Post and spotlights Submissions

I am a registered nurse holding a master’s degree in Nursing in Adult-Gerontology and a PhD in Nursing Science from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon. I am currently a postdoctoral research associate in the Assessment, Pain Intervention, & Resilience (ASPIRE) Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Emily Bartley. I am involved in a research project focused on identifying multisystem phenotypic profiles of resilience that predict postsurgical recovery trajectories in pain impact and physical function among adults undergoing knee and hip arthroplasty. My current roles include assisting with patient recruitment, conducting study sessions, data collection, manuscript development, interpretation and presentation of findings, development of new research projects, and involvement in postdoc-related training activities.

In the future, I see myself working in academia and committing to both teaching and research. My main goal as a teacher is to foster a positive and collaborative learning environment where students can thrive and reach their full potential. In my work as a researcher, I aim to gain a deeper understanding on the role of psychosocial factors in the experience of pain, with an emphasis on the protective factors that promote resilience to pain and better pain outcomes. My future research goals are to contribute to pain research projects, seek new opportunities in the rapidly growing field of pain, and develop and test targeted clinical interventions that promote pain resilience and positive health-outcomes to alleviate pain and its suffering.

I enjoy dancing, listening to music, and taking walks in nature.

My interest in pain research is not just a career path but stems from a desire to help people who are living with chronic pain. The roots of my journey trace back to the moment when I decided to become a nurse. While nurses have an ethical responsibility to relieve pain and its suffering, one of the most challenging situations I faced as a nurse was alleviating patients’ pain. Caring for individuals suffering from pain had a profound impact and inspired me to become a chronic pain researcher, where I could contribute to the broader understanding of pain mechanisms. My interest in pain research is also rooted in my personal experience of seeing a loved one struggle with chronic non-malignant pain. Since then, I have been actively involved in research studies that focus on examining the role of positive psychological factors in the experience of pain among individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain.