Pain continues to be a significant health care problem because of its prevalence, its impact on those
who suffer, and the absence of consistently effective therapeutic options devoid of deleterious
consequences. These issues will only be compounded with the aging of the US population and the
increased incidence of pain in those over 60 years old. Any progress in addressing this growing problem
will take a concerted effort from the basic scientists struggling to understand pain mechanisms to the
clinicians struggling to manage pain in their patients with limited tools and resources. It will also take a
sustained effort that includes those already working to address this problem, as well as subsequent
generations of pain scientists. The US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) was formed to address
these issues and continues to develop ways of doing so. One of their solutions is an annual scientific
meeting organized to facilitate career development and mentoring of pain scientists and health care
providers with a focus on early career scholars, facilitate dialog among pain scientists and clinicians
within and between disciplines or areas of study, and disseminate important research findings. To
maximize the impact of efforts to achieve these goals, the USASP and the scientific meeting are
organized around principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, where all interested in addressing the
complex problem of pain are welcomed to participate. The present application is to secure support for
trainees to attend the USASP annual scientific meetings from 2022 to 2026, starting with the May, 2022
meeting in Cincinnati, OH. Consistent with the broader goals of the USASP for the scientific meeting, the
Specific Aims of this proposal are to 1) Provide a national forum for conference attendees to discuss pain
research findings that shape the direction of the field, 2) Foster interdisciplinary dialogue and
collaboration between researchers representing multiple pain science disciplines in to develop
innovative translational strategies to address current challenges in pain research, and 3) Enhance
communication between pain science stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, clinicians, and patients)
and both junior and senior researchers to provide mentoring and build bridges between different pain
science communities. As the connections made early in a career pay dividends over the long term, yearly
support for 31 trainees to participate in these conferences will provide a foundation for safe and
effective pain management in the future.