Advisory Board

Dr. Robert Schwartz

Dr. Schwartz is in private practice in South Carolina where he specializes in pain diagnosis and treatment, vascular medicine, and non-surgical specialty care.

Dr. Schwartz completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, attended medical school at Wayne State University, and completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain management, electrodiagnostic medicine, orthopedic medicine, and thermology. Dr. Schwartz is also a fellow of the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology.

When he’s not working with patients, Dr. Schwartz is a sought after presenter and lecturer. He also donates a good amount of time to working with patient support groups. He is a strong advocate of patient-centered healthcare, and has incorporated this practice philosophy into his office.

Dr. Michael Whitworth

Dr. Michael Whitworth is a national leader in the development of minimally invasive spine surgical techniques, including endoscopic discectomy. He practices interventional pain medicine and is involved in research with artificial nucleus technologies.

In addition to his practice, he also educates other pain specialists. He is former course director for the Society for Pain Practice Management (SPPM) national courses; is a faculty instructor and lecturer for ISIS, ASIPP, and PASSOR; and serves as a board member of the International Spinal Intervention Society.

With continuing activity in pain research, he remains on the cutting edge of pain therapies and the most advanced technologies for treatment and diagnosis of pain conditions. Dr. Whitworth holds board certifications from the American Board of Pain Medicine, American Board of Interventional Pain Medicine, American Board of Minimally Invasive Spine Medicine and Surgery, American Board of Anesthesiology, American Academy of Pain Management, and is a fellow of the International Institute of Pain and the International College of Surgeons. He is also on the board of directors of the two largest physician pain organizations in the US: ISIS and American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Dr. Steven Weisman

Dr. Steven Weisman currently holds the Jane B. Pettit Chair in Pain Management at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where he is the Medical Director of the Jane B. Pettit Pain and Palliative Care Center. In addition, he is Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Weisman formerly established and directed pain management programs for children at both the University of Connecticut Health Center and Yale University School of Medicine, where he also held teaching positions.

His clinical and research interests focus on multidisciplinary system-wide approaches to pain management and postoperative pain in children. Under his direction, the Pettit Pain and Palliative Care Center has introduced programs in acupuncture and mindfulness meditation for children. In addition, work is ongoing in the investigation of the relationship between obesity and chronic pain plus school avoidance and chronic pain in children.

Dr. Weisman has spearheaded several different quality improvement programs for pain management in children at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. In addition, he has been the project champion for pain management initiatives in the quality improvement group of the Child Health Corporation of America.

Dr. Paul Christo

Dr. Paul Christo is a board-certified, Harvard-trained anesthesiologist, and a Hopkins-trained pain medicine specialist. He directs the Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship Program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and directed the Pain Treatment Center at Johns Hopkins for five years. Dr. Christo is an international lecturer, reviewer for pain journal editorial boards, teacher, and published author in areas relating to pain medicine. He has coordinated several CME programs that focus on educating both specialists and generalists on important aspects of pain diagnosis and treatment.

He specializes in treating patients with chronic pain: low back and neck pain, cancer pain, disc herniations and degenerative disc disease, neuropathic pain (reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome), shingles pain (post herpetic neuralgia), thoracic outlet syndrome, and post-surgical pain. Further, Dr. Christo is experienced in performing implantations of pain pumps and spinal cord stimulators for the treatment of unrelenting pain. He has recently been selected as a Mayday Foundation Pain and Society Fellow where he will engage in media and policy initiatives for the advancement of pain control.

Dr. Christo has been recognized numerous times in various Top Physician lists, and has participated in television and radio programs, including Oprah and Friends XM Satellite Radio Show and Healthline. His credentials in pain medicine include subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology and board certification by the American Board of Pain Medicine. He has also earned an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School focusing on health care management.

He is currently investigating novel therapies for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes, such as thoracic outlet syndrome, sexual side effects of chronic opioid therapy, pain medication prescription errors, and online educational modules for pain education.

Updated May 19, 2009