17th Pediatric Pain Master Class

The Pediatric Pain Master Class offers state of the art education in pain treatment and prevention for the pediatric patient from a holistic and interdisciplinary perspective. The course features a faculty of internationally recognized experts who will cover pharmacological, medical, psychosocial, rehabilitative, and integrative therapies for the management of children’s acute, procedural, and complex/chronic pain. Assessment and management of acute somatic, visceral, neuropathic, psychosocial, and total pain will be explored in depth using interactive lectures and case presentations and small-group learning. The conference will be offered live in-person (with online Zoom option). All sessions will be recorded and are available for participants for up to 6 months after the conference.

Intended Audience

We welcome all disciplines who work with pediatric patients. The master class has originally been designed for physicians and advanced practice nurses to develop their expertise in the field of pediatric pain medicine in a highly interactive seminar format. Clinicians who attended in the past have and gave us positive feedback also included nurses, social workers, psychologists, chaplains, child-life specialists, and administrators.

1. Ethics, Safety, and Equity in Pediatric Pain Management • Explain why withholding evidence-based analgesia from hospitalized infants and children is unethical and causes both immediate and long-term harm. • Discuss the real but manageable risks associated with pediatric analgesics, and why these risks do not justify withholding treatment. • Evaluate common myths and misconceptions—including opioid-related fears (“opioiphobia”)—that interfere with appropriate pain management. • Explore disparities in pain care and strategies to promote equitable treatment for all pediatric populations.
2. Multimodal and Opioid-Sparing Approaches • Implement multimodal (opioid-sparing) analgesia using pharmacologic agents, rehabilitation, psychological support, and integrative therapies to achieve effective pain control with fewer side effects. • Practice pediatric analgesia dosing through case-based examples. • Review commonly used opioids in children and identify those not recommended for pediatric use. • Practice individualized opioid selection as part of a comprehensive pain management plan. • Discuss indications for opioid conversion and address misconceptions. • Review cross-tolerance and the rationale for opioid rotation. • Practice opioid rotation to methadone using case examples. • Evaluate the advantages, disadvantages, and pharmacokinetics of methadone in pediatric patients.
3. Neuropathic and Chronic Pain • Appreciate the high prevalence of neuropathic pain in children with serious illnesses. • Define neuropathic pain and describe its primary causes in pediatric populations. • Develop a step-by-step treatment approach for managing neuropathic pain. • Discuss the pathophysiology of chronic pain in children and adolescents, with and without tissue injury. • Explore interdisciplinary rehabilitative and psychological strategies for treating chronic pain. • Appreciate the limited role of pharmacotherapy in chronic pain management. • Review analogies such as the “Broken Smoke Detector” to help children and families understand chronic pain.
4. Procedural Pain and Anxiety • Review data on procedures that cause the most untreated pain and anxiety in children. • Explore how untreated procedural pain contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. • Discuss evidence-based modalities to prevent or ease procedural pain and anxiety—emphasizing universal access for every child, every time, everywhere.
5. Cannabinoid Analgesia • Review preclinical (animal model) evidence supporting the hypothesis of cannabinoid analgesia. • Evaluate clinical evidence of cannabinoid efficacy in pediatric populations. • Discuss potential harms and safety concerns of cannabinoid use in children.
6. Pain Behavior and ICU Management • Explore assessment and treatment of pain-related behaviors—including pain, withdrawal, and delirium—in infants, toddlers, and children in intensive care settings.
7. Integrative Medicine and Mind-Body Techniques • Explore the integration of mind-body and complementary therapies into pediatric clinical care. • Describe how integrative medicine strategies can enhance symptom management and overall well-being in children with pain. • Participate in several integrative exercises and remain open to discovering their effectiveness in clinical practice.

Course Number: MPD27005

UCSF has transitioned to a new attendee and course portal called CloudCME for all courses happening in 2026 onwards. An account in the UCSF CE Portal is required to register. Click SIGN IN in the menu bar and enter your email address or UCSF MyAccess credentials to complete your profile and continue with registration. Your profile must include your degree and profession to be able to claim credit.

Middle, Upper-middle, and Low-income Countries: reduced rates available at request. Please fill out this request: https://forms.office.com/r/aUNMFuJBvM.

Please note that requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis and we appreciate your patience as we respond to requests. 

For questions, contact: [email protected]

Additional Fees and Information:

Registration will close on 1/29/2027 at 12:00PM (Noon) Pacific Time.  

Pre-course instructions will be shared with paid registrants 1 week prior to the course.

Onsite and Remote Learning Options:
The course will be offered as a live conference. Registrants have the option to attend in person or to tune in remotely via zoom live stream during programming hours (Pacific Time). Login instructions along with the digital syllabus will be shared with attendees before the meeting. Included in your registration fee is access to the course recordings on demand after the conference and for 6 months after the course. You must tune in to the live conference (in person or remotely) to claim CME.

