New Memo of Understanding Distributed to APPD Program Members
APPD has taken a significant step toward demonstrating its support for the centralized Pain Medicine Fellowship Match by developing a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) that enables specific programs to formally affirm their commitment to honoring the Match process.
The purpose of the Match is to provide an equitable, centralized system that takes applicants’ and programs’ preferences into consideration to ensure “the best possible match for all participants,” as described by the National Resident Matching Program, the sponsoring organization.
However, the process does not work if all participants do not adhere to the ethical and professional standards. The Match also provides legal protections for program and participants. In addition, operating outside the Match creates a chaotic environment and could put the entire process at risk of dissolution.
APPD has asked all pain training programs to sign the MOU and “agree in good faith” to have their Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited program participate in the 2026 Match (AY2027). Programs that sign the MOU by August 29, 2025, will be listed in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and will be able to receive candidates applications in December 2025 using the ERAS Program Director Work Station. Any programs that do not sign and deliver the agreement will be excluded from the APPD benefits of participation.
Agreements like the one that APPD has developed are common in other specialty fields, including the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the Infectious Disease Society of America, and the Society of Academic Urologists. However, this is the first such agreement developed specific to the Pain Medicine Fellowship Match, which was established in 2010.
To ensure awareness, APPD has mailed the MOU to all member programs, but if you wish to obtain a copy of the agreement directly, please email info@appdhq.org.
