Saturday, November 26, 2022
11/26/2022
ABSTRACT The United States faces a crisis due to the high prevalence of chronic pain and associated opioid use disorder and overdose deaths. This crisis highlights the need for advanced and cross-disciplinary pain science training in our emerging basic and clinical scientists. Thus, the goal of our training program is to enable a new generation of young investigators with the expertise necessary to make substantial impact on pain science and treatment. This application seeks renewal of funding for an Interdisciplinary Training Program in Pain Research at the University of Iowa, requesting support for two predoctoral and two postdoctoral trainees for this award period. The program has been highly successful during its 15 years of funding, providing training to pre- and postdoctoral fellows of exemplary quality that have gone on to develop strong independent research careers in pain research and are actively involved in pain societies world-wide. The program will continue to provide basic training in the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie acute and chronic pain, as well as translational and clinical pain research. The 23 faculty of our multidisciplinary training program is a balanced representation of basic scientists, translational and clinical scientists from 12 departments and programs across 4 colleges at the University of Iowa. Our clinical trainers include faculty with expertise in medicine, physical therapy, and nursing, with strong emphasis on non-pharmacological approaches to pain management. Our more senior trainers with strong record of training both predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows will also be responsible for mentoring junior trainers. The training program provides a highly structured and diverse program of didactic coursework, including monthly seminars, weekly journal clubs and work-in-progress meetings, that is coupled with research training in a highly collaborative and interactive environment. In the next funding period, we propose to add several new features to the program that are aimed at strengthening training in rigor and reproducibility, at enhancing quantitative literacy and competence in biostatistics, and at expanding experience-based learning in basic, translational and clinical pain research. The specific goals of the proposed training program are to: (1) assist trainees in developing an individualized curriculum that provides a solid knowledge base in pain science appropriate to their career goals; (2) provide formal instruction in rigor and reproducibility in biomedical pain research, including working knowledge in biostatistics and quantitative approaches; (3) provide rigorous training in the elements of scientific investigation including the formulation of research hypotheses, experimental design and analysis; (4) assist trainees in developing their written and verbal scientific communication skills; (5) enable trainees to interact and collaborate with basic and clinical pain researchers both within and outside the institution. It is expected that the trainees in this program will acquire the knowledge, experience, and skill sets necessary for successful transition to an independent research career in academia, industry or government.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
