Training the Next Generation of Researchers in HEAL

PURPOSE Network

In 2022, the NIH HEAL Initiative established the Positively Uniting Researchers of Pain to Opine, Synthesize, & Engage (PURPOSE) network that seeks to connect all NIH-funded pain researchers. Its coordinating center connects pain researchers across the continuum of pain research, from all disciplines, and at all career stages. The network’s goals are to (1) enhance innovation, relevance, and practical application of pain management research, and (2) increase communication among pain researchers across all disciplines.

The PURPOSE Network:

• Established and runs a digital networking platform
• Organizes and runs an annual meeting
• Builds community across different areas of pain research (like basic, translational, and clinical areas)
• Offers ongoing webinars and trainings
  • For example, there is a monthly “Get to know your IC webinar” where NIH Program Officers from NIH Institutes discuss the type of pain research they fund and answer questions.
• Delivers weekly digests
• Enhances collaborations across research areas when pain researchers are developing grant applications
• Supports informal mentoring networks
• Puts information about funding announcements, job opportunities, existing trainings, and lists of conferences in one place
• Creates a space for pain research networks and organizations to communicate with one another, share information, schedule events, etc.

Who should join the PURPOSE network?

• All NIH-funded pain researchers
• Pain researchers interested in applying for an NIH grant
• People with lived experience with pain engaged in research, or who are interested in becoming involved in pain research

Learn more and join the network.

Funded Institution and Location
Neurovations Education, Inc. – California

HEAL National K12 Clinical Pain Career Development Award (HEAL K12)

The NIH HEAL Initiative established the HEAL National K12 opportunity within the HEAL training program in 2022 to support early-career pain management researchers to ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained clinician-scientists is available to expand and enhance the clinical pain management workforce. The awards aim to create a structured mentorship and career development program. They are intended for researchers who may not be ready for a traditional career development (K) award or independent research (R) award, come from institutional environments that cannot adequately support their career and/or research objectives, and/or are unable to form a mentoring team that would make them competitive for a training or independent research award in clinical pain research. The primary goals of the HEAL National K12 program include:

1. Training and Mentorship: This award provides comprehensive training and mentorship to early-stage investigators to develop the skills and knowledge they need to conduct high-impact research in pain and other chronic health conditions.
2. Fostering Multidisciplinary Research: The award encourages multidisciplinary research approaches that integrate different fields, such as neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, and clinical practice, to address the complex issues associated with pain and co-occurring health conditions.
3. Promoting Innovative Research: The award supports innovative and translational research projects that can lead to new treatments, interventions, and strategies for management of pain and other health conditions.
4. Building a Collaborative Research Community: The award creates opportunities for networking and collaboration among HEAL National K12 scholars, mentors, and other researchers within the HEAL Initiative and beyond, to enhance the impact of their research.
5. Advancing Health Equity: The award ensures that research supported by the HEAL National K12 opportunity addresses health disparities and promotes equity in pain management and addiction treatment, particularly in underserved communities.

If you are interested in applying to become a HEAL National K12 scholar, please contact [email protected] or check out the HEAL National K12 website.

Funded Institution and Location
University of Michigan – Michigan

HEAL Initiative Partnerships to Advance INterdisciplinary (PAIN) Training in Clinical Pain Research: The HEAL PAIN Cohort Program

The NIH HEAL Initiative launched the HEAL PAIN Cohort Program in 2024 to support interdisciplinary postdoctoral training and promote the next generation of independent clinical pain researchers. HEAL has funded 6 institutional training programs in clinical pain research to foster a cohort experience among programs at different institutions through the PURPOSE network. The T90/R90 mechanism is a Kirschstein-National Research Service Award (NRSA) institutional training program designed to support interdisciplinary research. Each center had to propose a partnership between two or more departments/colleges within their institution 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, demography, bioengineering, addiction medicine, public health, or mental health/behavioral health). This approach seeks to broaden the focus of clinical pain research training. The program provides rigorous training for post-doctoral pain researchers (i.e., those who have a clinical degree or researchers who are interested in conducting clinical pain research), thereby supporting the next generation of independent, tenure-track researchers.

If you are interested in applying to one of the funded training centers as a post-doctoral fellow, please contact the lead principal investigator located under the funded institution section. More information about each center is available here.

