NIH HEAL Initiative Director’s Awards

The HEAL Director’s Award for Excellence in Research recognizes HEAL-funded investigators who exemplify research excellence, support broad dissemination of key research, and demonstrate leadership in the scientific community. The 2023 awardees’ development of experimental practices, models, and approaches have had a major, transformative impact on the pain and addiction research fields. 

The HEAL Director’s Award for Mentorship recognizes HEAL-funded researchers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the development and mentorship of early career scientists in the pain and addiction research fields. The 2023 awardees support the independent career trajectories of mentees, are committed to creating a supportive environment, demonstrate integrity, are committed to inclusion and diversity, and help prepare researchers to become mentors themselves. 

The HEAL Director’s Award for Interdisciplinary Collaboration recognizes HEAL-funded researchers who have bridged relationships across fields of science, resulting in transdisciplinary, cutting-edge, idea-generating research. The 2023 awardees prioritize collaborations integrating diverse levels of analysis, methodologies, ways of thinking, and scientific communities.

The HEAL Director’s Award for Community Partnership recognizes HEAL-funded researchers who demonstrate a commitment to community partnerships through community-based participatory research methods, integrating feedback from people with lived experience, and engagement through community advisory boards. The 2023 awardees demonstrate commitment to sustained relationships with the community, characterized by respect, equity, and engagement in multiple phases of the research.