The 2025 year draws to a close with the December episode of RAPM Focus, where RAPM Social Media Editor Alopi Patel, MD, converses with Benjamin S. Brooke, MD, PhD, and Michael “Jay” Buys, MD, following the April 2024 publication of their original research paper, “Postsurgical opioid prescribing among veterans using community care for orthopedic surgery at non-VA hospitals compared to a VA hospital with a transitional pain service: a retrospective cohort study | Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.”

The research study looked at opioid prescriptions after orthopedic surgery for veterans, comparing veterans who underwent surgery at the Salt Lake City VA Hospital to those in the community.

Dr. Brooke is a Professor of Surgery, Biomedical Informatics (adjunct), Population Health Sciences (adjunct), and Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Utah. He grew up in Salt Lake City, receiving his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Utah before heading east to complete his internship and residency in General Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his surgical residency, Dr. Brooke received his PhD in Clinical Investigation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He then completed a fellowship in Vascular Surgery at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Dr. Buys is an Associate Professor (Clinical) of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah and Chief of the Acute/Transitional Pain Section at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center. He completed his medical degree at the University of Iowa and residency in anesthesiology at the University of New Mexico, after which he served as an active duty anesthesiologist in the US Air Force at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio and at Craig Joint Theater Hospital in Afghanistan.

*The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on X @RAPMOnline, LinkedIn @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, Facebook @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, and Instagram @RAPM_Online.

In the November 2025 episode of RAPM Focus, ASRA Pain Medicine Past-President and RAPM Editor David Provenzano, MD, converses with Megan Rolfzen, MD, and Karsten Bartels, MD, PhD, MBA, following the July 2025 publication of their original research article, “Post-Surgical Medication, Awareness, Recovery, and Tracking Using a Phone-Based App (SMART-APP): A Randomized Controlled Trial.”

In their clinical trial, Drs. Rolfzen, Bartels, et. al., tested the hypothesis that a patient-facing educational smartphone app would permit surgical patients to effectively manage their pain while using fewer opioids after discharge.

Dr. Rolfzen is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Michigan and a scholar in the NIH T90 HEAL PAIN program.

Dr. Bartels is a professor of anesthesiology, psychiatry, and learning health sciences at the University of Michigan and leads a research program focused on perioperative pain and mental health.

*The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on X @RAPMOnline, LinkedIn @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, Facebook @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, and Instagram @RAPM_Online.

In this unique episode of RAPM Focus, Editor in Chief Dr. Brian Sites’s fellow, Dr. Meredith Peck, discusses regional anesthesia fellowships with Dr. Giselle Maquoit.

Fellowship applications have seen an obvious decline over the past several years due to an extremely lucrative job market. However, regional anesthesia fellowships still offer invaluable experiences for regional anesthesiologists.

Meredith Peck, DO, is a current regional anesthesia and pain medicine fellow at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Gisselle Maquoit, MD, is a current anesthesiologist at Kennebec Anesthesia Associates, a private practice serving Maine General Hospital. She completed a regional fellowship at Duke University.

*The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on X @RAPMOnline, LinkedIn @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, Facebook @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, and Instagram @RAPM_Online.