Skip to main content
Heal K12 Logo

K12 Scholars

Each year, a new class of scholars is selected. With the mission of expanding the national workforce capable of conducting clinical pain research, these scholars come from diverse personal, institutional, geographic, disciplinary, and specialty backgrounds.

2023 Class of HEAL K12 Scholars

Jessica Ma, MD

Jessica Ma, MD

Instructor of Medicine

Institution:

Duke University

Home Mentor:

Hayden Bosworth, PhD

Pain Management Decision Making in Advanced Kidney Disease

Older adults with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD, stages 4 and 5 and end-stage renal disease (ESRD)) often have chronic pain; however, chronic pain is difficult to treat in kidney disease due to changes in medication metabolism, limited medication options, and higher risk of medication adverse events. In addition, clinicians and patients often do not know how to approach complex pain management and make sure decisions reflect the patients’ priorities and personal tradeoffs. This proposed project will interview patients and clinicians to learn how they navigate these difficult conversations and survey patients on their preferences in pain management; the results of this study will inform the development of a decision support intervention to support clinicians and patients in these pain management conversations.

Lakeya McGill, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Institution:

University of Pittsburgh

Home Mentor:

Jessie Merlin, MD, PhD, MBA

Impact of discrimination on pain management among adults with sickle cell disease

Pain is the hallmark symptom of sickle cell disease (SCD): adults with the disease experience acute and chronic pain that is often poorly managed, leading to disability, chronic opioid therapy, and compromised quality of life. To develop culturally adapted pain interventions and improve pain management, there is a critical need to better understand the influence of sociocultural factors on pain-related outcomes. The proposed project will examine the impact of multiple sources of discrimination on (1) psychological and behavioral factors, (2) pain severity and interference, and (3) treatment adherence and efficacy in this population.

Bridget Mueller, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor-Director of Headache Research

Institution:

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Home Mentor:

Jessica Robinson-Papp, MD, MS

STress REsponse Systems in Fatigue and Migraine Chronification (STREAM)

Fatigue is common in patients with chronic migraine but, the neurobiology of this relationship is not well understood. This project aims to identify changes in brain circuitry and stress responsivity that occur when pain becomes chronic, and fatigue develops. We hope this work advances the development of novel therapies that reduce the painful and non-painful symptoms of chronic migraine.