HEAL Initiative Partnerships to Advance INterdisciplinary (PAIN) Training in Clinical Pain Research: The HEAL PAIN Cohort Program (T90/R90 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

To bolster the dwindling clinical pain research workforce, the NIH HEAL Initiative® Partnership to Advance INterdisciplinary (PAIN) Training in Clinical Pain Research (the HEAL PAIN Cohort Program) will support interdisciplinary postdoctoral training to promote the next generation of independent clinical pain researchers. The HEAL PAIN Cohort Program, will fund up to four T90/R90 institutional postdoctoral training programs in clinical pain research, and foster a cohort experience among programs at different institutions through the HEAL R24 Coordinating Center for National Pain Scientists. The T90/R90 mechanism is a Kirschstein-NRSA institutional training program designed to support interdisciplinary research. The T90/R90 Trainees/Participants must be in a clinical program or demonstrate an interest in clinical pain research. Each T90/R90 program must propose a partnership between two or more departments/colleges within a single institution. T90/R90 training centers should identify at least two research focus areas that align with HEAL’s content areas. Program mentors will be expected to provide training in clinical pain research and in one or more fields that have not traditionally been represented in pain research (e.g., engineering; social sciences; epidemiology; anthropology; biostatistics; computer sciences; demography; bioengineering; addiction medicine; public health; or mental health/behavioral health), with the aim of broadening the foci of clinical pain research training. Appropriate Trainees/Participants include postdoctoral pain research fellows who either have a clinical degree or those who are interested in conducting clinical pain research.