Imagine living in a rural area, suffering from chronic pain, and having no access to effective, non-drug treatments. This is the stark reality for many, but a groundbreaking partnership is aiming to change that. On December 8, 2025, the Rethinking Clinical Trials podcast delved into the collaboration between the Primary Care Rural and Frontier Clinical Trials Innovation Center (PRaCTICe) and BeatPain, an NIH Collaboratory Trial. This episode, featuring Julie Fritz from the University of Utah and Sebastian Tong from the University of Washington, unpacks their recent Grand Rounds presentation, “Integrating the BeatPain Study With PRaCTICe, a New Network Research Hub of the CARE for Health Initiative.” (https://rethinkingclinicaltrials.org/news/grand-rounds-october-10-2025-integrating-the-beatpain-study-with-practice-a-new-network-research-hub-of-the-care-for-health-initiative-julie-m-fritz-phd-pt-fapta-sebastian-tong-md-mph/)
But here’s where it gets controversial: Can a partnership between a rural-focused research network and a clinical trial truly bridge the gap in healthcare access? Fritz and Tong believe so, and their conversation sheds light on why this collaboration is a game-changer.
In the podcast (https://soundcloud.com/user-970624754/care-for-health-x-beatpain?si=9609c0d43e5e46fc9393e6465e5e2a6a&utmsource=clipboard&utmmedium=text&utmcampaign=socialsharing), they discuss how PRaCTICe and BeatPain are working together to bring evidence-based, non-pharmacological treatments for chronic pain to underserved rural communities. Tong highlights a critical issue: “The BeatPain study was addressing a need clinicians and patients had identified—access to non-pharmacological treatments for chronic pain. In many places, there simply wasn’t access to physical therapy.”
And this is the part most people miss: Building trust and capacity in low-resource settings is no small feat. Roughly a year into their collaboration, PRaCTICe referred 165 patients to the BeatPain team, with 95% being rural residents. Fritz emphasizes the importance of local relationships: “Local people who support what you’re doing, who know you’re doing your best for the participants from their clinics—that’s been key to successful partnerships, both at the clinical and patient levels.”
BeatPain Utah (https://rethinkingclinicaltrials.org/demonstration-projects/beatpainutah/), an NIH Collaboratory Trial, is at the forefront of this effort, comparing the effectiveness of non-pharmacologic interventions for back pain in federally qualified health centers across Utah. Fritz, the principal investigator for BeatPain Utah and a distinguished professor at the University of Utah, brings her expertise in physical therapy and athletic training to the table. Tong, a co-principal investigator for AIM-CP (https://rethinkingclinicaltrials.org/demonstration-projects/aim-cp/) and an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Washington, adds a critical perspective on integrating these interventions into primary care.
Here’s the bold question: Can this model be scaled nationally, or even globally, to address healthcare disparities? Listen to the podcast and join the conversation. Subscribe for free on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1tDYmR4faCPINep5eRgkiZ?si=c8a6de5334084107), Amazon Music (https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f4737333-d6c9-40cc-bfb9-1a6b67af7814/nih-collaboratory), Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/nih-collaboratory/id1343841042), or SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/user-970624754) to stay updated on future episodes.
What do you think? Is this partnership a sustainable solution, or are there deeper systemic issues that need addressing? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a meaningful discussion!
