An official website of the United States governmentAffective Neuroscience and Pain Lab
Lab Alumni
Titilola Akintola, Ph.D., Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow
Lola Akintola was a visiting postdoctoral fellow who investigated the mechanisms of expectation effects on pain using neuroimaging and behavioral approaches. Lola received her B.Sc. in biology from Morgan State University and her Ph.D. in toxicology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she studied under the mentorship of Dr. Luana Colloca.
Carolyn Amir, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Carolyn Amir was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award research fellow, studying the effects of psychological processes on pain perception in healthy adults.
Nicole Antkiewicz, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Nicole Antkiewicz served as a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow who investigated the effects of bias on pain perception and expression in healthy adults.
Lauren Banker, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Lauren is now a Ph.D. student in the applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida.
Sabrina Barhoum, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Sabrina Barhoum was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award research fellow who studied the neural and psychological mechanisms of pain perception, particularly expectation and pain relief. Sabrina attended Muhlenberg College and received her B.S. in neuroscience and minor in philosophy. She spent her undergraduate years working in Dr. Gretchen Gotthard’s lab, where she evaluated the disruption of memory and memory reconsolidation using virtual reality. This research focused on proposing future treatment for memory-based disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder, and was presented as a poster at the Society for Neuroscience Convention in 2019. She completed a grant proposal investigating the association between media multitasking and negative affect in children under the mentorship of Dr. Matthieu de Wit, and presented a formal talk about the extended mind theory and technology under the guidance of Dr. Jeremy Teissere. Her other research interests and proposed areas of study include childhood psychopathology, cognition, and neural plasticity.
Jama Brookes, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Jama Brookes was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award research fellow who assisted in understanding biopsychosocial processes in pain perception and expressions. She created and analyzed psychophysiological stimuli to study health disparities in pain. Jama received a B.S. in psychology with a minor in medical humanities from Appalachian State University. While completing her undergraduate degree, Jama worked under three research professors in the departments of biochemistry, psychology, and economics. She researched P450 modulation, moral aspects of blame, and the role of sleep in monetary decision making, respectively.
Jolyna Chiangong, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Jolyna Chiangong was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award research fellow and Office of Intramural Training and Education Postbac Enrichment Program (OITE-PEP) Scholar investigating biopsychosocial influences on pain and pain assessment through studying facial expressions. She obtained her B.S. in biology, health, and society and gender and health from the University of Michigan. Under the mentorship of Dr. Clayton Shuman, she researched perinatal experiences of birthing patients during and following the COVID-19 pandemic and maternal health disparities. She also obtained her M.S. in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University, where, under the mentorship of Dr. Wendy Bennett, she explored technology-based interventions to limit gestational diabetes and obesity. At the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, she worked in the lab of Dr. Faustine Williams and explored the intersections between psychosocial factors and immigrant, racial/ethnic minority, and gender minority mental health.
Molly Cosgrove, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Molly Cosgrove was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow in the Section on Affective Neuroscience and Pain.
Troy Dildine, Predoctoral Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Troy Dildine was a predoctoral Intramural Research Training Award fellow through the Graduate Partnership Program and had been pursuing a Ph.D. in medicine between the National Institutes of Health and Karolinska Institutet.
Maya Joshi Delity, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Maya Joshi Delity was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award research fellow who investigated psychological processes on chronic pain, as well as mechanisms of expectation effects on pain. Maya received her B.A. in psychology from Boston University, where she studied under the mentorship of Dr. Nicholas Wagner in the Biobehavioral and Social Emotional Lab.
Elena Do, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Elena Do was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award research fellow who investigated social discrimination on pain.
Shara Grant, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Jasdeep Kang, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Jasdeep Kang, B.Sc., was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow in the Affective Neuroscience and Pain (ANP) Lab. Jasdeep received his B.S. in neuroscience from The Ohio State University (OSU) in December of 2022. As an undergraduate at OSU, Jasdeep investigated the perceptual processing of asymmetrical progressions in working memory under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Shanahan. Jasdeep plans to apply his research skills and knowledge about pain as a physician.
Inseon Lee, Ph.D., Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow
Inseon Lee is now faculty at Kyung Hee University.
Robert Linton III, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Robert Linton III, was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow.
Dominik Mischkowski, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Dominik Mischkowski is now an assistant professor at Ohio University.
Ruth Mosunmade, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Ruth Mosunmade was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow who was investigating facial recognition of pain and the social influences on pain and pain assessment. In 2020, Ruth received her B.A., with honors, from Amherst College in biochemistry and biophysics. Throughout the duration of her undergraduate career, she worked in the Carter Biophysics Lab under Professor Ashley Carter. With the guidance of Professor Carter, she completed a thesis “Unraveling the Histone Replacement Process in Sperm,” researching the biophysical properties of the protamine-histone replacement process during spermatogenesis. Her progress led her to present her work during the American Physical Society (APS) and Biophysical Society (BPS) conference poster sessions in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Ruth is pursuing a career as an orthopedic surgeon.
Elizabeth Necka, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Elizabeth Necka is now an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health.
Olga Oretsky, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Esther Palacios-Barrios, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Esther Palacios-Barrios is now a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Julie Parsons, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Julie Parsons was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow.
Margaret Rose-McCandlish, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Margaret Rose-McCandlish was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award research fellow who studied the effects of psychological processes on pain perception and expression in healthy adults.
Chrissy Sandman
Chrissy Sandman is now a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. (no image available)
Kai Sherwood, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Kai Sherwood was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow who was investigating biopsychosocial influences on pain assessment and physiological responses in anticipation of pain. Kai received a B.S. in psychology from the College of William & Mary in 2023. As an undergraduate, Kai conducted research in Dr. Cheryl L. Dickter’s lab, where he studied the social behaviors, psychological states, and perceptions of autism spectrum disorder. Kai also performed research with Dr. Joshua A. Burk, where he examined the role and treatment of attentional deficits present in Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia in animal models. With future interests primarily in clinical and counseling psychology, Kai is planning to use his experience in the Affective Neuroscience and Pain Lab to better understand the relationship between physiological and psychological experiences of pain.
Rachel Weger, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Rachel Weger was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow. She gathered and analyzed psychophysiologial measures and participant self-report in healthy adults to study health disparities in pain.
Julio Yanes, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Intramural Research Training Award Fellow
Julio Yanes, Ph.D., was a postdoctoral Intramural Research Training Award fellow.
(from left): Bethany Sauls, summer student; Bethany Leidl, summer student; Caitlin Stavish, special volunteer; Lauren Banker, summer student