University of Missouri – Columbia (MU)
My research interests lie at the intersection of addiction neuroscience, pain biology, and perioperative medicine. I am particularly interested in how chronic substance use alters brain function, neuroimmune signaling, and behavioral responses to stress and injury. Using approaches that integrate neuroimaging, clinical phenotyping, and biomarker analysis, I aim to understand how these changes influence anesthetic requirements, pain perception, and recovery following surgery. My long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist who develops mechanism-based strategies to improve perioperative care for patients with substance use histories. By bridging neuroscience, addiction, and clinical anesthesiology, my work seeks to advance personalized approaches to pain management and reduce adverse outcomes in vulnerable patient populations.