U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
2023 NIH HEAL Initiative Director’s Awards
The NIH HEAL Initiative® Director’s Awards recognize researchers for excellence in Research, Mentorship, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and Community Partnership. Researchers in the early to middle stages of their careers are recognized with a Trailblazer Award or honorable mention.
Browse the five award categories and the 2023 winners.
Trailblazer
The HEAL Director’s Trailblazer Award recognizes HEAL-funded researchers in the early to middle stages of their careers, across all disciplines, who are applying an innovative approach or creativity in their research or are expanding HEAL research into addressing the pain and opioid crisis in new directions. The 2023 awardees demonstrate the ability to develop or apply novel techniques, approaches, models, or methodologies to HEAL research.
Amanda Bunting, Ph.D.
New York University Grossman School of Medicine – Department of Population Health
Funded Project: Adaption of the STAIR-NT Trauma Intervention for Polysubstance Populations
Chelsea Shover, Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Medicine – Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research
Meredith Adams, M.D., M.S.
Wake Forest Baptist Health
Funded Project: Wake Forest IMPOWR Dissemination Education and Coordination Center (IDEA-CC)
Ryan Logan, Ph.D.
UMass Chan Medical School
Funded Project: Cell-type specific role of circadian-dependent transcription in fentanyl-induced synaptic and behavioral plasticity
William Renthal, M.D., Ph.D.
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Funded Project: Harvard PRECISION Human Pain Center
- Abeed Sarker, Ph.D., Emory Winship Cancer Institute
- Hailey Bulls, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh – Center for Research on Health Care
- Jeannie Bailey, Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco – Department of Orthopedic Surgery
- Jennifer Rabbitts, Ph.D., University of Washington School of Medicine
- Karli Hochstatter, Ph.D., M.P.H., Columbia Social Intervention Group
- Leslie Young, M.D., The University of Vermont Medical Center
- Michael Rogers, Ph.D., Harvard Cancer Center
- Monika Goyal, M.D., Children's National Hospital
- Sarah Linnstaedt, Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Department of Anesthesiology
- Sung Han, Ph.D., Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Excellence in Research
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.
Gail D'Onofrio, M.D., M.S.
Yale School of Medicine
Funded Project: National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network: New England Consortium Node
Gregory Scherrer, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina School of Medicine – Cell Biology and Physiology
Funded Project: Targeting GPCRs in Amygdalar and Cortical Neural Ensembles to Treat Pain Aversion
Lisa Saldana, Ph.D.
Oregon Social Learning Center
Funded Project: Disrupting Social Determinants of Health to Improve Substance Use and Mental Health Outcomes for Parents in Rural Regions
Mentorship
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.
Erin Bonar, Ph.D.
Michigan Medicine – Department of Psychiatry
Funded Project: Optimized Interventions to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder among Adolescents and Young Adults in the Emergency Department
Jessica Merlin, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.
University of Pittsburgh – Department of Medicine
Funded Project: Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of OUD and Pain (TREETOP)
Katie Witkiewitz, Ph.D.
University of New Mexico – Center on Alcohol, Substance Use & Addictions
Funded Project: Integrative Treatment for Achieving Holistic Recovery from Comorbid Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder
Thaddeus Tarpey, Ph.D.
NYU Grossman School of Medicine – Department of Population Health
Funded Project: EPPIC-NET DCC
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
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.
Daniel Rotroff, Ph.D.
Case Western Reserve University – Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Funded Project: Multi-Omic Biomarkers for Neuropathic Pain Secondary to Chemotherapy
Sean Murphy, Ph.D.
Weill Cornell Medicine
Funded Project: JCOIN Health Economics Analytic Team (HEAT)
Sharon Walsh, Ph.D.
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy
Funded Project: HEALing Communities Study - Kentucky
Community Partnership
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.
J. Deanna Wilson, M.D., M.P.H.
University of Pittsburgh – Center for Research on Health Care
Kamilla Venner, Ph.D.
The University of New Mexico – Department of Psychology
Funded Project: Integrative Treatment for Achieving Holistic Recovery from Comorbid Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder
Linda Sprague Martinez, Ph.D.
Boston University School of Social Work
Funded Project: HEALing Communities Study - Massachusetts
Learn more about the NIH HEAL Initiative
4th Annual NIH HEAL Initiative Investigator Meeting
The NIH HEAL Initiative® will bring together HEAL funded researchers, federal officials, people with lived experience, and other stakeholders to share research findings, explore trends and shared interests, and identify opportunities to advance the goals of the initiative.
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