Monday, February 15: News Articles
Anyone with chronic pain knows that it can impact their life in many ways, including their ability to work, socialize, and even complete daily chores. Chronic pain doesn’t just impact someone physically – it can also have dramatic effects on thinking and concentration. Recent research from the University of Miami found that in people with pain, having a higher pain intensity was linked to lower working memory ability and increased activity in brain regions responsible for pain, emotions, and thought processing. These findings shed light on the impact of pain on memory and could lead to further insights into the brain’s role in these relationships. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-02-pain-experienced-everyday-life-impact.html
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/neuroscience-mice-may-catch-each-others-pain-relief-contagious
Wednesday, February 17: Accomplishment
Congratulations to our very own Maria Aguirre who was recently selected as a recipient of the Superior Accomplishment Award within the UF Health Sciences Center Division! This award recognizes staff members at UF who “contribute outstanding and meritorious service, efficiency and/or economy, or to the quality of life provided to students and employees.” Maria certainly surpasses expectations in all of these areas, as she goes above and beyond to support her colleagues here at PRICE! We are all incredibly proud of her for this achievement. As a Division-level winner, Maria has been nominated to compete for the Superior Accomplishment Award at the University-level. She is truly deserving of this award and we wish her the best in this next phase. We can’t thank you enough for everything you do, Maria!!!
Friday, February 19: Spotlight
Meet Meryl Alappattu – Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. Dr. Alappattu’s research centers on understanding the mechanisms underlying chronic and musculoskeletal pain, and specifically, female chronic pain and associated sexual dysfunction. She is currently investigating how exercise-induced muscle pain impacts one’s ability to regulate pain and the effect of COVID-19 on the experiences of individuals with pelvic pain. Dr. Alappattu’s interests in pain surfaced while she was working as a physical therapist as she noticed that patients responded differently to treatment. For those who responded well, it was life-changing; however, other patients failed to improve. Dr. Alappattu’s mission is to develop a line of research that optimizes the clinical practice and care of women with pelvic pain, and to reduce the stigma surrounding pelvic and sexual pain so that more people receive proper care. When not working, Dr. Alappattu’s guilty pleasures include watching Bravo and TikTok.