March/April 2026

• NPAC’s Executive Director presented a symposium and facilitated a SIG breakfast at the annual “Pain Connect” meeting of the American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM), both focused on effectively communicating pain science.

• NPAC began efforts to protect pain research at the National Institutes of Health through the Fiscal Year 2027 Congressional Appropriations Process in collaboration with the US Association for the Study of Pain, the Chronic Pain Research Alliance, and the U.S. Pain Foundation, including:

• submitting bill text proposing $293 million for the pain portfolio of the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) Initiative at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which reflects a 2.7 percent Biomedical Research and Development Price Index adjustment from FY 2026, and accompanying Report language to ensure its effective stewardship.

• submitting Report language on Chronic Pain as a Disease to the Office of the Director that encourages NIH to sustain and strengthen cross-Institute coordination of non-HEAL pain research activities to leverage shared infrastructure and accelerate translation of scientific findings into clinical practice.

• submitting Report language on effective implementation across NIH of the 2025 ENGAGE Report on integrating people with lived experience and the public into all aspects of NIH research from planning through translation.

• NPAC Community Leadership Council member, Quana Madison, was the opening plenary speaker at the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP)’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia.

• NPAC’s Executive Director moderated an afternoon Advocacy Workshop at the USASP’s Annual Scientific Meeting.

• NPAC participated in a meeting of Disability Economic Justice Forum.

• NPAC’s Executive Director moderated and presented symposia at the Canadian Pain Society Annual Meeting in Quebec City; one on Global Advocacy for Pain, and one on Medico-Legal Issues and Pain.