The U.S. Pain Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering, educating, and advocating for people with lived experience of pain. Every November, they run an educational campaign called KNOWvember that centers on a different theme each year. 

This year’s theme is pain research, and the need for greater public awareness is clear. In a recent U.S. Pain Foundation survey, 70% of respondents reported not knowing that pain research is actively happening. We are excited to share that USASP is partnering with the U.S. Pain Foundation to help change that.

How can I contribute?

 As part of this partnership, USASP is inviting members to share a brief, plain-language video describing their research to help the public better understand the important work being done in the pain field. Participation is completely voluntary, and we would be deeply grateful for your involvement. All USASP members - across research areas, disciplines, and training levels - are encouraged to participate.

You can contribute in one of two easy ways:

• 🎥 Submit a short 1-2 minute self-recorded video (upload via Google Drive in portrait mode, .mp4 or .mov format)

• 💬 Schedule a brief Zoom recording session with USASP staff to record your video (schedule a 10-minute meeting through Calendly)

Parameters

The video should be 1-2 minutes long and answer the following questions:

1. What is your name & where do you work?

2. Briefly describe your current research project (to a lay audience).

3. How do you hope your research will help people living with pain?

   
   

Because these videos will be shared with a non-technical audience, we highly encourage plain language communication in your video, such as avoiding jargon, focusing on the big picture, and using accessible terms (e.g., use vs. utilized, new treatments vs. novel therapeutics). For more tips on plain language communication, please see the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Communication Toolkit. 

Your video will be posted on the U.S. Pain Foundation’s website and social media accounts throughout November. 

Your voice can make a real difference in showing the public that pain research is active, vibrant, and full of promise. If you have any questions, you can contact Janelle at janelleletzen@usasp.org.

Thank you for helping advance this important effort!