The Innovation Challenge is an open invitation to innovators worldwide, from pre-seed to Series A companies, to present their groundbreaking solutions across various fields, including pain management, nutrition, sleep medicine, and more.

Every year, the “Shark Tank” style pitch competition pits established startups, aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs, and researchers against one another with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of people living with pain.

Presented by the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), combined with the resources and support of the world’s most prestigious healthcare innovation group, MIT Hacking Medicine, the Innovation Challenge is one of the most exciting annual events in the pain medicine space.

Finalists will pitch their solution before an of audience of patients, providers, and industry leaders, offering prizes, mentorship, and exposure to propel innovations forward.
Our Founding Sponsors include Abbott and Saluda Medical – two incredibly innovative companies on the cutting edge of neuromodulation in pain medicine and digital health.

Deadline to submit your pitch is December 31, 2024.

We want to create an innovation ecosystem capable of catalyzing lasting change in pain management and making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by pain.

Join us in this journey of discovery and innovation, where your ideas can lead to transformative solutions in pain medicine.

If your solution can change the lives of those living with pain, we want to hear from you. The event is not limited to AAPM members and is open to all innovators worldwide attempting to help patients and providers address pain-related issues. We want to encourage anyone with an idea or an established startup to submit their ideas and pitches, including students, residents, fellows, clinical and research faculty, engineers, designers, developers, business leaders, and patients.

Judging Criteria

The focus of your idea/team/start-up must be based on addressing challenges in pain medicine, acute, chronic, or otherwise–the topic is broad and we would like to see a broad array of approaches and solutions from various backgrounds.

• Potential for Impact (25%)

• • • Each submission will be rated on the strength of its potential to improve the health of individuals and/or communities specific to pain medicine diagnosis defined above.
    • Applications will be rated on their ability to address a specific need and potential for further development.

• Design and Usability (25%)

• • • Each submission will be rated on how well it meets the specific needs of its intended user.
    • User-friendliness and human-centered design.
    • Priority may be given to submissions that are easily accessible to a range of patients and on a variety of platforms.

• Solution Feasibility (25%)

• • • Solution will be rated on the presented market analysis and proposed plan for development, growth, scale, and sustainability.

• Creativity and Innovation (25%)

• • Each submission will be rated for the degree of creativity and innovation compared with existing solutions.

AAPM invites pain medicine professionals to submit an abstract to present at 2025 PainConnect. Submissions provide new insights to improve the knowledge, competence, or performance of the practice of Pain Medicine, providing innovative solutions to current issues, and further the overall mission of the AAPM organization.

See the table and checklist below for important dates and submission criteria.

• 2025 PainConnect will be held April 6 – April 10 in Austin, Texas. 
• Scientific poster abstracts must be submitted to the AAPM Submission Center by 5 pm Est on December 14, 2024. 
• Industry posters will be considered under other option provided under Proposal Category tab.  Accepted Industry funded posters will be charged a fee of $2,500 which will include conference registration for the lead author.  Accepted posters will be invoiced separately.
• Only lead authors may submit poster abstracts. Lead authors must alert all authors named on a given abstract in advance of submission. There is no limit on abstract submissions. Abstracts not sponsored by industry are free of charge to submit.
• Abstracts will be limited to 300-word-maximum in abstract text body (title and citations do not count toward 300-word limit) and require up to three citations for submission. Funding of the project also must be listed. All abstracts must be submitted in English and grammatically correct.
• Clinical Categories for Submission: Basic science, acute pain, technology innovation, chronic pain, epidemiology/healthcare policy/education, pharmacological, procedures, psychosocial, rehabilitation, translational, case reports.
• We encourage you to consider using the STROBE recommendations in structuring and preparing your abstract. Recommended abstract format: Introduction/Statement of the Problem, Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusions. A statement regarding the protocol used to recruit human subjects and obtain appropriate IRB approval should be included in the Materials and Methods section.
• All accepted abstract authors will be expected to submit a disclosure form. If they are not submitted within the final poster content submission timeframe presenter will not be provided a presentation time slot.
• AAPM will not accept any previously published, previously accepted for publication, nor previously presented. Abstracts must summarize an original contribution and must not have been presented, published, nor submitted for presentation or publication elsewhere.
• By submitting a scientific poster abstract, you are agreeing that you, or a co-author designated by you at the time of submission, will present the abstract in digital poster form during PainConnect. Virtual posters will not be allowed. Poster presenter must register for the entire meeting 30 days before start of the meeting and are responsible for all expenses incurred in registering for, traveling to, and attending PainConnect. 
• Abstracts must be free of commercial bias. Any information regarding commercial products must be based on generally accepted scientific methods. Any discussion of pharmaceuticals or devices will use generic names, when possible, and will be in the context of a review of the full range of therapeutic options.
• The Scientific Poster Abstract Committee may select up to 6 abstract submitters to present their research during an educational session at 2025 PainConnect. Winning abstracts will be provided additional benefits as faculty including waived conference registration fee.
• Notification of selection will be emailed to lead authors (only) in December  It is the responsibility of the lead author to notify co-authors of an abstract’s acceptance for presentation.
• Only the 6 selected winning abstracts during PainConnect will be published in Pain Medicine. AAPM will maintain the copyright for all abstracts published in Pain Medicine. All other selected abstracts will be featured on AAPM’s website. 
• Contact AAPM by email at info@painmed.org or by phone at (800) 917-1619 during normal business hours.
• No CME is provided for Posters.

Now Accepting Flash Talk Session Proposals

Submit your Flash Talk proposal for a chance to present your work on the national stage at 2025 PainConnect! 

• Flash Talks are accepted until all available slots are filled 
• An extremely limited number of Flash Talk slots exist and they will fill quickly
• Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis
• Early submissions will be prioritized for acceptance

Flash Talks are 10-minute individual scholarly presentations. They are brief, punchy, and convey information about a novel clinical protocol, perspective, technique, or research results. For instance, one Flash Talk may describe an innovative interdisciplinary program. Another may describe results for a translational clinical trial or pilot study.

Each Flash Talk presentation is limited to 10 slides. Slides must adhere to the AAPM guidelines and receive approval from the conference planning committee.

Flash Talk topics may be wide-ranging and may include the following regarding acute and chronic pain:

• Pain evaluation and diagnosis
• Interprofessional pain treatment 
• Telehealth
• Pharmacology
• Treatment mechanisms
• Basic and translational science
• Analgesic clinical trials
• Technological advances
• Pain disparities and underserved populations
• Behavioral health
• Professional pain education
• Patient education
• Public policy
• Advocacy
• Legal issues and pain ethics
• Special populations

Additional Guidance on Flash Talks:

• Only one presenter per Flash Talk
• Only one Flash Talk proposal per person
• Flash Talk presentations will occur during the main conference
• No financial/travel benefits are given to Flash Talk presenters
• A limited number of Flash Talk slots exist. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submissions will be prioritized for acceptance

Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your work and contribute to the advancement of pain management knowledge. With limited space remaining, submitting as soon as possible will help ensure you have a spot to present your Flash Talk.

When you are ready to submit a Flash Talk proposal, click the “Submit Proposal” button for further instructions.