The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications for multi-PI team-based, challenging, high impact projects to improve understanding of mechanisms of chronic pain in infants, children, and adolescents and to accelerate the development of age-appropriate, patient/family centered prevention and therapeutic approaches. This research will seek to advance an integrated understanding of the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to pediatric chronic pain. NIH is interested in pain research in infants, children, and adolescents that includes those with intellectual and physical disabilities and/or those who experience health disparities (e.g., diverse race/ethnicity, sexual and gender minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged, medically underserved communities, people with limited English proficiency). Studies should integrate relevant behavioral and social influences and contexts on pain experience. These may include but are not limited to social determinants of health, social and other influences on the incidence of pain, the impact on perception and experience of pain, and the influences on pain reporting. Integration of behavioral and social sciences in pain research is critical to fully understand pain experiences, addressing disparities, and developing effective interventions. NIH encourages applicants to consider community-engaged research and interdisciplinary, collaborative applications to be developed in partnership with patient communities and/or community organizations where possible. The long-term goal is to develop improved knowledge of specific pediatric pain conditions as well as pain associated with diverse diseases/disorders; to improve understanding of pain in the context of child development; and, to facilitate the stratification of patients with specific pain conditions and co-morbidities to accelerate chronic pain prevention and therapeutic clinical trials.
This effort is part of the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative to speed the development and implementation of scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis. The NIH HEAL Initiative will bolster research across NIH to (1) improve treatment and prevention of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder and (2) enhance pain management. More information and periodic updates about the Initiative are available at: https://heal.nih.gov/.
The goal of HEAL KIDS PAIN (Knowledge, Innovation and Discovery Studies on pediatric Pain) Initiative is to advance understanding, assessment, measurement, treatment, and prevention of pain in infants, children, and adolescents, including those with disabilities and/or experiencing health disparities. The Chronic Pain Research Teams program (CPT) (this NOFO) will focus on pediatric chronic pain. Applicants to this CPT NOFO are strongly encouraged to closely review the related NOFO (RFA-HD-24-011) for the Acute Pain Trials Program and the NOFO (RFA-HD-24-12) for the Resource Data Center (RDC) to understand the collaborative intent of the full HEAL KIDS Pain Initiative.
