Researching Pain, Improving Lives

Pain is the leading cause of the global disease burden. My motivation to make pain my research focus was both personal and academic. I have seen the suffering that pain has inflicted on my family and friends. Pain affects millions of people around the world, and as a researcher I was motivated by the belief that developing new treatments that can improve pain management could make a meaningful impact on public health. Pain research often requires interdisciplinary collaborations, and this feeds into my desire to work with experts from a variety of fields, including neuroscience, pharmacology, and clinical medicine. Finally, the mechanisms underlying pain are complex and multifaceted. Accordingly, the intellectual challenge of understanding these mechanisms and developing new ways to intervene also shapes my professional focus.

My research aims to identify mechanisms that contribute to both the sensory and affective dimensions of pain by focusing on key proteins that are involved in initiating and sustaining pain. The understanding gained from these studies has the potential to lead to fast-tracking the development of novel, non-addictive drugs for treatment of chronic neuropathic pain in humans.

How would you describe your vision and goals for the NYUPRC?

My vision is to advance nationally recognized and transformative basic, translational, and clinical pain research, education, training, and outreach activities across the NYU and broader NYC pain research community. We will build on NYU’s existing areas of strength in oral cancer pain, irritable bowel disease, fibromyalgia and widespread pain, pain genetics, female pain syndromes, and pain related to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome through the lens of understanding the complex mechanisms underlying these pain conditions and identifying new avenues for treatment. The NYUPRC will be dedicated to fostering collaborations with other NYU entities, including the Grossman School of Medicine and its Departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine; the Neuroscience Institute; the School of Global Public Health; the Rory Meyers College of Nursing; NYU Chemical Biology (Department of Chemistry); Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology; and Tandon School of Engineering.

The NYUPRC includes both short-term and long-term goals aimed at improving pain management and treatment.

Short-term goals include:

• Conducting innovative research to better understand pain mechanisms and develop more effective treatments.
• Providing education and training opportunities for pain researchers and dentists.
• Establishing collaborations with other research institutions to expand research capabilities and knowledge.
• Increasing awareness of the Center’s research and initiatives among the public and health care providers.

Long-term goals include:

• Developing innovative technologies and therapies to improve pain treatment and management.
• Enhancing interdisciplinary collaborations across the institution and beyond to facilitate the translation of scientific discoveries into clinical practice.
• Developing novel approaches for pain prevention and management, which will improve patients’ quality of life and reduce the overall burden of pain.
• Building a comprehensive pain management program that integrates research, education, and patient care.
• Advocating for better pain management policies, regulations, and funding at the state and national levels.

Overall, the NYU Pain Research Center aims to be a leading institution in pain research and management and to have a significant impact on patients’ lives.

The NYU Pain Research Center recently held its inaugural research symposium. Did it achieve its objectives?

Yes, definitely. The event brought together leading pain researchers from around the US and Canada to discuss the latest advances in pain research, with a focus on pain mechanisms, management, and policy. It provided an opportunity for researchers to present their latest findings and connect with other researchers in the field. It also cemented the importance and visibility of the NYUPRC within the ecosystem of New York University. There is great support for the Center not only from the leadership of NYU Dentistry but from NYU leadership at large. With this platform, the NYUPRC is now poised to begin an expansion phase to recruit additional translational and basic science faculty and trainees to carry out the mission of the Center.
 

What impact do you think the work of the NYUPRC will have on the education of NYU dental students?

NYU Dentistry considers research to be a critical component of its overall mission and of the education of future dentists. The work of the NYU Pain Research Center can help dental students understand the underlying causes of dental pain, which can improve their ability to diagnose and treat pain-related conditions and help them develop more effective pain management strategies.

On behalf of these aims, the NYUPRC will provide dental students with opportunities to work in our pain investigators’ laboratories so they can have a front row view of how research drives innovation and contributes to discoveries that may lead to better clinical care. Students will also have access to Pain journal club meetings, where discussion focuses on research, techniques, and new discoveries. These clubs serve as an important means of developing critical appraisal skills, promoting awareness of new techniques, stimulating debate, and fostering social interactions within the NYUPRC. In addition, students will have access to the PRIMED (Pain Research: Innovative Methods and Emerging Data) Club, run by postdoctoral scholars at NYUPRC.  

In these various ways, the work of the NYU Pain Research Center can play a critical role in the education of NYU dental students, providing them with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to deliver effective pain management and improve patient outcomes.