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Attend monthly virtual and yearly in-person sessions, receive expert mentoring, and develop leadership skills. Scholars will gain confidence and expertise to advance their careers, our mission, and the field of pain science through impactful capstone projects and training opportunities.

Driving Future Leaders in Pain Science: Advancing Research, Practice, Policy, and Education.

Deadline Extended to Wednesday, December 3, 2025

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Eligibility

  1. Are within 5-15 years after completing your terminal degree.

  2. A current member of the USASP.

 

Commitment

  1. Attend the pre-conference Leadership Academy workshop and our annual meeting.

  2. Participation in virtual mentorship and learning communities.

  3. Attend monthly meetings throughout the duration of the program with other Leaders.

 

Required Application Materials

  1. A one-page cover letter explaining your motivation in seeking leadership training and a description of prospective opportunities following the Academy's completion. 

  2. A one-page description of your proposed capstone leadership project (see below). 

  3. A CV or NIH Biosketch (preferred).

  4. Letter of support from your supervisor.

  5. Letter of recommendation that attests to your leadership potential.

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Capstone Project

Apply training from our Leadership Academy to pilot and refine your capstone project. Ideal projects should address an important health or healthcare issue related to pain, whether locally relevant or internationally applicable.  The capstone should integrate leadership skills and tangibly advance your career.

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Capstone Proposal Example 1 

Capstone Proposal Example 2

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Some Project Examples

  • Building a collaborative or mentoring team

  • Supporting a career development award or grant submission

  • Expanding access to pain care

  • Refining hospital policies about pain management

  • Organizing a USASP event or advocacy activity 

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Core Competencies

  1. Strategic thinking, including long-term goals.

  2. Management of yourself and others, including emotional IQ and team dynamics.

  3. Effective communication, including negotiating, self-promotion, and managing conflict.

  4. Program Development, including financial management, leveraging networks and systems, and leading change.

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Annual Leadership Academy Timelines

  1. Applications open annually in August.

  2. Application deadline in October.

  3. Candidates are notified of acceptance into the program by late November. 

  4. Kick-off happens at our annual meeting March 23-26 in Philadelphia, PA.

  5. Individual mentors are identified and quarterly meetings begin late summer

  6. Group mentoring, monthly webinars, and peer mentoring begin in September.

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Submission Process

Please upload all required documents as a single PDF in the following order:

  1. Your one-page cover letter

  2. Your one-page description of your proposed capstone leadership project. 

  3. A CV or NIH Biosketch (preferred).

  4. Letter of support from your supervisor.

  5. Letter of recommendation that attests to your leadership potential.

  6. Confirm that your file is correct and your PDF is 'viewable.'

  7. Please title your document 'FIRST AND LAST NAME_ LeadershipApplication.pdf'

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Application Review Criteria

  1. Ability to fulfill the time commitment, including participation in at least 75% of monthly meetings, online learning, and mentoring community meetings.

  2. The applicant’s leadership aspirations and how it was conveyed in their application.

  3. The applicant’s 'big picture' vision for, and compelling description of their proposed capstone project.

  4. A record of mentoring the next generation of pain scholars commensurate with experience level.

  5. Documented support from a supervisor for the time commitment required for participation.

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2026 Application Key Dates
Application deadline EXTENDED to Wednesday, December 3, 2025 

Applicants will be notified about the status of their application by mid-December

Leadership Academy

Developing the next generation of leaders in pain science.

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Burel Goodin, PhD

President

Dr. Burel Goodin, PhD, is a tenured Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology within the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). Before joining WUSTL in 2023, Dr. Goodin spent 11 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where they rose to the rank of Professor of Psychology and co-directed the Center for Addiction Pain Prevention & Intervention (CAPPI). Dr. Goodin is nationally and internationally recognized as an expert in translational pain science, with broad expertise ranging from clinical psychology to behavioral neuroscience and a notable record of both building and leading transdisciplinary research teams. Currently serving as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) on four R01 awards, as well as the site PI for an R37 MERIT award, and co-investigator on an R01 and an NIH HEAL Initiative Other Transactions Authority (OTA) award, Dr. Goodin's scientific expertise is centrally related to disparities in the pain experience and pain management based upon minority status. They have published extensively on psychological aspects of chronic pain outcomes, with recent work examining environmental conditions and contexts influencing pain. Dr. Goodin is a leading expert in the application of social neuroscience frameworks to understand the mechanisms driving pain disparities, particularly focusing on older African American/Black populations. Continually funded by NIH since 2010, serving as a member on the NIH/NIDA Career Development Education and Training (CDET) study section, and having published over 125 peer-reviewed publications with nearly 5,500 citations per Google Scholar, Dr. Goodin's career is defined by bringing together investigators from different disciplines to address scientific problems requiring innovative translational research perspectives.

