Applicant/PI Profile Information

The applicant should complete the requested information. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Application Submission Details

Please select the "Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award In Pain Grant Application" option. Then proceed to name your submission title following the example given: "John Doe - RAF 2026". Next, you will be prompted to write down the title of your intended research project. Finally, you will be asked to answer questions regarding your eligibility for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Lead Institution

The applicant should complete the requested information regarding their primary/lead institution. These details will involve the lead institution's name, address, and phone number. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Organization Assurances

The applicant should complete the requested information regarding their proposed research project. These details will involve the type of research your project involves and/or approval status. Please note that items marked with a red asterisk are required fields.

Letters of Support

Completed applications will require three letters of support.
- One letter should be included from the candidate’s Department Chair/Division Chief that demonstrates strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development. This letter is to be included in the final submitted application.
- The other two letters should come from the candidate’s PhD/fellowship advisor, influential advisor, or mentor who has impacted the candidate’s research.
  - In this section, the applicant will provide contact information pertaining to each of the letter providers.
  - Upon submission, these two individuals listed to provide letters of support will be contacted directly by a representative of USASP requesting that their letters be sent by Monday, December 15, 2025.

Attachments

The Applicant will upload all required documents as a single PDF in the following order:

1) Signed Signature pages,

2) Abstract,

3) Leadership/vision statement,

4) NIH Biosketch,

5) Research proposal narrative,

6) Letter of support from the Department Chair/Division Chief,

7) Summary of Current and Pending Funding

Signed Signature Pages
All applications must be signed by the Applicant/PI and the Institutional Official responsible for submitting applications for extramural support. The signature page may either be printed out, signed and scanned, or electronic signatures may be used on the PDF.
Abstract
The abstract should be limited to 300 words or up to 3,000 characters. Applicants are advised to check spelling, word, and character count before pasting their abstract within this section.
Leadership in Pain Research
The applicant will provide a personal statement detailing his/her vision for a career in pain research and provide information and/or examples of leadership in pain-related activities. The statement should be limited to 300 words or up to 3,000 characters.
NIH Biosketch
The applicant will provide an NIH Biosketch that should be no more than 5 pages long (see template and examples)
Research Proposal Narrative
The applicant will append a research proposal narrative that is limited to six pages in 11-point Arial font and 0.5-inch margins. A 7th page may be included for references.
Letter of Support from a Department Chair/Division Chief
Completed applications will require one letter from the candidate’s Department Chair/Division Chief demonstrating strong support for the candidate’s proposed research and career development. The other two letter writers will be contacted directly by a representative from the USASP office.
Research Support
The applicant will provide information about all current and pending research support. The research plan should include something other than a project already funded or for consideration for funding elsewhere. If the applicant has received or has pending research support, the applicant should explain how the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain will enhance the applicant’s pain research and how the project submitted for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain differs from other funded or pending projects.

Summary

It is necessary for applicants to review their completed application in this section. The summary function is a way to ensure that all of the required application fields are completed and accurate. Please review all questions and inputs before submitting.

Submit

The Applicant/PI can submit their completed application in this section.

Applications will be considered ineligible if they contain missing/incomplete sections, do not meet the eligibility requirements, or do not adhere to the application instructions, including the required formats (font size and page lengths) and the use of signature pages.

Review Criteria

Reviewers will assess the candidate’s past contributions and their future potential as a leader in the field of pain research, based on the research proposal, biosketch, letters of support, and impact statement.

Other

Applications are reviewed by a Selection Committee that includes past Scholars Award in Pain recipients and other leading pain researchers. At this time, the Selection Committee is, unfortunately, unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications. For information about additional programs for early-career researchers from the Rita Allen Foundation, please see the Scholars page of the Rita Allen Foundation’s website. For questions about eligibility or other program-related information, please get in touch with the Rita Allen Foundation at ritaallenscholars@ritaallen.org.

Assistance with Applications

For technical support (including questions about trouble logging in and technical issues in completing an application) or questions regarding eligibility, please contact admin@usasp.org (the office is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. ET-5:00 p.m. ET). Emails received after hours and on weekends will be responded to on the next business day.

For questions about other program-related questions: Please contact the Rita Allen Foundation at ritaallenscholars@ritaallen.org.

Submission period: