You know there’s a better way to serve your patients… and you have more to contribute as a practitioner.

You became a clinician because you care about patients, and you’re committed to helping them lead healthy lives. You believe everyone deserves to successfully manage their pain.

But the more you learn about pain care, the more you realize the methods taught in school just aren’t cutting it.

You’ve dreamed of testing out new treatment interventions with your patients to help them better respond to their pain and strengthen their mind and body, but you’re a practitioner, not a full-time researcher.

You may have even looked into enrolling in a residency, fellowship, or PhD program so you could be properly credentialed. But it looked way too time-consuming, expensive, and constrictive. You don’t even want to think about how exhausting it would be to go back to school, take on more student debt, and cut back on (or quit) your hours as a clinician, with everything else going on in your life right now.

So instead, you settle for reading (boring) academic journals and articles, staying up-to-date on research, and taking (mediocre) CEUs.

But you still dream of a happy medium. You find yourself wishing for a roadmap for clinicians like you to transform their own ideas into new science-backed treatments that make a true difference for patients (all the while, developing a more successful practice).

  • Recognized

    Become a recognized expert in your niche

  • Transform

    Transform your idea into a science-backed treatment or protocol

  • Profitability

    Enhance your practice’s profitability and success

Envision a world where clinicians contribute to research and progress just as much as academics...if not more...

Practitioners like you are, quite literally, close to the pain. You see what your patients go through and struggle with, day to day.

You see what helps them and, on the flip side, what doesn’t.

If you could back up your clinical observations with data-backed research, you imagine that you could develop a unique protocol that could improve treatment outcomes and possibly even generate more revenue for your practice.

And you might not be allowing yourself to think this big yet, but there’s a part of you that also yearns to disrupt our broken healthcare system (or as I tend to think of it, our broken sick care system).

My name is Joe Tatta, PT, DPT and I once stood exactly where you stand now.

I had my own practice, and it was going alright. But I also knew there was more to physical therapy and pain care than I learned while earning my degree.

Humans are complex creatures, made of more than joints and muscles. We also have to consider our nutrition, mental health, spirituality, and so much more when it comes to managing pain.

I also suspected that, if I could take a more integrative approach then I could take my practice from surviving to thriving. Because when patients see results, they seek you out, stay loyal, refer their friends and leave excellent reviews.

You’re at the same crossroads I faced. So I invite you to imagine what your practice would look like if you could:

  • Assemble your own clinical toolkit of integrative modalities that could make a real difference for your patients — thinking outside the box of traditional therapies.
  • Develop and test your own clinical protocol, based on your clinical observations.
  • Position yourself as a niche expert by leveraging the success of your innovative approach, thereby standing out in a vast sea of DPTs and PhDs.
  • Market your unique therapeutic solution to customers and referral sources, creating a lucrative practice.
  • Be part of a movement for creating a new model for solving the world’s greatest healthcare challenges.
  • All without having to earn any more degrees or certifications… in just 3 months.

    • Breakthrough therapies like the ones you’re dreaming of have proven to be effective alternatives to opioids, surgery, and other potentially dangerous medications.

    When it comes to managing chronic pain, the future is now. Will you be part of the revolution?

Introducing the Pain Innovator Project

A guided program for practitioners to develop their own protocol

The Pain Innovator Project is a unique THINK TANK dedicated to helping practitioners like you develop clinical interventions that are integrative, scalable and applicable to the real world.

I developed this program because I believe that untapped insight and innovation exists within clinicians who lack access to expert mentors, proven systems, and a pathway to having their ideas be broadly accepted and implemented. 

The answers are inside you. And they’re too important to keep tucked away. It’s time to bring them to fruition.

Go from idea...to proof of concept...to implementation.

The Pain Innovator Project (PIP) will walk you through a proven, simple, step-by-step plan for making impact and income from what you’ve already learned in your clinical experience. The lessons from your practice are about to become your greatest asset - and your greatest legacy.

PIP will nurture your entrepreneurial, innovative spirit as you fast-track a new idea into a valuable real-world approach.

Led by world-class innovators and leaders in healthcare, it will help you clear systemic obstacles to innovation, develop new approaches to pain care, and generate impactful health outcomes for patients.

Step 1: Embrace Innovation

Learn how to think outside the box and analyze deeply, so you can creatively solve problems.

