The World Institute of Pain (WIP) was founded in 1993 as a worldwide organization that aims to promote the best practice of pain medicine for the 21st century.
WIP’s mission is to bring together the most recognized experts in the field of pain medicine throughout the world for the advancement and standardization of interventional pain practice and the achievement of improved standards of care for pain patients.
WIP fulfills its mission through sponsorship and endorsement of educational and training programs for pain physicians. These programs are aimed at facilitating the development of practice guidelines and standards of examining and assessing competency in physicians who specialize in interventional pain practice.
Through educational initiatives, including WIP World Congresses, regional symposia, and practical workshops on interventional pain practice, WIP helps promote consensus building among experts on the effectiveness of existing techniques and avenues for advancement of therapeutic performances.
In 2001 and 2014, WIP began to implement the certification exams for fellow interventional pain physicians (FIPP) and certified interventional pain sonologist (CIPS) respectively.
Until now, the physicians have participated certification in 59 countries.
In 2016, Prof. Ricardo Ruiz-Lopez, WIP founder, invited National Taiwan University, College of Medicine and Taiwan Pain Society to initiate interventional pain symposium workshop and FIPP/CIPS exams (SWE) in Taipei, where is regarded as the development base for WIP in Asian region.
Two SWEs have been successfully held in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
In 6th March 2020, the Ministry of the Interior Taiwan approved the establishment of the official WIP Taiwan Society.
After two preparatory meetings, the founding meeting of WIP Taiwan was held in 12th July, 2020.
The first board of directors and supervisors was elected at the meeting.
It is a great honor for me to be elected as the first president of WIP Taiwan after official registration.
In addition to promoting and participating in WIP activities, the task of the new-born society is to make pain experts in Taiwan to participate in the international society to interact with international pain experts, which will affect the development of pain medicine in Taiwan with great impact. Moreover, Pain relief remains a global unmet medical need and is increasingly crucial in Asian countries.
Taiwan was chosen by WIP as the development base in east and east-south Asia, the most populous region in the world, we need to actively undertake the task of WIP in this area and play a pivotal role.