On June 5th, 2019, iRacer Zach Mannes, MS, MPH, successfully defended his dissertation “The Effect of Pain on Depressive Symptoms, Opioid Use, and Health Related Quality of Life among Retired National Football League (NFL) Athletes: A Nuanced Examination of Pain Intensity, Catastrophizing, Acceptance, and Interference.” Zach’s dissertation has important clinical and research implications for understanding pain management and improving mental health and quality of life outcomes among high performing athletes. Zach is heading to Yale University the Department of Psychiatry to complete his clinical internship.