The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) has released a Request for Applications/Notice of Funding Opportunity (RFA/NOFO) targeting research on acute and chronic pain management. This funding opportunity supports research grounded in osteopathic principles with a focus on treatments, patient outcomes, and reducing opioid use. The AOA encourages clinical, interventional, and translational research that clearly aligns with osteopathic distinctiveness and patient-centered care. This opportunity is open to experienced researchers, new investigators, and physicians in training, with projects running from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027.

The maximum award available is $100,000 for a project period of 24 months. Applications must emphasize osteopathic approaches to pain management and may address topics such as the role of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT), osteopathic principles and practices, use of biomarkers to understand mechanisms of action, or pain-related outcomes such as medication usage, functional measures, cost analysis, and bio-physiological indicators. Research must be grounded in the biopsychosocial model and demonstrate methodological rigor including clear hypotheses, statistical plans, and reproducibility of methods.

The application deadline is January 31, 2025, by 11:59 PM CST, and applications must be submitted via the AOA’s online application system. Award announcements are expected in June 2025, and selected projects will start in July 2025. The AOA gives preference to collaborative proposals involving subject matter experts and those employing novel or scalable approaches. Supplemental projects to existing studies are allowed, provided the proposed research has distinct aims and questions.

Proposals must clearly define interventions, include accurate and consistent diagnostic reporting, and detail expected outcomes. All projects must culminate in a manuscript submitted to the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (JOM), which holds first right of refusal for publishing the research results.

Eligible applicants include osteopathic physicians (DOs), MDs, PhDs, and others with doctoral degrees. Applicants not affiliated with an osteopathic institution must include a DO as key research team personnel. Ineligible applicants include medical students, residents, interns, fellows, and researchers conducting work outside the U.S. or on non-U.S. populations. Additionally, those with current AOA grants in their first year or with unmet past grant requirements are not eligible.

Funding cannot be used for infrastructure renovations, equipment engineering, provider payments, professional development, medical education programs, or indirect institutional costs. Questions regarding eligibility or budget should be directed to Gloria Dillard, MPH, Director of Research Grants at the Department of Research, by phone at (312) 202-8006 or email at gdillard@osteopathic.org.