Advocacy
Adopted July 21, 2020.


Throughout November - want to make a difference by helping more people understand and trust pain research?
Then we'd love for you to submit a brief video about your work for KNOWvember!
What is KNOWvember?
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:
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🎥 Submit a short 1-2 minute self-recorded video (upload via Google Drive in portrait mode, .mp4 or .mov format)
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💬 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:
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What is your name & where do you work?
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Briefly describe your current research project (to a lay audience).
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How do you hope your research will help people living with pain?
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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!
What can YOU do to make a difference right now?
Crafting Your Message
Feel free to use the materials provided at the bottom of this page to craft your message (i.e. email, phone call).
Below are a few suggestions for current topics to address in your message to local and state representatives.
Pro Tip: Make it personal
Feel free to use the materials provided at the bottom of this page to craft your message (i.e. email, phone call).
Below are a few suggestions for current topics to address in your message to local and state representatives.
ProTip: Make it personal
Crafting Your Message
Cuts to NIH
Cuts to NIH will devastate the health science community and infrastructure, particularly support for pain research which is a disabling factor in almost every disease/illness/disorder and therefore crosses every institute
NIH infrastructure
Due to its complexity and need for input and expertise from multiple institutes, the NIH infrastructure is critical to continuing to build historically under-funded pain research and advance our knowledge and treatments to address the disabling and costly problem of chronic pain
HEAL Initiative
The HEAL Initiative, started in 2018, has expanded funding, improved our knowledge, and addressed the urgent need for non-opioid and non-pharmacological treatments for pain in just 8 years. Maintain this line item in the FY 2026 NIH budget at the FY2025 level ($640M)
Cuts to indirect costs
The proposed cuts to indirect costs will devastate research institutions, local economies, and employment throughout the US
Trainees
NIH, NSF, and VA funds for training to encourage the best of the next generation to pursue science and health careers in the US rather than alternative careers (finance or business) or leaving the US
Possible topics to address in your message
Webinars & Trainings
Op-Eds by Members
What Medicaid Cuts Mean for Chronic Pain— Untreated childhood pain follows to adulthood by Monica L. Gremillion, PhD, Jacqueline N. Warner, PhD, and Jocelyn Gomez, PsyD (May 29, 2025)
What's Lost if We 'Play the Game' to Get Research Funding?
— Our journey to understand and treat childhood pain in a new reality by Sarah Nelson, PhD, and Natoshia R. Cunningham, PhD (May 17, 2025)
Trump is cutting research that helps Americans deal with severe pain | Opinion By Juan M. Hincapie-Castillo (April 10, 2025)
What can you do to make a difference right now?
Find your Representatives
Enter your ZIP code to find your federal and state representatives. Make sure you check to ensure your home address is in the district, click the “contact” link, and send each person an email.
Craft your Message
Feel free to use the materials provided at the bottom of this page to craft your message (i.e. email, phone call). Here are a few suggestions for current topics to address in your message to local and state representatives. Pro Tip: Make it personal!
Possible Topics to Address
Cuts to NIH will devastate the health science community and infrastructure, particularly support for pain research which is a disabling factor in almost every disease/illness/disorder and therefore crosses every institute.
READ ARTICLE
NIH Infrastructure
Due to its complexity and need for input and expertise from multiple institutes, the NIH infrastructure is critical to continuing to build historically under-funded pain research and advance our knowledge and treatments to address the disabling and costly problem of chronic pain.
April 2024
The HEAL Initiative
The HEAL Initiative, started in 2018, has expanded funding, improved our knowledge, and addressed the urgent need for non-opioid and non-pharmacological treatments for pain in just 8 years. Maintain this line item in the FY 2026 NIH budget at the FY2025 level ($640M).
April 2024
Cuts to Indirect Costs
The proposed cuts to indirect costs will devastate research institutions, local economies, and employment throughout the US.
April 2024
NIH, NSF, and VA funds for training to encourage the best of the next generation to pursue science and health careers in the US rather than alternative careers (finance or business) or leaving the US.
April 2024
Webinars and Trainings
Participation in virtual hill visits with the Senate Appropriations Committee and House Labor-HHS Subcommittee about the importance of funding NIH and pain research in the upcoming FY 2026 Budget.
July, 2025
Addresses the urgent need for pain researchers to understand what was at stake for NIH-funded pain research and how to take meaningful action.
June, 2025
Our commitment to advancing pain research extends to our resources which work to educate and guide the research and translation of......
Helpful Materials
Op-Eds by Members
Past Advocacy
Our commitment to advancing pain research extends to our resources which work to educate and guide the research and translation of......

