Monday, April 19: News Articles
Fear of needles/needle pain may be a barrier to obtaining COVID-19 vaccinations for many people. Over 60% of children and about 25% of adults fear needles. As more vaccines become available and are extended to younger patients, it is important for healthcare providers and parents/caregivers to find ways to help reduce fear and pain associated with receiving these life-saving injections. Luckily, several scientifically-based strategies already exist, including modeling calm, confident behavior to children when receiving vaccinations, using distraction techniques (e.g., music, movies), and encouraging slow, steady breathing. Not only are these methods helpful for children, adults can benefit from them as well! Learn more about these and other techniques here:
Friday, April 23: Spotlight
Meet Dr. Kelly Naugle, Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Dr. Naugle, a former PRICE postdoctoral fellow, conducts research aimed at facilitating the development of mechanistic-based behavioral interventions for acute and chronic pain. In particular, a current focus of her lab is on examining the impact of physical activity behavior and exercise as a therapeutic and preventative strategy for pain-related conditions. Her research also aims to understand mechanisms involved in the transition from acute to chronic pain in persistent posttraumatic headache following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Upon completing her PhD, Dr. Naugle became a research scientist for one year within the UF Institute on Aging (IOA), which stimulated her interest in clinical aging and intervention research. Following this, Dr. Naugle was introduced to the field of pain and aging and subsequently became fascinated by pain research during her training with PRICE under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Riley. She plans on continuing her work at IUPUI and strives to provide mentorship to both undergraduate and graduate students by providing them with research opportunities. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys engaging in activities with her children (ages 7 and 9). She coaches a lot of their sports teams and is a leader for her younger son’s cub scouts, which keeps her very busy!