Mentoring and Research in Biobehavioral Aspects of Pediatric Pain

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Project Summary The overall objective of this K24 application is to expand my current patient-oriented research (POR) and mentoring to integrate patient engagement from research to dissemination of care to improve the biobehavioral care of youth with chronic MSK pain. This award will provide the crucial protected time to enhance my quality and quantity of mentoring of junior investigators focused on POR including current K awardees, future T-32 fellows, and clinical fellows (physician and psychology). My currently supported POR encompasses translating targeted biopsychosocial assessments into mechanistically informed treatment approaches for optimal clinical care, coupled with pain neuroscience psychology that leverages experimental and neuroimaging methods to gain a mechanistic understanding of cognitive and affective processes that coalesce with function in children with chronic pain and their parents. All projects leverage the ubiquity of digital health to enhance patient access and reach. Our lab has world-leading expertise in theory- and mechanism-oriented research for patients and their families. The new direction of research to be supported through this award focuses on gaining new expertise in scientifically rigorous qualitative and codesign methods to partner with patients and their families across all stages of research. This application proposes two studies with significant mentoring opportunities within my long- term research objective to improve the health and well-being of youth with chronic pain. Study 1 characterizes the lived experience of youth with musculoskeletal (MSK) pain seeking, completing, and reflecting on pain care. Study 2 aims to codesign an optimization of our evidence-based graded exposure treatment for adolescents with chronic MSK pain and their parents, GET Living. The K24 builds on my previous research, leverages existing cohorts and data, adds new training, and solidifies collaborations with leaders in patient participatory research and qualitative data analysis to provide effective mentorship to the next generation of POR pediatric pain scientists. With support from the K24 award, I will enhance my mentoring capacity and I will work to enhance my career development with activities relevant to my mentees, my research, and my professional development. Specifically, I plan to deepen my understanding of qualitative data methods and analysis and patient participatory research methods. Moreover, I will dedicate time to ensure continued training in legal and ethical issues associated with research on human subjects and clinical trials and strengthen my professional leadership skills. The proposed studies provide the ideal context for enhancing mentorship opportunities via hands-on training and scientific development in the biobehavioral aspects of pediatric chronic pain applying patient-centered methods. With dedicated time and training from the K24, I will be better equipped to mentor the next generation of POR pediatric pain scientists and weave a patient-centered approach into all research from inception to execution.