About Me
My research interests focus on pharmacotherapy for pain, itch, and substance use disorders. By using non-human primate models with translational impact, I investigate the functional profiles of novel compounds as compared to clinically used drugs to facilitate development of medications. These pharmacological studies aim to elucidate and validate the therapeutic potentials of novel targets by integrating multiple outcome measures in awake, behaving primates.
Ongoing projects investigate
- The therapeutic potential of experimental compounds as safe, non-addictive analgesics.
- The functional efficacy of novel compounds for attenuating the abuse-related effects of opioids and cocaine.
- Spinal and supraspinal ligand-receptor systems for regulating pain and itch.
Educational Program Involvement
Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology PhD
Program Research Interest: Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Cardiovascular Physiology and Hypertension, Regenerative Medicine, Neuro- and Behavioral Pharmacology, Cancer Therapeutics Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Lifespan Physiology.
Graduate Programs in Neuroscience
Program Research Interest: Addiction and Substance Abuse, Behavioral and Systems Neurobiology, Development and Plasticity, Molecular Neurobiology, Neurological Disease and Aging, Neuropharmacology, Sensory Neurobiology