John Farrar, MD, PhD

Past-President

John T. Farrar, MD, PhD. is a Professor of Epidemiology (primary), Neurology (secondary), and Anesthesia (secondary) at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his MD from the University of Rochester, and MSCE and PhD in pharmacoepidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been a funded investigator in clinical research for over 25 years with a major focus on studies of the efficacy of pain therapeutics and design of pain clinical trials. As a neurologist and a pharmacoepidemiologist, he has been involved in numerous studies including randomized trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and methodologic studies of pain and associated symptoms, making important contributions to the measurement, analysis, and interpretation of pain related studies. At the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, he has co-directed the Biostatistical Analysis Center and for 15 years the Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) program, a two-year masters program focused on training 25-30 fellows per year to launch their careers as independently funded scientists in clinical research. In his mentoring role he has worked with a diverse group of more than 25 fellows, been primary mentor on several career development awards and teaches courses in health measurement, clinical trials, and grant writing. He currently is a member of multiple Special Interest Groups in the IASP and was previously the co-Director of the Pain Measurement SIG for the APS as well as a member of the APS board. DISCLOSURES: Vertex Pharam (consulting fees)

Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, PhD

Treasurer

Yenisel Cruz-Almeida MSPH, Ph.D. was born in La Habana, Cuba. She completed a B.Sc. degree in Microbiology & Cell Science in 2001. In 2004 she completed her master’s degree in Epidemiology & Public Health with a concentration in Biostatistics, and in 2011, her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami MILLER School of Medicine. As a postdoc, she focused on pain phenotyping including investigating age and pain-related biomarkers of immune function and training in Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Florida. Yenisel is currently a tenured Associate Professor in the Departments of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology and Neuroscience in the Colleges of Dentistry & Medicine. Dr Cruz-Almeida also serves as the Associate Director of the UF Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence and the Core Leader of the Pilot & Exploratory Studies Core of the UF Older American Independence Calude D. Pepper Center. She is the Course Director of various pain (Neurobiology of Pain, Science and Clinical Management of Dental Pain), and translational research (Clinical Translational Sciences Journal Club) courses. She is a member of the executive committee of the North American Pain School (2022-2025), the Chair of the NIH Center for Scientific Review Neurobiology of Pain & Itch Study Section (2023-2025), and serves on the leadership of the “Pain In Older Persons SIG of the International Association for the Study of Pain (2022-present). DISCLOSURES: Journal of Pain (Associate Editor)

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Claudia Campbell, PhD

Secretary 

Dr. Claudia Campbell, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with a laboratory boasting a strong history of NIH-supported work in the neurophysiological assessment of pain responses and their interaction with psychosocial processes. Maintaining a robust multidisciplinary membership within the society is of great importance to Dr. Campbell. She holds a NIH K24 grant dedicated to mentoring future leaders in the pain field and recognize the vital role of the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) in it's development. Having joined the society’s predecessor, APS, as a graduate student, Dr. Campbell understands the impact societies have on facilitating the careers of young investigators. She attended every meeting from 2002-2019, contributing to various committees and serving as a board member in the last several years before its dissolution. Dr. Campbell thoroughly enjoyed her time on the board and is eager to take on the role of secretary in the USASP board. She aims to actively collaborate with energetic and invested leaders to guide the society, brainstorm and implement strategies for continuous innovation and improvement, and manage record-keeping and meeting minutes in conjunction with the society’s administration. Dr. Campbell believes she is well-suited to represent the needs of USASP members and the interests of individuals in the pain community who benefit from the society’s initiatives.

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Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, MD, PhD

Board Representative

Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, MD PhD received a medical degree from Centro Universitario de Occidente, Quetzaltenango (Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala) in 1999 and a Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience from Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Spain, in 2003. Currently, Dr. Romero-Sandoval is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC (U.S.). His laboratory explores neuroimmune interactions in surgical and neuropathic pain and neuropathies induced by trauma, diabetes, or chemotherapy. Additionally, Dr. Romero-Sandoval studies the endocannabinoid system in the context of pain, cannabis pharmacology, and how the cannabis market in the U.S. is shaped and could affect pain patients.

2025 Leadership Academy Scholars

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