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NIH grant 1IK1RX005048-01A2: Developing Precise and Personalized Models of Veteran Chronic Pain to Inform Rehabilitation and Improve Functional Outcomes
Institute: {'code': 'VA', 'abbreviation': 'VA', 'name': 'Veterans Affairs', 'admin_org_id': '12500964', 'admin_funding_url': ''}. PI: Marcus G Wild. Award: $.
Start: 2026-10-01T00:00:00.
Chronic pain is a serious issue among Veterans. Approximately 60 percent of Veterans will
endorse persistent and functionally impactful pain. Further, chronic pain is a risk factor for suicide and a
leading cause of Veteran disability. As a result, chronic pain has been identified by the VA as a priority
area for research and development of interventions and prevention strategies. However, attempts to
successfully prevent and intervene upon chronic pain in Veterans have been limited by the incredible
inter-individual heterogeneity in pain courses and experiences. The high-level of heterogeneity in pain
experiences in the result of the complex interaction among the biological, psychological, and social
factors that give rise to chronic pain. As a result, pain experiences are unique to individuals. Currently
available approaches to modeling chronic pain to inform interventions are based on identification of
broad subgroups of pain. While these efforts have yielded greater understanding of the specific
biological, psychological, and social mechanisms of pain – the application of these findings to treatment
planning are limited, particularly for predicting and intervening on the development of chronic pain with
precision and effectiveness. Alternative approaches that account for individual differences in the unique
contribution of biological, psychological, and social factors into prediction and treatment planning are
needed to effectively intervene on chronic pain.
The objective of this Career Development Award-1 (CDA-1) is to use high-dimensional
computational models to develop precise, personalized, and integrative biopsychosocial
characterizations of Veteran chronic pain. This objective will be accomplished through the following
specific aims: 1) use of contemporary causal inference approaches to identify the biological,
psychological, and social factors most closely associated with chronic pain and pain-related disability;
and 2) use the biopsychosocial features identified in Aim 1 to create a high-dimensional space into which
Veterans can be characterized based on their unique experiences of these features. To accomplish
these aims, Dr. Wild will leverage Dr. Suzannah Creech’s (primary mentor) RR&D-funded data
repository of Project SERVE (Study Evaluation Returning Veterans’ Experience), a longitudinal
assessment study examining biopsychosocial variables and functional outcomes in Veterans involved in
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (N = 501).
This CDA-1 will provide the necessary support for Dr. Wild to achieve his career goals of
becoming an independent VA research psychologist specializing in improvement of Veteran functional
outcomes following pain. To achieve these goals, Dr. Wild will 1) learn contemporary causal inference
approaches with biopsychosocial data, with emphasis on use and interpretation of inflammatory
biomarkers of chronic pain and functional outcomes; 2) create and implement high-dimensional
computational models of chronic pain; and 3) develop VA cultural and professional competence to
prepare Dr. Wild for an independent VA research career. To accomplish these aims, Dr. Wild has united a
team of nationally and internationally recognized VA- and academic-based experts in rehabilitation
science, chronic pain, computational modeling, and inflammation to provide didactic and hands-on
training and mentorship. Given Dr. Wild’s research and clinical experiences in the psychosocial
mechanisms of chronic medical conditions, this CDA-1 application is a natural extension of his work.
Further, through the research and training aims of this award, Dr. Wild will be perfectly positioned to
develop a CDA-2 focused on validation of the high-dimensional model developed in the CDA-1 and
implementation of the model to inform clinical practice.document fetched 2026-10-24 02:46