knowvember 2025
KNOWRESEARCH.
Each November, the U.S. Pain Foundation highlights a topic that matters deeply to the pain community. This year, we’re turning our attention to the often invisible, but essential, world of pain research.
Pain research often feels distant from the people it’s meant to serve. Conducted within academic institutions and written in highly technical language, it rarely reflects the urgency or complexity of living with pain. It can feel impersonal, disconnected, and out of reach. This year’s campaign is about changing that: by making research more transparent, more inclusive, and more grounded in real experiences.
Throughout the month, we’ll share a series of articles, key facts, and resources across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter), highlight new data from our national survey, and host a webinar and interactive online events featuring researchers, advocates, and people living with pain.
On this page, you’ll find everything you need to get involved—and help ensure pain research is more compassionate, accessible, and connected to real-world care.
Because pain deserves more than guesswork—it deserves research.
This KNOWvember, it’s time to get to #KNOWresearch.
in case you missed it
Be In The KNOW: Pain Research Then, Now, & Next
Be In The KNOW: Breaking Barriers in Pain Research
Watch our KNOWvember webinar featuring Janelle Letzen, PhD (U.S. Association for the Study of Pain), Laura Wandner, PhD (health psychologist), Christin Veasley (national pain advocate), and Jessica Ma, PhD (NIH HEAL K12 researcher).
They discuss major funders like NIH HEAL and PCORI, and initiatives such as the NIH HEAL K12 program and NIH ENGAGE. The conversation highlights how patient partnership is reshaping pain research and how people with lived experience can get involved.
Watch our candid KNOWvember conversation with Burel Goodin, PhD — pain researcher and president of the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain (USASP). Dr. Goodin brings a powerful blend of scientific leadership, deep community engagement, and a commitment to making pain research more inclusive and meaningful.
In this conversation, we explore his experiences, his work reshaping how we think about and conduct pain research, and his hopes for the future of the field.
interested in getting involved in pain research? let us know!
The U.S. Pain Foundation and the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) want to learn how we can better support people with lived experience who are interested in pain research. Please take a moment to complete this short form so we can serve you more effectively and help you engage meaningfully in research.
From overlooked to understood: advancing pain research together
meet some of the researchers behind pain science
This KNOWvember, we’re focusing on making pain research more visible.
After reviewing responses from our recent national survey, one finding stood out: 70% of individuals living with pain weren’t aware that pain research was even happening. That number speaks volumes. If research is going to reflect the realities of living with pain, it has to start by being seen, understood, and inclusive.
So, we reached out to researchers across the country—those dedicating their work to studying pain—and asked them to share, in their own words: What are you studying, and why pain?
#knowresearch: THE DATA
In May 2025, the U.S. Pain Foundation conducted a national survey, gathering insights from more than 2,400 individuals. One area explored was research.
These findings—based on responses from 2,098 adults living with chronic pain and 87 parents or guardians of children with pain—offer a clearer picture of what people know about research, why participation remains low, and what must change to make it more inclusive, accessible, and meaningful.
View the Pain Research Resource to see what the pain community had to say—and where we go from here.
Articles
In Their Own Words: The Faces Behind Pain Research
Throughout the U.S. Pain Foundation’s #KNOWresearch campaign this KNOWvember, pain scientists across the country shared personal videos about the research they’re conducting—and why pain research is so important. This effort, which was made a...
You’re the Expert: Why Lived Experience Belongs in Pain Research
Pain research has traditionally involved the same step-by-step process: Develop a research question. Design a study. Write a grant. Conduct research. Analyze data. Publish findings. And the same core team generally carries out those steps: A...
From Barriers to Bridges: Making Pain Research More Inclusive
Pain research is strongest when it is inclusive and accessible to every group and population that can benefit from it—but many individuals still face barriers to participating in clinical trials and research. The obstacles inhibiting greater...
From Overlooked to Understood: Why Research Must Reflect Real Lives
Every November, the U.S. Pain Foundation brings our community together to spotlight something powerful: knowledge. We call it KNOWvember—a month-long campaign amplifying a theme that matters deeply to the pain community. This year, we’re focusing...
More resources to help you know research
invisible project: pain research edition
Our newest issue of the INvisible Project magazine dives in to big questions:
What is pain research—and why does it matter?
How do studies work, and where do real people fit in?
Click here to check out our featured profiles, read key articles, and order free copies.
Get Involved: How to Make a Difference This KNOWvember
- Help Spread the Word: Share #KNOWresearch posts, forward newsletters, and invite others to join the conversation. Every share expands awareness and strengthens our collective call for progress.
- Attend Our Webinars: Join our live KNOWvember webinars to hear from researchers, advocates, and people with lived experience. Learn how pain research is evolving—and how your participation helps move it forward.
- Read & Share Articles: We’ll be publishing new articles throughout KNOWvember that highlight key insights about pain research and lived experience. Share them to spark awareness and conversation.
- Explore the Data: Download our pain research findings resource to better understand the gaps and help shape a more inclusive future.
- Discover the latest INvisible Project (coming soon!): Read the stories of individuals who have participated in pain research alongside insights into how the research process works and why lived experience is essential at every step.
- Explore Pain Research Opportunities: Knowledge is power. Learn how to find studies, ask the right questions, and make informed choices about participation—all while ensuring that people with pain have a voice in shaping the science that affects them too.
- Take Action: Later this month, we’ll be sharing a brief poll to learn what matters most to you. By taking part in our poll, you’ll also have the option to join U.S. Pain’s Research Interest List to hear first about advisory panels, surveys, and opportunities to partner with researchers.
VIEW PAST CAMPAIGNS
Every KNOWvember tells a story of learning. Look back at the themes that helped inform and empower the pain community.
The U.S. Pain Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of our 2025 KNOWvember sponsors: Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Platinum Sponsor) and Eli Lilly (Silver Sponsor).
Their support makes this campaign possible, enabling us to independently create and share educational content that advances the conversation around inclusive, compassionate, and impactful pain research.
