APS Recruiting Document.Final

New Attendee Information Sheet - How to Make the Most of Your Involvement with the APS This is YOUR American Pain Society

Welcome to the American Pain Society Basic Science Shared Interest Group. The Basic Science SIG is a great way to meet and interact with other basic scientists at all levels of their careers. This guide will help you make sense of your membership at APS and give you insight into how you can get involved with the APS. One of the biggest advantages of the APS (compared to larger umbrella organizations such as SFN) is that it is easy for any member, from graduate student to clinical director, to quickly get involved in the organization. Get involved

See something you like or dislike in the organization or at the annual meeting? Got an idea for the direction that APS is headed? APS depends heavily on its members to maintain the high quality of the meeting and other activities and we’re always on the lookout for young blood. There are many ways that you can get involved. Here are some: ● Attend the annual meeting. Hopefully, you’re already doing that. Attending the meeting regularly is one of the best ways to show your support for APS and for pain research. ● Talk to your Basic Science SIG chairs. New to APS or want to meet more people? A great place to start is by talking to the Basic Science SIG co-chairs (Ben Kolber [email protected]; Mike Jankowski [email protected]). If you have not done so yet, join the Basic Science SIG (send an e-mail to [email protected]). You’ll get to keep up with news from the SIG and stay in touch with the community. All at no extra cost to members. ● Join a committee. APS has of many committees, some of which require only minimal time commitments from their members. Joining a committee is a great way to be recognized as a contributing member to APS. APS benefits

As a basic scientist that focuses on pain, you know how important having a supportive community can be. The American Pain Society helps support members through a number of directives: ● Funding. The APS supports members directly through travel and research awards, many of which are geared toward early career scholars: ○ Future Leaders in Pain Research Grants Program. Established to fund research projects of doctorally- prepared investigators who have not yet attained NIH R01 level funding. ○ Rita Allen Foundation and APS Award in Pain. These grants in the amount of $50,000 for a period of up to three years are designed for individuals in the early stages of their career with an appointment at the faculty level. ○ Sharon S. Keller Chronic Pain Research Program. This program has been established to fund research projects that have a high likelihood of leading to new treatments, increased access to/and or expansion of treatment options for people with chronic pain. ○ Young Investigator Travel Awards. Each year the APS gives out numerous travel awards to young investigators who are presenting their work at the APS annual meeting. ● Lobbying. Did you know that there is no pain-specific study section at the NIH? The APS supports advocacy efforts to ensure your Congress representatives understand the importance of pain research. ● Annual Meeting. Look around you when you are at the meeting. Everyone that you see wants to understand and treat pain. The annual meeting brings together investigators and clinicians from the US and around the world to share ideas and network. The interactions that you have at the Annual meeting will be more focused and specialized compared to similar interactions at larger meetings such as the SFN meeting. This meeting is for you! New Attendee Information Sheet - How to Make the Most of Your Involvement with the APS

● Journal of Pain. The APS publishes the peer-reviewed “Journal of Pain.” This journal publishes cutting-edge science and is a leading journal in the pain field. ● Interactions with Clinicians. If you’re a bench scientist you may never interact with clinicians or patients. The APS and the Annual meeting are one of the best opportunities that you will have to find the clinician that is your counterpart. Share ideas and collaborate. Getting the most out of the Annual Meeting

Attending a meeting is fun and a great way to meet people and learn about pain research and clinical practice. Getting involved at the meeting can make that experience even better. The Annual meeting occurs every May. ● Symposia. These make up the majority of the oral presentations at the meeting, apart from the keynote lectures. Anyone can submit a symposium. The program committee is looking for fresh ideas and new advances so consider submitting a symposium proposal for next year’s meeting (submissions occur in the Summer, approximately 9 months before the annual meeting). ● Posters. Anyone can submit a poster. Abstracts are reviewed for quality and are published in a supplemental issue of Journal of Pain. At APS meetings, poster sessions tend to be more personal and relaxed compared to larger scientific meetings. Young investigators who submit posters are eligible to apply for travel awards. ● Data Blitz. Got something hot off the bench? A perfect place to present it is at the Data Blitz. Recently reinstated as part of the meeting program, this session includes short talks (5 min), where you can present your latest, greatest work and get constructive feedback. The data blitz is usually on the opening day of the meeting, so it is a great way to get visibility and be recognized for the rest of the meeting. Submissions for data blitz presentations are requested in the Spring before the meeting. ● SIG Meetings. The APS has a number of “shared interest groups” (SIG). Think of SIGs as smaller communities within APS consisting of people with very similar interests to your own. While the most useful connections you make at APS meetings might well come from interacting with those outside your field, SIGs are a great way to start networking. Other than the Basic Science SIG, other SIG chairs will also be able to inform you about the specific roles of the SIG and ways that you can get involved. Every SIG has a short assembly at the Annual Meeting, which are open for anyone to attend. ● Basic Science Dinner. The dinner, held at every Annual Meeting, is a great way to see some more top-notch science and engage in discussions in a more relaxed setting. There are a limited number of tickets for this event, but if you forget to request a ticket during registration, just show up: there usually a short wait list and most people will get in.