EquiP PC, an NIH Collaboratory Trial, will test an adapted behavioral health integration toolkit to improve chronic pain care. The trial will assess reduced pain interference, improved integrated behavioral health, and implementation success with the goal of expanding access to high-quality, team-based chronic pain care in primary care settings.

At the NIH Collaboratory’s 2026 Annual Steering Committee Meeting, we spoke with co–principal investigator Kari Stephens to learn more about APA-SM.

“We are hoping [EquiP PC] really helps bring high-quality care and good access to all patients who suffer from chronic pain,” Stephens said. Stephens is a licensed clinical psychologist and a professor in family medicine and adjunct professor in biomedical informatics and medical education at the University of Washington.

“There are lots of folks from various walks of life who have great difficulty in engaging care and getting good access to high-quality care. Our hope is the study will make that better and do it in an environment in primary care where most patients seek care in the first place for chronic pain,” she explained.

Go to the full video.

Stephens shared advice with investigators who are planning to launch a pragmatic trial.

“You’re going to have to work incredibly fast,” she said. “So, tracking your key decisions…and systematically documenting what those are along the way are really important.”

Learn more about the EquiP PC trial.

In the coming weeks, we will share more highlights from the 2026 Annual Steering Committee Meeting. Access the complete meeting materials.