Trainee Forum for Enhancing Success in Basic and Translational Pain Research

This webinar - held on 21 January 2025 - was produced by the International Association for the Study of Pain's Abdominal and Pelvic Pain Special Interest Group (SIG). The Abdominal and Pelvic Pain SIG aims to:

• Provide a forum for members to discuss the diagnosis and management of pain perceived in the abdominal and pelvic areas.
• Promote a multidisciplinary approach to patients with abdominal and pelvic pain. This includes the development of global guidelines in which pain, its associated distress, physical disability, and associated disorders are the central subject, independent of the medical specialties (e.g., urology, gynecology, and gastroenterology).
• Disseminate up-to-date abdominal and pelvic pain knowledge by setting up educational programs for patients and caregivers.
• Implement modern systems (e.g., web-based maps) to propagate the guidelines for daily use in patient care.
• Support and develop educational initiatives (including meetings) to disseminate the issues around these pains to a broader audience.

This webinar offered advice on obtaining meaningful data, publishing impactful papers, securing research funding, and advancing your career trajectory. This session had a particular focus on challenges and opportunities for visceral pain researchers, while also addressing broader topics relevant to pain researchers across disciplines. The mentors shared guidance tailored to basic, translational, and clinical research, enriched by their own experiences and professional journeys. Ample Q&A time was provided for trainees and mentors seeking to enhance their research and career development paths.

Participants included:

• Daniel J. Clauw, MD – University of Michigan, USA
• Michael Gold, PhD – University of Pittsburgh, USA
• Katy Vincent, DPhil, BSc, MBBS, MRCOG – University of Oxford, UK
• Kevin Hellman, PhD – Endeavor Health & Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, USA (moderator)