Two Medtech Industry Leaders Selected to Serve on NIH HEAL Initiative® Multi-Disciplinary Working Group
Appointments recognize leadership in neuromodulation, pain management, and non-opioid therapeutic innovation
Dallas, TX, May 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Two prominent leaders in the medical technology industry, Dr. Navid Khodaparast, Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder of Spark Biomedical, and Dr. Amy Baxter, MD, CEO and Founder of Harmonic Scientific, have been selected to serve on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative (NIH HEAL Initiative®) Multi-Disciplinary Working Group (MDWG).
The NIH HEAL Initiative, launched in 2018, is a multi-agency effort led by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to accelerate scientific solutions to the nation’s overdose epidemic and chronic pain crisis. The MDWG is a distinguished body of external experts from academia, industry, clinical practice, and patient advocacy who provide strategic input on research priorities, emerging gaps, and program development across the HEAL portfolio.
Dr. Khodaparast and Dr. Baxter will serve four-year terms beginning in July 2026.
Advancing Innovation in Pain and Addiction Treatment
Dr. Navid Khodaparast is a neuroscientist and entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience translating neuromodulation therapies into clinical applications for neurological and psychiatric disorders. During his graduate training at UT Dallas, he began to focus on how the vagus nerve can play a crucial role in neuroplasticity and treating disease related to autonomic dysfunction.
As Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Spark Biomedical, Dr. Khodaparast leads clinical research on noninvasive transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation for opioid withdrawal, chronic pain, stress-related conditions, hemostasis, and women’s health. His work has led to the first FDA-cleared noninvasive neurostimulation device for opioid use disorder. He serves as Principal Investigator on multiple NIH and Department of Defense-funded studies and continues to advance research in opioid relapse reduction, alcohol use disorder, and opioid-sparing treatments.
“Being invited to contribute to the HEAL Initiative is a tremendous honor,” said Dr. Khodaparast. “This program represents an important coordinated scientific effort to address addiction and chronic pain. I look forward to supporting the development of innovative therapies that can meaningfully impact patients’ lives.”
Pediatric emergency physician Amy Baxter translates neuroscience into disruptive, actionable solutions for pervasive public health problems. Her 20-year medical research career spans PTSD, pediatric needle fear, nasal irrigation COVID mitigation, and opioid prevention. A Clinical Professor at Augusta University, she has served as PI on multiple NIH-funded pain reduction initiatives, most recently creating the noninvasive DuoTherm wearable to stop opioid initiation and prevent and treat chronic low back pain.
Through NIH funding Dr. Baxter discovered a neuromodulatory vibration frequency, translating the physics into multiple FDA 510(k) cleared medical technologies: VibraCool® is distributed for post-op opioid reduction, and the Buzzy® needle pain device has been utilized in over 250 million needle procedures worldwide. She holds more than 15 patents and received the prestigious Tibbetts award for Small Business Innovative Research accomplishment and stewardship of public funds. Her academic service supports public health policy, including the CDC Emergency Department COVID Task Force, testifying before HHS on adult vaccine refusal, and extensive service for NIH scientific review groups.
“The HEAL initiative exemplifies the power of multiple stakeholders and scientists working toward a common goal,” noted Dr. Baxter. “I’m humbled to be able to contribute alongside the brilliant and dedicated members of this group.”
Guiding the Future of the HEAL Initiative
The HEAL MDWG plays a key role in shaping the initiative’s evolving research agenda by evaluating program progress, identifying emerging scientific opportunities, and advising on new areas of investment. Members bring diverse expertise spanning therapeutics development, clinical care, and patient-centered innovation.
The selection of Dr. Khodaparast and Dr. Baxter underscores the growing importance of neuromodulation and new mechanistic discoveries supporting noninvasive interventions to prevent and address opioid use disorder and chronic pain.
About Spark Biomedical®
Spark Biomedical, Inc. is a leading U.S.-based medical device developer, committed to unlocking the potential of bioelectronic medicine and bringing to market novel wearable neurostimulation treatment options in behavioral health, women’s health, hemostasis, pediatrics, and chronic pain. Spark leverages its neuroscience and engineering expertise to empower healthcare providers and researchers with innovative, evidence-based tools designed to address complex care situations that exceed the capabilities of existing treatment options. Spark has received funding from federal institutions, such as the NIH and DoD, and continues to partner with private and academic institutions. Spark Biomedical is empowering a better way forward for the future of patient care and medical technology. For more information, visit www.sparkbiomedical.com.
About Harmonic Scientific LLC
Pain Care Labs pioneered thermal vibration for pain and recovery over 20 years ago. Harmonic Scientific was spun off to develop their interactive restorative mechanical stimulation (M-Stim®) platform for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Harmonic’s DuoTherm platform intersects neuromodulation, musculoskeletal medicine, and conservative spine care, filling the practice gap between passive support and invasive interventions. Leveraging extensive developments in the basic science of vibration, the flagship noninvasive multimodal device reduced opioid use, pain and disability, delivering stochastic frequencies targeting the paraspinal muscle dysfunction that causes pain.
Focusing on the neglected clinical goal of preventing pediatric needle fear, Harmonic’s parent company provided the rare foundation of translating vibrational frequencies into real clinical setting interventions at scale. Results from our pivotal NIH HEAL Fast-Track clinical trials demonstrated significant improvements in pain interference and function, particularly notable for refractory mechanical conditions such as obesity, opioid use or duration. For more information, read the National Geographic archives article or go to www.HarmonicScientific.com.
About the NIH HEAL Initiative®
The NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, is an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Through research in pain management and addiction treatment, HEAL aims to improve prevention strategies and deliver effective, non-addictive therapies.
CONTACT: Spark Biomedical research@sparkbiomedical.com
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