Mehul J. Desai, MD, MPH is board certified in Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Dr. Desai completed his residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the Georgetown University Hospital. During residency he spent 6 months completing a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health conducting groundbreaking research into mechanisms of muscle pain. Upon completion of residency he went on to a fellowship in Pain Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the Department of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Desai is the founder and president of the International Spine Pain & Performance Center a collaborative interdisciplinary practice located in Washington DC. Formerly, Dr. Desai was Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine and of Neurosurgery at the George Washington University Medical Center and served as the Director, Pain Medicine and Non-Operative Spine Services of the GW Spine & Pain Center and Director, Sibley Pain Center at the Sibley Memorial Hospital. Furthermore, he was Director, Outpatient Rehabilitation Center at the George Washington University Hospital. He also served as a clerkship director for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the George Washington University, School of Medicine and mentored both residents in Anesthesiology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He remains involved with resident and medical student education, serving as Clinical Assistant Professor at the George Washington University.
Dr. Desai is committed to the use of cutting-edge technologies in the treatment of musculoskeletal disease and pain.
CLINICAL INTERESTS:
- Musculoskeletal Disease (including Tendon Injuries and Osteoarthritis)
- Discogenic Pain and Intradiscal Therapies (including Biologics and Neuromodulation)
- Spinal Cord Stimulation & Targeted Drug Delivery
- Complex Spinal Conditions
- Pelvic Pain
- Outcomes-based Research
- Healthcare Economics
Dr. Desai maintains an avid interest in research, serving as the principle investigator on multiple ongoing clinical trials including studies on radiofrequency ablation and spinal cord stimulation. He serves as a member of the steering committee of the largest clinical trial investigating the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation in chronic low back pain following spine surgery.
Dr. Desai has published articles in Pain Practice, Neuromodulation, Pain Physician, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Pain Medicine and the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. He has authored multiple book chapters and is currently completing his second textbook.
Dr. Desai presents annually at many international and national pain medicine meetings, traveling to Hong Kong, Dubai, China, Italy, and across the United States last year. Furthermore, he serves as a peer educator; hosting physician visits and teaching advanced pain medicine techniques to physicians both nationally and globally. Dr. Desai currently serves as a Leadership Fellow for the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the 2016 Legislative Fellow for the North American Neuromodulation Society.
To learn more and to schedule an appointment with Dr. Desai, please go to www.isppcenter.com and connect on social media at www.facebook.com/isppcenter.