Every great invention required a rejection of the “same-old.” We didn’t get cars by trying to make horses faster.

Pain care is a rapidly-changing field, but the old ideas still have a grip on academia—and therefore, new clinicians are graduating with outdated mindsets. 

In PIP, you will be empowered to explore your own clinical ideas that can solve real-world problems your patients face. The program’s environment encourages you to take strategic risks in pursuit of growth, rather than perfection. You’ll discover the importance of trusting that your theories are worth pursuing.

Step 2: Develop a Clinical Protocol

Create an efficient and lucrative system to diagnose or treat a specific condition or patient population.

Who do you wish you could help? What protocol have you been dreaming about? Do you know the difference between a good idea and an opportunity? We will help you evaluate the real-world potential for your innovative idea. 

Once you are focused, you will clarify the concept into an intervention that you can test and prove.

Step 3: Test and Fine-Tune Your Protocol

Evaluate your treatment protocol to develop a scientific support.

You will source the evidence to assess the efficacy of your protocol. Then once you have the scientific data you need, you’ll put it to work as you systematize your method. Finally, it will be time to deliver it to the masses in an accessible format. Your very own revolutionary scientific approach will be able to make a difference for patients, create disruptive change in healthcare, position you as a leader, and help your practice become more profitable.

Rest assured, PIP is nothing like going back to school. 

  • You won’t be trapped in a traditional, restrictive academic environment. 
  • You won’t get bogged down by tens of thousands in student debt. 
  • You won’t have to put your clinical practice aside.

    Instead, you’ll receive the support, mentorship and affirmation you crave to be able to think independently and creatively. And you can go through the whole process in just 3 months for a fraction of the price of another degree. 

Course details

    1. Welcome to the Pain Innovator Project 💡

    2. Creativity Can't Be Forced

    3. Your Elusive Create Genius

About this course

  • $1,997.00
  • 3 lessons
  • 4 hours of video content

Translate your ideas into science-backed protocols designed to improve clinical practice, outcomes and profitability.

The Pain Innovator Project will lead you on an exciting journey of revolutionizing pain care, one novel protocol at a time. You will:

Change your thinking.

  • Gain clarity about how to develop your own protocol or approach, an often inscrutable process typically reserved for academics.
  • Transform your beliefs about what is possible in our field, so you begin to see opportunities everywhere.


Turn your idea into a science-backed protocol.

  • Identify an excellent opportunity for a protocol, with the guidance of the program’s mentors.
  • Experience a verified, peer-guided process that supports the credibility of your work, giving you the confidence to deliver it.
  • Discover a repeatable process you can leverage for future ideas. Innovation doesn’t stop here! This is just the beginning.


Be supported every step of the way.

  • Get one-on-one time with mentors who will champion and guide you, every step of the way.
  • Enjoy group support within a community of forward-thinking peers.


Experience career growth as an innovator and thought leader.

  • Continue practicing as you innovate, so you can keep making money and momentum in your career. No need to stop everything to get a terminal degree.
  • Establish yourself as an up-and-coming leader and niche expert, so you can attract patients, bring real-world value to your practice, and enhance your authority.
  • Step into next-level career development with a program unlike any other. Instead of passive learning, you’ll be taking ownership of the process. 
  • Take part in disrupting our inefficient healthcare system by finding your voice, conducting your own novel clinical investigation, and disseminating it.

Marlysa Sullivan, PT, DPT

Physical Therapist Coordinator for the Empower Veterans Program at the Veterans Health Administration

"Working with Joe is an invaluable personal and professional growth experience. His guidance inspired and deepened a mind-body program I've developed to address pain and PTSD at the Veterans Health Administration. Working with a skillful thought leader like Joe provides both depth of knowledge and practical understanding to help guide the process and problem-solve for success. Through his collaborative and innovative approach, he has encouraged my own creative thinking and for my own voice and perspective to become more clear."

Here's what you can expect when you enroll in the Pain Innovator Project...

PIP combines formal training with group support, one-on-one mentorship and guided action on your part.

From start to finish, the program will take three months to complete.


