Interdisciplinary Research Training in Pain and/or Substance Use Disorders

Project Summary/Abstract: This competing application seeks an additional five years (Years 11-15) of support for a postdoctoral research training program in pain and substance use disorders (SUDs). The magnitude of these two problems in the United States is astounding. Over 100 million Americans have pain that persists for weeks to years, and over 20 million meet the diagnostic criteria for a SUD, costing our country over $1 trillion annually. Contemporary neurobiological, psychological, and epidemiologic research, as well as the tragic experience of the opioid addiction epidemic show a clear intersection of pain and SUDs. Two of the National Academy of Medicine Relieving Pain in America committee’s recommendations for improving research at a national level are to (1) increase support for interdisciplinary research in pain and (2) increase the training of pain researchers. Similarly, the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative has called for increased training of multidisciplinary researchers in SUDs, pain, and their intersection. Our proposal describes a collaborative, interdisciplinary postdoctoral (PhD, MD/PhD, and MD) training program that will produce diverse scientists with a rigorous grounding in pain and SUD research. We request support for 10 postdoctoral fellows. The fellowship typically lasts 2 years for PhDs and 3 years for MDs seeking a robust research foundation. The 23 accomplished faculty mentors are committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and team-based mentorship across their substantive areas of expertise, which range from cells to society. Specific faculty expertise and training opportunities include molecular and cellular biology, optogenetics, electrophysiology, genetics, cognitive neurosciences, psychology, neuroimaging, data sciences, epidemiology, health policy, and economics of pain and SUDs. The training program, housed in the Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, develops postdoctoral trainees’ skills to prepare them to become independent investigators in the fields of pain and SUDs. The training program includes required and elective coursework, mentored research experiences, an individual integrated research project, seminars, and professional development, including grant and manuscript writing. The training program will continue to be led by Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, in collaboration with a steering committee comprising senior scientists/mentors and a faculty leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This team will oversee the program's recruitment, training, scientific, and administrative aspects, including a rigorous internal and external evaluation process. In summary, this training program will bring together a diverse and talented group of postdoctoral trainees, an accomplished team of interdisciplinary mentors, an effective administrative structure, and a world-class research environment at Stanford University. The combination of talent and environment will launch the next generation of independent investigators dedicated to pain and SUD discovery research and clinical translation.