MDNews - San Antonio

COVER FEATURE MEET DR. GOFF BRANDON J. GOFF, D.O., is a board-certified physiatrist. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, MO. Dr. Goff completed his physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and completed his pain medicine fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He is an assistant professor, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD; Program Director, Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Fort Sam Houston, TX; and Chief, Interdisciplinary Pain Management Center, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, San Antonio Military Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX. Dr. Goff is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal, as well as numerous awards, including the 2011 Richard S. Materson ERF New Investigator Research Grant Award and the Jacquelin Perry, M.D. Award. He has published and presented extensively in his areas of expertise. military personnel are eligible for treatment at the pain manage- ment center. However, the center's primary focus is on wounded soldiers returning from war, with a secondary focus on other active-duty soldiers. "When we fill up and may not be able to see spouses and retirees in a timely manner, we refer them to private-practice physicians in the area," Dr. Goff says. Cross-Training With UT This summer, the pain management center at SAMMC will be starting its own pain medicine fellowship. "I believe that, over the coming years, we will become much more involved with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, since we will both have pain training programs in the same town," Dr. Goff says. "So, collegially, there will probably be things that will draw us together. UT may want its fellows to rotate with us because of our unique spectrum of pain disorders, and we have a broader armamentarium because we're not constrained by civilian insurance. We have a much broader ability to say, 'If this will help the patient, we'll do it.'" What Physicians Should Know Dr. Goff says the care military personnel receive at the pain management center is only the first step toward meeting these patients' lifelong needs. "We're partnering with and relying upon private-practice which are in the realm of regenerative medicine, and are also exploring the realm of stronger regenerative medicine, which includes different types of nonembryonic stem cell treatments." In addition, the pain management center is developing a functional restoration program. This is a medically directed, interdisciplinary rehabilitation program using a combination of physical treatments, skills training, education and personal support to assist patients in resuming their work functions and activities of daily living. The program will aim to help patients enjoy happier, more productive lives without reliance on passive treatments and procedures or opioids. Dr. Goff emphasizes that pain center patients may also require behavioral health treatment to address the debilitating mental and emotional effects of chronic pain. "If you're carrying the burden of chronic pain, a significant amount of your treatment is learning how you react to your situation, because you may always be in pain," he says. "How do you deal with that pain and manage it over time?" Military spouses, children of military personnel and retired physicians for follow-through because, although these severely injured patients coming back from the war will receive their care in the military initially, they're going to end up throughout America in the VA system and/or in civilian practices. We're extending our hand in friendship to form relationships with the physicians in and around San Antonio because they will be an integral part of these patients' continuity of care for many years to come," he says. "We have a good military health care system in that we're able to provide very comprehensively for injured soldiers' pain management. We appreciate the attention that our government and tax dollars have brought to bear on pain management within the military, because it's doing good for patients," says Dr. Goff. "I'm truly appreciative to civilian physicians and to the American people in general for what they have done for us. They are paying the tax dollars that allow these soldiers to get top-notch care. I don't take for granted what we're able to do for these deserving men and women because of that generosity and support of the military." For more information about the Interdisciplinary Pain Management Center at SAMMC, contact Dr. Goff at brandon.goff@us.army.mil.s 8 | San Antonio MD NEWS s MDNEWS.COM

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