Publications and Presentations
Dr. John Villanueva is actively involved in clinical research and medical education, with a commitment to advancing knowledge in pain medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. His research has been presented to leading professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. This page highlights selected publications, presentations, and academic contributions from his work in pain management and spine care.
Presentations
- Presenting a Clinical Tool to Increase Urine Drug Screening Compliance For Telehealth Opioid Treatment Visits
- Evaluating the Relationship Between Disability Index and Pain Scores in Chronic Pain Patients Undergoing Interventional Pain Procedures: A Quality Improvement Case Report
- Enhancing Patient Comprehension of Post-Operative Instructions and Education Using AI: A Quality Improvement Project
- Efficacy of Epidural Steroid Injections versus Oral Pain Medications in Managing Lower Back Pain with Spinal Epidural Lipomatosis
Peer-Reviewed Abstracts/Posters/Presentations/Publications
1. Villanueva, John; Kim, Jocelyn; Hoang, Emily; Quon-Adams Kaile . “Psychotropic Polypharmacy as a Marker of Procedural Utilization in Multidisciplinary PM&R Pain Management.” Accepted for presentation at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orlando, FL, November 2026
2. Villanueva, John; Ho, Trinity, Liang, Ethan; Naqvi, Muhammad; Chen, Nikki; “Association Between Depressive Symptom Severity and Aberrant Medication-Related Behaviors in Opioid-Treated PM&R Outpatients: A 2-Year Retrospective Study Tier A.” Accepted for presentation at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orlando, FL, November 2026
3. Villanueva, John; Gonzales, Luigi; Gao, Jared; Piring, Amanda; Kim, Jocelyn; Le, Collin. “Management of Lower Back Pain in Patient with Spinal Epidural Lipomatosis Through Epidural Steroid Injections vs. Oral Pain Medications.” Presented at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Salt Lake City, UT, October 2025
4. Villanueva, John; Gao, Jared; Kim, Jocelyn; Lim, Jennifer; Piring, Amanda. “Enhancing Patient Comprehension of Post-Operative Instructions and Education Using AI: A Quality Improvement Project.” Presented at American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Salt Lake City, UT, October 2025
5. Villanueva, John; Gao, Jared; Kim, Jocelyn; Lim, Jennifer; Piring, Amanda. “Monitoring for the Development of Depressive Symptoms Post Corticosteroid Injection through Screening Questionnaires.” Presented at the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Meeting, San Diego, CA. November 2024
6. Villanueva, John; Lim, Jennifer; Piring, Amadna; Hu, Erin; Kim, Jocyeln; Huynh, Ashley. “The Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form as a Predictor of Diagnostic Medial Branch Block Progression to Radiofrequency Ablation.” Presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, March 2024
7. Villanueva, John; Piring, Amanda; Hu, Erin; Kim, Jocelyn; Kao, Matthew; Selim, Omar; Stere, Justin; Huynh, Ashley. “Examining the Correlation Between Depression Screening and SOAPP-R Scores for Enhanced Risk Assessment in Chronic Pain Management.” Presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, March 2024
8. Villanueva, John, Piring, Amanda; Selim, Omar; Lim, Jennifer; Hu, Erin; Kim, Jocelyn; Huynh, Ashley. “Presenting a Clinical Tool to Increase Urine Drug Screening Compliance For Telehealth Opioid Treatment Visits.” Presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, March 2024
9. Villanueva John, Piring, Amanda; Selim, Omar. “Increasing Urine Drug Screening Compliance Following the Return to In-Person Visits.” Presented at the Los Angeles Global Health Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. January 2023
10. Villanueva J., Huynh A., Kao M., Tran A., Selim O., Hu J., Gao J. “Clinical Utility of Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) as Complementary Tools for Evaluating Chronic Pain Patients Undergoing Interventional Pain Procedures: A Quality Improvement Project.” Presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, March 2022
11. Villanueva J., Hu J., Kao M., Tran A., Gao J., Huynh A. “Evaluating the Relationship between Disability Index and Pain Scores in Chronic Pain Patients Undergoing Interventional Pain Procedures: A Quality Improvement Case Report.” (Presented at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Meeting, Nasvhille, TN, Nov 2021)
12. Villanueva, J.; Eugene Viscusi; Ketamine and Memantine for intractable phantom limb pain (Presented at the 2012 American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine Spring Conference).
13. Villanueva , J.; Dajie Wang; Intrathecal hydromorphone and bupivicane for malignant pain intractable to high dose systemic opioid therapy: A Case Report. (2011 American Academy of Pain Medicine).
14. Zhou, Linqui, John Villanueva, Mehul Desai, Michael Picone: Acute Exacerbation of Hereditary Coproporphyria Mimics Early Surgical Infection Following Intrathecal Pump Implantation for Chronic Abdominal Pain. Neuromodulation. Volume 13, Issue 4, pages 296-298, Oct 2010.
15. Villanueva, J., Ankam, N., Schreiber, A.: Quantified Acute Rehabilitation of Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome: A Case Report. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. (Presented at the 2010 Association of Academic Physiatrists Meeting)
16. Villanueva, J., Singh, J., Fried, G., Schreiber, A., Flanders, A.: Brown-Sequard Syndrome after cervical laminectomy for cervical myelopathy secondary to cervical stenosis: A Case Report. PM&R 1: S249-50, 2009. (Presented at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Meeting, Austin, TX, 2009)
17. Villanueva, John; “Perceptual ratings and self-assessment of changes in singing voice quality over a 9-week Performance and the associated correlations with measures of Cepstral Peak Prominence and Long Term Average Spectrum (LTAS)” –Voice Foundation Symposium, American College of Surgeons, Philadelphia, PA; June 2007
18. Villanueva, John; Desvarieux, Moise; “Insights on HIV and Condoms among Teens in the South Bronx: Study of Perceptions that Influence a Teen’s Choice to Practice Safe Sex”—New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY, August 2004
Pain Care That Helps You Move Forward With Life
At the Villanueva Institute of Pain and Spine, I begin by understanding what your pain is preventing you from doing. As a double board-certified physician in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, I take a thorough, multidisciplinary approach to care. I’ll thoughtfully review your symptoms, medical history, imaging, and functional goals before recommending the best possible treatment for your situation.
Beyond my double-board certifications, I am also a Certified Life Care Planner. This specialized training allows me to evaluate the long-term medical, rehabilitation, and future care needs of individuals with complex injuries and disabilities, further supporting my role as a medical-legal consultant and expert medical witness.
Whether you want to get back to work, exercise again, spend more time with family, or simply move through the day with greater comfort, I build your treatment plan around the life you want to reclaim. At my Burbank practice, you can expect attentive, unhurried care, clear explanations, and advanced interventional options when appropriate, with a focus on improving function and quality of life.
– Dr. John Villanueva