As the calendar turns to 2025, a pivotal event promises to unite voices against the injustices faced by doctors and patients in America’s war on pain management. The Recognizing Silenced Heroes Conference and Exhibition, led by Dr. Alen J. Salerian, will convene at the Ritz Carlton, New Orleans, on January 5th. This gathering and art exhibit serves not only as a call to action but as a testament to the resilience and courage of those silenced by systemic persecution.
Dr. Salerian’s struggle is emblematic of a larger battle, one that echoes the indomitable spirit of Frida Kahlo and George Orwell, two luminaries who transformed personal suffering and political critique into powerful tools of resistance.
Frida Kahlo once said, “I paint my own reality.” For Dr. Salerian, that reality has been one of relentless persecution. A psychiatrist, former chief of the FBI’s Mobile Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, and a pioneering pain management physician, Dr. Salerian dedicated his career to alleviating suffering. Yet, like Kahlo, his compassion became a source of vulnerability.
Since 2011, he has endured devastating personal and professional attacks. His practice was shut down, his patients abandoned, and his reputation tarnished. Seven of his patients committed suicide, and trusted colleagues, like John Mirzak and Siobhan Reynolds, also succumbed to the weight of their battles. In the words of Kahlo, “I hope the exit is joyful, and I hope never to return,” but for Dr. Salerian and his patients, there was no joyful exit, only tragedy inflicted by a system blind to human suffering.
George Orwell’s 1984 warned of a world where truth is manipulated, and dissent crushed. Dr. Salerian’s story illustrates how Orwell’s dystopia exists in the realm of American modern medicine. Branded by CVS, terminated by Citibank, and stripped of his DEA license, Salerian became a victim of what Orwell described as “the annihilation of selfhood.”
Orwell wrote, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” By exposing the government’s overreach and the injustices faced by pain doctors, Salerian embodies Orwell’s revolutionary spirit. Dr. Salerian’s book, The New Tuskegee: Persecution of Pain Doctors in America, shines a light on systemic abuses, much like Orwell’s works laid bare the machinery of totalitarianism.
A Call to Arms and to Healing
The January 5th conference is not merely an event, it is a rallying cry. It aims to bring together physicians, patients, and advocates to broadcast the plight of pain management professionals and their patients. Dr. Salerian invites the community to join him in white, the color of the Hippocratic Spirit, at the Recognizing Silenced Heroes Conference and art exhibit at the Ritz Carlton, New Orleans, on January 5th and again in May 2025, for a symbolic march from his former office in Washington, D.C., to the Capitol.
This movement will culminate in a memorial service at the Armenian Church in honor of those lost, including the brave yet silenced heroes such as John Mirzak, Siobhan Reynolds, and Kevin Byers. As Orwell might observe, their voices, once muted, can still ignite change.
Carrying the Torch of Change
Dr. Salerian’s journey resonates deeply with Kahlo’s resilience and Orwell’s clarity. Kahlo said, “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” Dr. Salerian has endured immeasurable hardship, yet he continues to fight for justice. And as Orwell reminded us, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” By documenting the suffering of pain doctors and patients, Salerian ensures that history will not forget their sacrifices.
Join the Movement
On January 5th, 2025, let us honor the silenced heroes of medicine. Let us march together in May to Washington, D.C., in solidarity with those whose voices have been muted. Wear white to signify the purity of the Hippocratic Spirit and stand with Dr. Alen J. Salerian in demanding equal rights for pain and addiction.
As Kahlo said, “Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light.” Let us find strength in unity, light in our shared purpose, and resolve to end the persecution of those who dare to heal.
This is our moment. Let’s make history together.
The Author received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy where he utilized regional anesthesia and pain management to treat soldiers injured in combat at Walter Reed Hospital. The Author is passionate about medical research and biotechnological innovation in the fields of 3D printing, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