Funded Institutions and Locations 
University of Florida – Florida – Dr. Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
University of Michigan – Michigan – Dr. Daniel Clauw
Washington University – Missouri – Dr. Burel Goodin
Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Massachusetts – Dr. Robert Edwards
Stanford University – California – Dr. Laura Simons
University of Utah – Utah – Dr. Julie Fritz

HEAL Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral-to-Independent Career Transition Award in PAIN and SUD Research (HEAL K99/R00)

RFA-NS-22-022 | RFA-NS-22-023 | RFA-NS-22-024 | RFA-NS-22-025

The NIH HEAL Initiative began supporting the HEAL K99/R00 awards for postdoctoral researchers in 2022. The HEAL K99/R00 aims to support a cohort of new and well-trained independent investigators conducting pain and/or substance use disorder research. The goal is to increase the number and diversity of independent investigators in research areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative. The K99/R00 mechanism is meant to help postdoctoral researchers complete needed, mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. K99/R00 awards are meant to support the development of an innovative, independent research program that will be competitive for subsequent independent funding and will help advance the mission of NIH. Since 2022, HEAL has funded seven K99/R00 Fellows. Read about the first cohort.

Additional information can be found here and here.

Individuals may be eligible to apply for the HEAL K99/R00 award if:

• They are within the first 48 months of their postdoctoral training and have never held an independent faculty position.
• They require 1-2 years of additional mentored training before applying for an independent faculty position.
• They are a clinical faculty member who does not hold an independent research faculty position. For more than 1-2 years of training, clinicians may also consider the HEAL K08 or K23 mechanisms below.

If you have questions about this funding opportunity related to a Pain application, please contact DP Mohapatra ([email protected]) or Elizabeth Sypek ([email protected]). For OUD/SUD applications, please contact Lindsey Friend ([email protected])

NIH HEAL Initiative PainCare Clinician Training Program (PCTP): Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Awards and Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (HEAL K08 & K23)

PAR-24-217 | PAR-24-218 | PAR-24-219 | PAR-24-220

The NIH HEAL Initiative launched the HEAL Initiative PainCare Clinician Training Program (PCTP) in 2024. This program supports the career development of individuals with clinical doctoral degrees in their early-career phase to create a group of new and well-trained, independent pain investigators. The program will provide NIH research support to help recipients establish independent research programs in areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative’s clinical pain management research programs.

How to decide if you should apply to the K08 versus the K23 awards?

• K08: If you are a clinician and you are doing basic research, you may be eligible for a K08 award.
• K23: If you are a clinician and you interact directly with patients for your research, you may be eligible for the K23 award. (PAR-24-220)

The HEAL PCTP awards may prioritize applications proposing research on cross-cutting topics that include research areas across multiple NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) and research that may not fit into one specific IC’s mission. If you would like to apply for this mechanism, please first contact the IC you are considering to determine if your proposed aims would be considered appropriate for funding within this IC. If the IC(s) indicate that your proposed research does not fall within their mission, please reach out to the HEAL PCTP contacts below.

For frequently asked questions about the HEAL PCTP program, please read our FAQs.

If you have questions about this funding opportunity, please contact Laura Wandner ([email protected]) or Elizabeth Sypek ([email protected]).

Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research

PA-23-189 | NOT-NS-24-085

Several challenges make it difficult for scientists, engineers, and clinicians to begin working in the pain and addiction research fields. Strengthening system capacity by investing in training the next generation of researchers to do this work is essential to ensuring that people living with pain and substance use disorders have access to safe and effective evidence-based treatments. The HEAL Diversity Supplements enable existing HEAL-funded research teams to recruit diverse individuals (from high-school level through early-career level) into their research programs to contribute to the aims of the parent project. Diverse candidates are expected to pursue a research project within the scope of the parent grant to gain scientific research experience in pain and substance use disorder or both, and to participate in career-development activities to advance to the next stage in their research career.

For additional guidance on preparing your application, please review our Applicant Guidance.

If you have questions about this funding opportunity for pain research, please contact Eric Hudak ([email protected]). For SUD research, please contact Angela Homes ([email protected]).

NIH HEAL Initiative: Pain Research Enhancement Program (PREP) (R15 Clinical Trial Optional)

RFA-AT-25-001

The purpose of this NIH HEAL Initiative program is to:

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

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

Read the Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about this funding opportunity.

If you have questions about this funding opportunity, please contact Alex Tuttle ([email protected])