Pediatric pain practice

For his outstanding contributions to the field of pediatric anesthesiology and pediatric pain medicine Dr Navil Sethna has been named the 2023 awardee of the prestigious American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)/Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) Robert Smith Award. An internationally acclaimed authority on acute and chronic pain management, he serves as clinical director at the Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center at the Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and professor at the Harvard Medical School.

Above: Dr Navil Sethna interacting with a young patient

Empathetic to the cause of children "with physical disability and those disabled by severity of their pain,” in a video on the BCH website, Sethna explained how "it affects their ability to concentrate in school and their ability to retain knowledge.” Not being able to function optimally, they withdraw from their peers and social life that can cause significant emotional distress. "The nervous system repairs itself and recovers slower than any other tissue in the body but we know for a fact that if the (organs) are made to do the activities they normally do, the nervous system can recover and reset itself and the pain would get less,” he stated.
"His example of clinical excellence combined with deep-rooted compassion for his patients set an example for me that I’ve endeavored to live up to in my practice,” acknowledged Mary Landrigan-Ossar when penning her Chairperson’s Report in the fall newsletter of AAP, Section on Anesthesiology and Pain Management. As acknowledged some other peers in the newsletter, "Navil is a true renaissance man and an incredible leader in the field of pediatric pain medicine. His efforts have changed the lives of not only the many patients he has cared for over the years but also those of us who have had the pleasure to work closely with him. Navil has taught innumerable trainees how to care for the sickest and most complex patients, both in and out of the operating room and he continues to be the expert who is always willing to share his knowledge and advice…an incredible storyteller.”
Born in Baghdad, Sethna studied at the University of Baghdad College of Medicine and did his residency in surgery at the Al Quassimi Hospital in Sharjah as also at the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, State University of New York.
The most fulfilling part of his job, mentioned Sethna, is to see children who have been confined to a wheelchair walk without any support. "It looks like a miracle. It is a very emotional time for everyone and that’s the time we celebrate.”