In support of improving patient care, the University of California, San Francisco Office of CME is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

UCSF Office of CME designates this live Activity for a maximum of 44.75 AMA PRA Category 1™ Credit(s).

Advance Practice Registered Nurses and Registered Nurses: For the purpose of recertification, the American Nurses Credentialing Center accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME.

Physician Assistants: The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that the AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification.

California Pharmacists: The California Board of Pharmacy accepts as continuing professional education those courses that meet the standard of relevance to pharmacy practice and have been approved for AMA PRA category 1 Credit^TM. If you are a pharmacist in another state, you should check with your state board for approval of this credit.

California Psychologists: The California Board of Psychology recognizes and accepts for continuing education credit courses that are provided by entities approved by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM is acceptable to meeting the CE requirements for the California Board of Psychology. Providers in other states should check with their state boards for acceptance of CME credit.

ANCC Credit: UCSF Office of CME designates this Activity for a maximum of 44.75 ANCC contact hours.

ASWB Credit: Social workers completing this course receive 44.75 General continuing education credits.

AAPA Credit: UCSF Office of CME has been authorized by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 44.75 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

APA Credit: UCSF Office of CME designates this (Activity Type) for a maximum of 44.75 APA credits. 

IPCE Credit: UCSF Office of CME designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 44.75 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) Credit(s).

End-of-Life for California Providers: The approved credits shown above include  32.75 credit(s) toward meeting the requirement under California Assembly Bill 487, End-of-Life Care.

Pain Management: The approved credits shown above include 42.00 credit(s) toward meeting the requirement under California Assembly Bill 487, Pain Management.

Trauma Credit: The approved credits shown above include 26.25 credits toward satisfying the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma requirement for trauma related continuing medical education.

MATE Credit: This CME/CE opportunity meets the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act requirements from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) training on substance use disorders.
Providers planning to receive or renew their DEA registration can earn 14.75 credit(s) towards their one-time eight-hour MATE requirement by completing the entire activity."

Cancellation Policy
Cancellations received in writing at least 30 days before the conference start date will receive a refund of registration fees minus a [10%] administrative fee. Requests received between 30 days and 14 days before the start date will receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be issued within 14 days of the start date. Please send cancellation requests through our Refund Request form.
 
UCSF Office of CME reserves the right to cancel or postpone this program if necessary; in the event of cancellation, course fees will be fully refunded. We are not responsible for other costs incurred, such as non-refundable airline tickets, hotel penalties, or other related personal expenses.

Accessibility Statement
UCSF welcomes all participants to our events. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event because of a disability, please submit a learner support ticket as soon as possible.

UCSF Land Acknowledgment Statement
We would like to acknowledge the Ramaytush Ohlone people, who are the traditional custodians of this land. We pay our respects to the Ramaytush Ohlone elders, past, present, and future, who call this place, the land that UCSF sits upon, their home. We are proud to continue their tradition of coming together and growing as a community. We thank the Ramaytush Ohlone community for their stewardship and support, and we look forward to strengthening our ties as we continue our relationship of mutual respect and understanding.

For more information, visit https://opportunity.ucsf.edu/initiatives/ucsf-land-acknowledgment.

Conference Location for On-Site Learning

UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center

1st Floor - Fisher Conference Room
1675 Owens Street
San Francisco, CA 94143-3008
415-476-2019

Area Hotels

No Group Room Block

Area Hotels

• Hotel Luma

• Hotel Via

• Hyatt Place

Transportation and Parking

For your reference, please visit this link to access a map of the facility and parking/public transportation options: https://campuslifeserviceshome.ucsf.edu/transportation/parking-MB

The garage connected to the conference center is called the Community Center Garage. Their daily rate is $35/day and is subject to change.

Air Travel

United Airlines

We are pleased to partner with United Airlines® for travel to our upcoming event.

• To make flight reservations online please enter discount code ZRMC505963

• MileagePlus® members earn miles for their travel when using the United Meetings? discount code.

You may also call United Meetings Reservation Desk from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT, Monday–Friday (closed for major U.S. holidays) at (800) 426-1122 for booking assistance or visit united.com/meetingtravel and enter the code above.

Booking fees are waived for United Meeting reservations.
International customers may contact their local United Reservation Desk.

This UCSF continuing education activity was planned and developed to: uphold academic standards to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor; adhere to requirements to protect health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); and, include a mechanism to inform learners when unapproved or unlabeled uses of therapeutic products or agents are discussed or referenced.

UCSF adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including content planners, reviewers, authors, presenters, moderators, panelists, or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible entities. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

This UCSF continuing education activity was planned and developed to: uphold academic standards to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor; adhere to requirements to protect health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); and, include a mechanism to inform learners when unapproved or unlabeled uses of therapeutic products or agents are discussed or referenced.

UCSF adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including content planners, reviewers, authors, presenters, moderators, panelists, or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible entities. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.