendations on take-home naloxone (THN): 

• PS01(PM): Use of opioid analgesics in chronic non-cancer pain– now includes strengthened guidance on risk mitigation, overdose prevention, and the routine consideration of THN for patients at higher risk of opioid-related harm.
• PM01 Appendix 1: Quick reference recommendations– updated to align prescribing prompts and clinical decision points with the inclusion of THN as part of safer opioid management.
• PM01 Appendix 2: Opioid Dose Equivalence Calculation Table– amended to ensure dose-equivalence calculations are accompanied by consistent safety messaging regarding THN where clinically indicated.

ANZCA Reconciliation Action Plan and Te Tiriti o Waitangi Action Plan 

The faculty continues to align its work with ANZCA’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi Action Plan, supporting the College’s commitment to reconciliation, equity and culturally safe care. 

FPM remains engaged with ANZCA-led initiatives through relevant committees and governance structures, including ongoing collaboration with the Indigenous Health Committee and New Zealand stakeholders. This includes consideration of how faculty education, training, professional standards and advocacy activities can better reflect the principles of partnership, participation and protection, and contribute to improved pain outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Māori communities. 

Work is ongoing to ensure faculty policies, professional documents and education activities are informed by these frameworks and are responsive to jurisdictional and cultural contexts. Further updates will be provided as ANZCA progresses implementation of both action plans and as Faculty-specific opportunities for alignment and contribution are identified. 

Research 

The FPM Board has approved the appointment of Professor Damien Finniss as the FPM representative on the ANZCA Research Committee, strengthening alignment between faculty research priorities and broader college research governance. 

2026 FPM Spring meeting  

The faculty explored the option of holding the 2026 Spring Meeting as a satellite event to the International Association for the Study of Pain World Congress; however, this was assessed as not financially viable. Following feedback from fellows at the recent Spring Meeting in Fremantle, there is strong support for proceeding with a reduced format Spring Meeting in Melbourne in 2026.  

Planning is under way, including assessment of potential venues and accommodation options. While dates are yet to be confirmed, the meeting is likely to be in September. 

Pain Medicine Journal 

Following consideration by the FPM Research Committee and the FPM Professional Affairs Executive Committee, the board has approved discontinuing its affiliation with the American Academy of Pain Medicine and transitioning to an institutional subscription model for the Pain Medicine Journal. This decision reflects a value-based assessment of the affiliation and supports a more sustainable and flexible approach to accessing journal content for fellows.  

Education and training  

FPM exams 

A total of 41 candidates sat the FPM written examination across Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand, with 39 candidates progressing to the oral examination. This sitting marks the final delivery of the short-answer question examination, ahead of the introduction of the MCQ format from 2026. 
Thirty-two candidates passed the oral examination at the AMC Test Centre in Melbourne, with an overall pass rate of 78 per cent. 

Accreditation 

The following units have been (re)accredited since the last board meeting:

FPM new fellows admitted to fellowship (as of 7 December 2025) 

Dr Hoi Wang Ivan Wong, FFPMANZCA, FRCA (Vic) 

Dr Amit A Sequeira, DNB Anaesthesia, FFPMANZCA (NSW) 

Dr Reza Modarres, FFPMANZCA, FRACGP (Qld) 

Dr James F Wilson, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA (Tas)