NCCIH Research Blog

NCCIH has planned a variety of activities around the 2019 American Pain Society (APS) Scientific Meeting from Wednesday, April 3 to Saturday, April 6, 2019, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NCCIH staff members are excited to share the latest developments in our pain research portfolio through panels, lectures, and more. The theme of this year’s meeting, “Combating the Opioid Epidemic Through Innovations in the Treatment of Pain,” aligns with an aggressive, transagency effort in which NCCIH is involved to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. This effort is better known as the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term^SM) Initiative, and we look forward to sharing more about this important endeavor. Please note the APS Scientific Meeting requires paid registration.

On Wednesday, April 3, several NCCIH staff will participate in the premeeting Early Career Forum. This year’s forum was planned by Dr. Lanay Mudd, NCCIH training officer, and Dr. Ashlee Tipton, NCCIH scientific review officer, together with an APS planning committee. Dr. Mudd and Dr. Tipton will lead a session titled “The Life of an NIH Grant: Developing and Submitting an NIH Application.” In addition, other NCCIH staff members will be involved in a mock study section, an NIH grant roundtable, and a panel on nonacademic career opportunities. Visit the APS website to learn more about the Early Career Forum; note that it requires an additional fee.

The meeting will kick off on Thursday, April 4 with a plenary lecture given by Dr. Helene M. Langevin, NCCIH Director, titled “Putting Brain and Body Back Together in Pain Research.” This presentation will explore ways in which the brain and body interact and opportunities these linkages provide for the treatment of pain. Dr. Langevin will then participate in a question-and-answer session with Dr. Bob Coghill from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital at 11:45 a.m. in the Learning Lounge. In the afternoon, Dr. Inna Belfer, a program director in the NCCIH Division of Extramural Research (DER), will give a presentation titled “Personalized Approach to Pain Management” during the Pain and Genetics and Ethics Special Interest Groups meeting. In addition, Dr. Lauren Atlas, principal investigator in the NCCIH Division of Intramural Research, will participate in a session titled “Patient-Centered Opioid Tapering: Translating the Science of Placebo and Nocebo for Pain Relief and Successful Opioid Reduction.” Finally, Dr. Dave Clark, an NCCIH DER program director, will take part in a session about the National Institutes of Health–Department of Defense–Department of Veterans Affairs (NIH-DoD-VA) Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC), an initiative that supports pragmatic clinical trials of nonpharmacologic approaches for chronic pain management in military service members and veterans.

On Friday morning, NCCIH and the National Institute on Aging will give 10-minute informative talks in the Learning Lounge highlighting organizational priorities and objectives. In the afternoon, Dr. Clark will participate in the VA/DoD Special Interest Group meeting alongside two PMC grantees. NCCIH is also sponsoring a session titled “Novel Complementary Interventions: Controlling Pain Through Vision, Audition, and Touch” at which Dr. Catherine Bushnell, NCCIH Scientific Director, will speak. Finally, in keeping with the theme of this year’s APS meeting, Dr. Wen Chen of NCCIH DER will present about the NIH HEAL Initiative during the Psychosocial Research Special Interest Group meeting taking place on Friday afternoon.

Join NCCIH on the last day of the meeting as Dr. Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, gives a closing plenary lecture titled “How the NIH HEAL Initiative Will Advance Pain Research To Address the Crises of Opioids and Chronic Pain.” The meeting will conclude with a HEAL Initiative update.

In addition to all these activities, NCCIH will host an exhibit (booth #301) where meeting attendees can meet program and scientific review officers, as well as learn more about NCCIH resources. For a complete schedule of events, visit the APS website. We are excited to have a significant presence at this important pain science meeting and hope to connect with those in attendance.

[Ed. Note: This version reflects updates to the meeting schedule.]