The American Pain Society (APS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization, founded in 1978 and currently has over 2,200 members. APS is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. Both APS’s annual scientific meeting and its journal, The Journal of Pain, provide a forum for presenting pain research to colleagues and peers. APS welcomes members' involvement in volunteer activities such as standing committees, task forces, and contributions to APS E-News. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and others. For more information about APS, visit www.americanpainsociety.org.
"APS is the only evidenced-based, multidisciplinary organization that places top priority on research advocacy and grant programs designed exclusively to increase funding available for basic and clinical pain research."—Roger B. Fillingim, PhD
The primary goal of the APS Pain Research Fund, is to enable private donors to support APS in developing new pain research grant programs and clinical practice guidelines. Money donated to the fund will be directed to research projects selected by APS, and large donors would have the option to specify the type of research they want to support.
Learn more about the APS Future Leaders, Sharon S. Keller and Rita Allen Foundation pain research grant programs and APS Clinical Practice Guidelines.
The financial goal of the fund is to continuously raise monies to help fund pain research grants that can turn discoveries into therapies and clinical practice guidelines that can translate evidence into practice.
The fund is directed by the APS Board of Directors.
The fund’s donations are exclusively used for pain research grants and evidence based guideline development and revisions.
The fund will expand the American Pain Society’s private, targeted research grant and clinical practice guidelines programs. In addition, major donors would have the option to specify the type of research they want to support, such as the Sharon S. Keller Chronic Pain Research grant program, endowed by private investor David Keller in memory of his wife.
Learn more about the APS Future Leaders, Sharon S. Keller and Rita Allen Foundation pain research grant programs and APS Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Research Grants: Research grant proposals will be reviewed by an expert panel against a set of criteria and awarded based on the merit of the research project proposed. Once approved, a letter of agreement between the grantee or their institution and the APS will be executed and funds will be dispersed. The following is a sample grant agreement.
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Following the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine in its report on Standards for Developing Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines. APS will appoint a multidisciplinary panel of clinical experts and experts in methodology (Dr. Roger Chou, MD of the Oregon Health & Science University’s Evidence-Based Practice Center). Guideline topics are chosen to address pain conditions that are the most commonly occurring, the most difficult to manage successfully or where there are the greatest variations or controversies in practice. Once finalized by the panel, the Updated or New Guidelines will be presented to the APS Board for final approval, and then published in The Journal of Pain.
Everyone's support is welcome. Donors large and small can contribute to the APS Pain Research Fund at the website, www.painresearchfund.org. Funders interested in underwriting specific areas of pain research may work directly with APS leaders to develop targeted grant programs, including defining their focus on basic science, translational research or clinical applications, such as clinical practice guidelines.
Please contact info@painresearchfund.org, if you have any questions regarding the Pain Research Fund.
Donors are listed on the online acknowledgement webpage, in newsletters and other fund materials. Your donation may be designated to honor an individual of your choice. Donors may always remain anonymous if they desire.