In recognition of the importance of addressing health disparities and to encourage research, Health Psychology has called for manuscripts that reflect the breadth of issues related to health disparities. The section on Pain and Disparities in this present issue is part of a series that has included sections on infectious disease and cancer and will continue with a section in 2014 on disparities in genomic medicine. Because disparities in pain and pain care are the result of multiple and dynamic influences, explaining how racial group differences are manifested and perpetuated remains challenging. In this section, two studies focus on patient characteristics that might explain pain disparities. These two studies can be used to underscore the point that knowledge about, and sensitivity to, cultural issues should be an integral part of the pain curriculum of health professionals.