When you enroll, you will gain access to:

  • Kick-Off Training #1 - Where Innovation Begins: A comprehensive seminar and group training for 2 hours, taking place on August XX, so you understand the ins and outs of the program, as well as how to generate ideas and begin the innovation process.
  • 1 Mentorship Call: You will have the opportunity to spend dedicated time with the program’s leaders in one-on-one calls so you can refine all aspects of your plan and get your individual questions answered - one with me (Joe Tatta, PT, DPT,  Founder of the Integrative Pain Science Institute™) 
  • Training #2 - Develop Your Own Idea: A comprehensive 2-hour seminar and group training on how to create your own protocol or method and make sure everything is watertight as you begin to test it. Takes place on XX.
  • Development Period: You’ll have guided time to determine exactly what your therapeutic innovation will look like, as well as markers for success.
  • Training #3 - Testing Phase: A comprehensive 2-hour seminar and group training on how to test what you have created and source the data from your own practice and patients. This way, you can scientifically gauge the efficacy of your approach. Takes place on XX.
  • Record the Findings: You’ll focus on a subset of the data you collect to develop a compelling case study that showcases outcomes. This way, you can inspire other clinicians and also patients to engage with your protocol.
  • Presentation of Your Findings: Take to the (virtual) stage by presenting your case to your PIP peers and mentors in our think tank. Not only will you refine your presentation skills, but you’ll be ready to disseminate your findings broadly. Takes place on XX.
  • Peer-Reviewed Publication Opportunities: Get a head start on boosting your authority when you are featured and published author.
  • Transformation in Three Months: From start to finish, PIP will only take three months. You don’t have to disrupt your practice or your life. In fact, we see your clinical observations as one of your greatest assets, and the key to making your PIP experience a success.
  • Earn 10 CEUs: Invest in your ideas and your professional development while earning credit.

Your investment is value-packed...

An average year in a PhD program ranges from $20,000 for public schools to $60,000 for private schools.

But there’s also an enormous opportunity cost, considering you have to put your career as a practitioner on hold. 

In PIP, you never have to stop making money as a clinician, and you can bring your idea from your mind to real-life application in just three months. 

Plus, you’ll be able to position yourself as an expert authority and thought leader, bringing you more career opportunities and patients seeking you out. 

The enrollment cost in this program is easily worth tens of thousands. But we have made the deliberate choice to keep access to this program accessible and affordable—because we believe in the importance of bringing diverse thinkers to the table, as well as the power of disruptive clinical entrepreneurship.

Introducing your program mentors and facilitators...

The Pain Innovator Project is co-led by Dr. Kerstin Palombaro and Dr. Joe Tatta.

 When I went back to school for my transitional DPT, Kerstin was my Health and Wellness Promotion professor. At the end of that course, I had to complete a capstone project. At that time, it was the norm in PT programs to focus on exercise, but I had a strong interest in nutrition.

I went to Kerstin and said, “I have an idea. I’ve studied exercise and manual therapy, but I really want to investigate how nutrition alleviates pain.”

And to her great credit, she said, “I support you. Focus on that for your capstone.”

That set me down a path where I:

  • Integrated nutrition into physical therapy with my patients.
  • Achieved impressive patient outcomes and improved their pain management.
  • Explored additional integrative approaches to pain care, like sleep, stress reduction, mindfulness, etc.
  • Became a compassionate, curious practitioner, for the sake of my patients.
  • Ran a thriving, profitable, and full practice brimming with patients who were grateful for their impressive results.
  • Developed the nutrition care process for pain that is featured in my first book, Heal Your Pain Now and published in the Journal of Physical Therapy.
  • Developed the mindfulness and acceptance-based framework featured in my second book, Radical Relief
  • Founded the Integrative Pain Science Institute™, where I train practitioners to explore new approaches to pain care.
  • Stepped up as a thought leader and industry leader in pain care.


When I developed the Pain Innovator Project, I knew it was time for my professional relationship with Kerstin to come full-circle. I invited her to co-lead this program with me, so that you could gain the courage, confidence, and permission you need to step forward as an innovator and leader within the field of pain science.

Joe Tatta, PT, DPT, CNS

Founder of the Integrative Pain Science Institute™ (IPSI)

Joe is an innovator and leader in integrative pain care, as well as an advocate for the safe and effective treatment of chronic pain.

Through IPSI, he teaches courses and provides mentorship to practitioners who are interested in reinventing pain care through evidence-based treatment, research, and professional development.

Joe has supported people living with pain and helped practitioners deliver more effective pain management for 25 years. His research and career achievements include scalable practice models centered on lifestyle medicine, health behavior change, and digital therapeutics.

