Announcements

Expanding the Horizon in Pain Research

Director's Message from Helene M. Langevin, M.D. October 29, 2024 Research on pain is a top priority for the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), reflecting our extensive efforts and broad interdisciplinary collaborations within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), catalyzed by the Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®. I’m proud to be part of a scientific community dedicated to finding answers for those who struggle with chronic pain, though much work remains. Â

Know the Science of Complementary Health Approaches

October 2024 Clinical Digest It’s important for patients to know the science of health. As you know, there is a lot of inaccurate or misleading information circulating about health—from anecdotes disguised as evidence to excessive claims made by supplement manufacturers to TV doctors touting the latest “miracle cure.” Reliable health information is key to making good health decisions, but it can be difficult to tell the difference between facts and myths, particularly in the area of complementary and integrative health approaches. Â

Resources for Researchers

New Funding Opportunities

• Announcement of Childcare Costs for Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Programs F99 Recipients
• Innovation Corps (I-Corps ^TM ) at NIH Program for NIH and CDC Translational Research (Admin Supp Clinical Trial NOT Allowed)
• Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplement for Research and Capacity Building Efforts Related to Bioethical Issues (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
• BRAIN Initiative: Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization- Next Generation Sensor Technology Development (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Innovation Corps (I-Corps ^TM ) at NIH Program for NIH and CDC Translational Research (Admin Supp Clinical Trial NOT Allowed)
• TMD Collaborative for IMproving PAtient-Centered Translational Research (TMD IMPACT) (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Notice of Participation of NCCIH in NOT-ES-24-002, "Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Innovative Technologies for Research on Climate Change and Human Health"

 

Developing HEAL Pain Strategic Research Priorities Workshop Series

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term^® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative^®, is an NIH-wide effort that seeks to speed scientific solutions to the overdose epidemic, including opioid and stimulant use disorders, and the crisis of chronic pain. NIH HEAL Initiative research aims to reduce pain and the risk of opioid use disorder by developing safe and effective pain treatment and prevention strategies to improve quality of life for all people.

To date, the NIH HEAL Initiative has supported over 1,800 research projects in all 50 states, totaling over $3 billion of investment. Now in its sixth year of funding, NIH is building upon the progress HEAL has made to date by developing a strategic plan to guide the next phase of the initiative.

To inform this process, a Working Group of the NINDS Advisory Council is developing recommendations for strategic research priorities that will advance the mission of HEAL pain research. As part of this process, seven subcommittees have formed around different focus areas of HEAL pain research. Each subcommittee is hosting virtual workshops to feature expert presentations and discussion in an open forum that will advance the understanding and knowledge within each focus area and will help each subcommittee develop research priorities. These workshops will complement other methods to get input from the community, such as through the prior Request for Information.

• Biomarkers and Predictors - November 6, 2024
• Non-addictive Pain Therapeutics Development - November 15, 2024
• Research Workforce and Training - November 18, 2024
• Implementation and Health Services - November 19, 2024
• Optimizing Interventions To Improve Pain Management - November 25, 2024 (Tentative)
• The Intersection of Pain and SUD - December 2, 2024
• Health Equity and Pain Across the Life Course - December 6, 2024

Upcoming Events

NCCIH 25th Anniversary Celebration: Exploring the Impact of Whole Person Health

December 2, 2024, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. ET; Virtual or Lipsett Amphitheater; Building 10; NIH Campus The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) will host a half-day symposium, “Exploring the Impact of Whole Person Health,” to celebrate the Center’s 25th anniversary on Monday, December 2, 2024. The event will feature a Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary Therapies by Patricia M. Herman, N.D., Ph.D., titled “The Economic Impact of Whole Person Health.”  In addition, there will be two sessions considering real-world models of the impact of whole person health care: “The Potential Clinical Impact of Whole Person Health” and “The Challenges and Promise of Whole Person Health Research.” We welcome researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the general public to join us for the symposium. A reception will follow the symposium. Please register to attend.  This event is partially supported by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health with a generous gift from Bernard and Barbro Osher. Â

In case you missed it...

View the Recording of an Information Session on HEAL Initiative: Pain Research Enhancement Program

View the recording of an information session held on September 30, 2024. The event was hosted by the RAND REACH Center.

The purpose of this initiative is to: 

1. Support basic and mechanistic pain research from R15-eligible undergraduate-focused serving institutions, health professional schools, or graduate schools; 
2. Promote integrated, interdisciplinary research partnerships between principal investigators (PIs) from R15-eligible institutions and investigators from U.S. domestic institutions; and 
3. Enhance the pain research environment at R15-eligible institutions for health professional students, undergraduate students, and/or graduate students through active engagement in pain research.

HEAL Initiative: Pain Research Enhancement Program (PREP) (R15 Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-AT-25-001

The application receipt dates are November 19, 2024; October 28, 2025; and October 27, 2026.