Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain
Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain supports early-career faculty investigating basic pain mechanisms and molecular biology to uncover pathways toward better treatments for chronic pain.
Funder: Rita Allen Foundation
Due Dates: December 9, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (Application) | December 16, 2026 (Remaining support letters)
Funding Amounts: $150,000 over three years ($50,000 per year); two or more awards annually
Summary: Supports early-career faculty investigating basic pain mechanisms and molecular biology to uncover pathways toward better chronic pain treatments.
Key Information: Applicants must be within three years of starting a tenure-track position or equivalent, with committed start-up funds and independent laboratory space.
Description
The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain supports early-career investigators pursuing innovative basic research with potential to uncover new pathways for improving chronic pain treatment. Established in 2009 and offered in partnership with the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain (USASP), the award focuses on basic science mechanisms of pain. Proposed projects should investigate the molecular biology of pain and/or basic science topics related to developing new analgesics.
Recipients select the projects supported by their awards. Funded work has explored neural circuits, immune cells, molecular signaling, neuropathic pain, cancer pain, postoperative pain, musculoskeletal pain, and the transition to chronic pain. The program seeks researchers who have completed their training and demonstrate distinguished achievement or extraordinary promise in basic pain research.