He earned his BS in physical therapy from SUNY Health Science Center and DPT from Arcadia University. He is also a Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy trainer. Joe is the author of two bestselling books and host of The Healing Pain Podcast. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at the Arcadia University DPT program.

Kerstin Palombaro, PT, PhD

Faculty at Widener University and Arcadia University

Kerstin has been practicing as a physical therapist and educator for 25 years, primarily in older adult and community health populations. She’s an innovator at heart.

She believes in the power of evidence-based, holistic practice to promote patients’ well-being through a range of interventions, including exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction.

In her vision for the physical therapy profession, clinicians develop and share innovative frameworks for the treatment of chronic pain to improve patient outcomes and reduce practitioner burnout.

She brings to the table research expertise, an innovative spirit, and mentorship skills that allow her to guide you to the next level of your career.

Kerstin received a BS in psychology from St. Joseph’s University, an MS in physical therapy from Columbia University, and a PhD in Physical Therapy from Temple University.

Both Kerstin and I have worked in healthcare, academic research and business environments. We will support you in determining how to conduct rapid research on developing your idea, preparing a protocol, and testing it in an evidence-based and science-backed method.

Feeling impostor syndrome? Here’s how you know the Pain Innovator Project is right for you...

You do not need a background in research or statistics to be a good fit for this program. You also don’t need to be a physical therapist. You simply need to be a licensed health professional.

What’s more important than your research chops is your mindset. If any of these apply to you, then you’re a good fit:

  • You might describe yourself as an outside-the-box thinker who comes up with creative ideas.
  • You are dissatisfied with the way healthcare is currently delivered.
  • You have a rebellious streak. When someone says “this is just the way it is,” you scrutinize whether that’s actually true.
  • You’re interested in research, but you’d rather not put the brakes on your clinical career to go back to school and stuff yourself into a restrictive academic setting.
  • You have a great idea for a therapeutic solution that you’d love to test and disseminate.
  • You’re interested in becoming a recognized, niche expert, so you can attract patients to your practice.
  • You want to be able to stand out from the crowd of practitioners through thought leadership.

FAQ

If you don't find the answer to your question here, please reach out using the 'support' link at the bottom of this page

  • Do I need to have a background in research, academics, or statistics?

    No! You simply need to be a practicing, licensed healthcare professional who is willing to try innovation.

  • Do I have to be a physical therapist to participate?

    No. Any licensed healthcare professional is a good fit, so long as they want to focus on a subspecialty area in pain management, lifestyle medicine, behavioral health, or health promotion.

  • When does the program start?

    The first day is January 22, 2022. Please block off the day on your calendar, because we will meet as a group for 5 hours.

  • How long does the program last?Three months, from start to finish. But if you fall behind we will see you through to the finish line.

    Three months, from start to finish. But if you fall behind we will see you through to the finish line.

  • What if my idea for a protocol doesn't pan out?

    You’ll have multiple meetings with Kerstin and me, as well as a chance to do some rapid testing, to make sure your idea has an excellent chance of being proven clinically successful. We will work with you to make sure you’re on track, from the get-go.

  • What interaction do I get with the group and mentors?

    PIP incorporates both group sessions and one-on-one meetings with each instructor. Plus, you’ll have a chance to present your findings to your cohort and learn about their own research.

  • Is enrolment limited to a certain number of people?

    Yes, enrollment is limited to 20 participants, so we can ensure everyone receives ample individual attention and support. Plus with a small group, you’ll have a chance to network with your fellow practitioners.

  • What is the cost to join?

    Your investment is $1,997. When you compare that with a year in a graduate degree program—as well as the opportunity cost you’ll earn back since you won’t have to stop your clinical career—we hope you’ll see the immense value in this program.

Fast-track innovation, patient outcomes and your career.

The Pain Innovator Project is a call-to-action for the licensed healthcare professionals who will develop the next generation of therapeutic interventions.

The proven PIP method of training and mentorship supports you as you cultivate your own ideas, develop a unique and science-backed approach, and then transform them into useful applications across multiple practice settings and specialties. 

Envision with us a healthcare system that incorporates improved personalization, quality, equity, outcomes, and efficiency. Be part of that change. And use your innovative approach as a launchpad for your practice and your career.


We're calling you. Are you ready to take the leap?

ENROLL IN THE PAIN INNOVATOR PROJECT THINK TANK TODAY

ENROLL HERE