Past Events

It can be tempting to move rapidly through the developmental stages of intervention development to begin asking efficacy questions. But early activities—piloting intervention strategies and study logistics, gathering information about feasibility and acceptability, and gathering feedback and making iterative refinements—produce highly valuable information for the scientific community and are critical for efficiently constructing an intervention that is effective and valued by its target audience. Dr. Fanning will discuss several frameworks that guide the iterative refinement and optimization of health behavior interventions, illustrated using his own experiences in user-centered design and iterative refinement.

Becoming a productive scientific writer is critical to a successful career as a pain scientist.Yet, many of us find it difficult to develop and/or sustain this skill. A key tenet of this Webinar is that scientific writing is a habit that can be learned just like any other habit. In this webinar, pain scientists who are at varied career stages will share strategies that they have used to be successful in nurturing their writing. The presenters will discuss lessons learned, highlighting both challenges to writing (e.g. work/life demands) and ways to address these challenges and create a regular writing habit.

This 1-hour webinar on Wednesday, January 29th (12 pm EST) explored current directions in the treatment of Pain and Opioid Use Disorder. 

Dr. MacLean will present on innovative and emerging approaches for chronic pain and addiction treatment with a focus on flexible treatment options that increase access and engagement in evidence-based care. Dr. Garland will discuss the outcomes and biobehavioral mechanisms of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), an evidence-based intervention for chronic pain, opioid misuse, and opioid use disorder. Registrants are encouraged to submit questions for the speakers before the webinar to ensure they are answered during the discussion.

Join us for an informative session on fMRI methods and using pain & sensory stimulation in the MRI scanner environment. This town hall will feature presentations from leading experts, who will share practical knowledge that you can apply in your research. Dr. Daniel Harper (Emory) will share insights on QST Labs and Medoc equipment with a focus on the specific equipment models needed and how to set it up and optimal use in the scanner environment; Drs. Dario Pfyffer and Merve Kaptan (Stanford University) will discuss other modalities in the scanner environment, such as fully automated cold pressor, TS, and mechanical pressure pain; Dr. Arvina Grahl (Harvard University) will share insights on how to assess responses to pain stimuli using pressure cuffs in a scanner. Dr. Massieh Moayedi (University of Toronto) is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Pain NeuroImaging. He has published extensively in pain neuroimaging, using multiple stimulation devices and brain imaging modalities.

Link to include for members to access the recording: https://usasp.memberclicks.net/video--weaving-pain-research-into-the-clinic

The purpose of this webinar is to provide audience members with “behind the scenes” information about NIH grant review. It will include an overview of the personnel and steps involved in grant review, insights into factors that are/are not in the applicant’s control, general perspectives on what has made applicants successful in the past, and thoughts on unexpected aspects of NIH grant review.

The focus of this event was how to meaningfully engage minoritized people with lived experience of pain in research. This includes establishing true community partnerships, avoiding tokenizing, giving back to communities, enrolling, and retaining them in research.

Dr. Staja “Star” Booker, PhD, RN

JoTerrica “Jo” Cross, DSW Candidate, MSW

Regina Greer-Smith, MPH, LFACHE

Nicholas Bush, MS

Deondra Asike, MD

Dr. Joao De Aquino, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine

Members can watch recordings from the Annual Meeting in Seattle here:

A 1 hour webinar that explores current directions in the field of pain and trauma, as well as a discussion of where the field is going. The speakers, Drs. Anna Hood and Melanie Noel, will present on their current research and will lead a discussion with questions from audience members.

Dr. Anna Hood, PhD

Dr. Melanie Noel, PhD

The webinar focused on skills and tips for negotiating academic job offers in the early- through mid-career stages. The speakers, Drs. Burel Goodin and Jessica Merlin, had substantial experience in this area.

Dr. Burel Goodin, PhD

Dr. Jessica Merlin, MD

The USASP Juneteenth Seminar to learn and discuss the complex history of clinical research in marginalized communities, including past lessons and future opportunities. This webinar will also foster an open discussion on proactive strategies for greater inclusivity in pain research, particularly pertaining to recruitment, engagement and retention of marginalized individuals in clinical studies.

Dr. Anna Hood, PhD

Dr. Jonathan Jackson, PhD

Cassandra Trimnell