By Katarina A. Lewczyk | Date Published: May 14, 2024

Abigail Helm Accepted into HEAL National K12 Clinical Pain Career Development Award Program

Abigail Helm, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Health Systems Science, has been accepted into the HEAL National K12 Clinical Pain Career Development Award (HEAL K12) program at the University of Michigan Medical School and will be one of only four scholars from across the country comprising the HEAL K12 class of 2024. The HEAL K12 program is a mentored career development program designed to provide protected time for clinicians and scientists to focus on training and conducting clinical pain research.

“It is an honor to be chosen for this program, and I am excited to grow as an investigator over the next 3 years with continued mentorship from Dr. David Smelson here at UMass Chan,” said Dr. Helm. “This award is going to be incredibly impactful as I receive formal education in pain science as well as mentorship from people with lived experiences of chronic pain and nationally recognized pain science experts at the University of Michigan and beyond. I also look forward to integrating my prior research in cognitive science with the work that I do now in the MISSION Behavioral Health Lab and individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.”