Updates
Updates from my research, collaborations, clinical work, and activities with trainees and collaborators.
October 16, 2026
Presenting at the ACRM 2026 Annual Fall Conference
Cynthia Li, Kelly Daley, Jason Beneciuk, and I presented our symposium, "Building the Learning Health Systems Cycle in Rehabilitation: From Data Infrastructure to Research and Practice Improvement," at the ACRM 103rd Annual Fall Conference in Washington, DC. Together, we traced how routine practice generates data, how those data become knowledge about care delivery, and how that knowledge returns to practice. My section used our pain psychology telehealth study as an example of studying changes in care delivery with routine electronic health record data.
September 25, 2026
Presenting at Blaustein Pain Grand Rounds
I delivered the Blaustein Pain Grand Rounds lecture, "Who Gets Evidence-Based Pain Care? Socioeconomic Disparities from Population to Clinic." I shared findings from our national All of Us study, recently accepted in JAMA Health Forum, from our Blaustein-funded study of pain psychology referrals at Hopkins, and from the OPTIMIZE trial, along with early work from my K23. Thank you to Dr. Stephen Wegener for hosting and to everyone who joined!
August 31, 2026
New Paper Accepted in the Journal of Burn Care & Research
Congratulations to Amy Li on the acceptance of our new paper, "Domain-Specific Associations of Neighborhood Financial Resources and Economic Hardship with Functional Outcomes in Burn Survivors," in the Journal of Burn Care & Research. Led by Amy, the study examines how different dimensions of neighborhood socioeconomic conditions relate to pain and functional outcomes among adults with burn injuries. Grateful to Amy and our collaborators Nandini Raghuraman, Tricia Kirkhart, and Stephen Wegener for their contributions to this work.
Read the paper
August 7, 2026
Participating in the 2026 NIMHD Health Disparities Research Institute
I participated in the 2026 Health Disparities Research Institute (HDRI), hosted by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The week-long institute brought together investigators from across the country for intensive training in research methods, NIH grant development, peer review, and clinical trial design. The experience provided valuable opportunities to engage with NIH scientific and program staff while strengthening skills that will support my research on improving access to evidence-based pain care, understanding factors that shape treatment engagement, and developing strategies to help patients receive the care they need.
August 5, 2026
Mahi Shah and Spoorthy Reddy Present at the Hopkins Summer Research Symposium
Undergraduate research assistants Mahi Shah and Spoorthy Reddy presented their research at the Johns Hopkins Summer Research Symposium. Their poster described the development and cognitive pretesting of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) designed to measure treatment preferences among adults living with chronic pain. Through think-aloud cognitive interviews, they identified opportunities to improve the clarity, presentation, comprehension, and decision-making aspects of the survey before its launch to a larger sample. Congratulations to Mahi and Spoorthy on a fantastic presentation, we're proud of the work they put into this project and grateful to see them representing the lab.
July 29, 2026
Summer Lab Hangout at Ministry of Brewing
We gathered for a summer lab hangout at Ministry of Brewing to share some pizza and enjoy each other's company outside the usual meetings and deadlines. It was also a chance to send off our postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Kristen Pasko, with gratitude for all she has brought to the lab. We're thankful for such a dedicated and collaborative team, and for the moments we get to spend together along the way. Here's to Kristen and to everything ahead!
May 8, 2026
Ruomu Dong Presents at UCLA PURC
Undergraduate research assistant Ruomu Dong traveled to UCLA to present her poster, "Pain Site Count on the CHOIR Body Map as a Marker of Psychological Distress in Adults with Chronic Pain," at the UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC). Using data from our PAINLESS study, Ruomu's poster examined whether pain distribution provides meaningful information about psychological distress beyond pain intensity alone. Congratulations to Ruomu on representing the lab at this competitive national conference. We're proud of her work and excited to see her continue to grow as a researcher!
April 20, 2026
Dr. Kristen Pasko Shares Her Research and Clinical Work
Our Pain Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Kristen Pasko, delivered a practice job talk to the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology today. Kristen walked us through her career trajectory, presented nuanced clinical case studies, and outlined her research program on coping and health behavior engagement in chronic illness and injury. We are so proud of the work she is doing and excited to see where she lands next!
April 10, 2026
Inaugural Outcomes Lecture at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
I delivered the inaugural Rehabilitation Outcomes Grand Rounds at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, part of the Mass General Brigham system and a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. The lecture, "Implementing PROMs in Pain Management: Barriers, Perspectives, and Strategies," presented findings from our mixed-methods study on physician and patient perspectives on PROM implementation in spine care and pain management. Thank you to the Rehabilitation Outcomes Center at Spaulding for the invitation to launch this new annual lecture series!
March 24, 2026
Presenting at USASP 2026 in Philadelphia
Our team was well represented at the 2026 US Association for the Study of Pain Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia! I presented preliminary findings from my USASP-MAYDAY Clinical/Translational Research Award project on place-based access to mental health care among adults with chronic pain as part of the Scholars Research Panel. Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Kristen Pasko and research assistant Sylvia Johnson also presented their research at the conference. Proud of the team for sharing the experiences of those living with chronic pain.
March 21, 2026
Completed Training in Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy
I completed a 15-hour continuing education course in Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), an evidence-based psychological treatment for chronic pain and related symptoms. The five-week course was led by Drs. Mark Lumley and Howard Schubiner and focused on the theory and clinical techniques used in EAET. The training supports both my research on evidence-based pain care and my clinical work with adults living with chronic pain, helping expand the approaches I can draw on when working with patients.
March 10, 2026
Guest Lecture at the TIME Pain Course
I delivered a guest lecture on psychosocial factors in pain management to first-year medical students as part of the Johns Hopkins TIME Pain Course. The session covered the biopsychosocial model of pain, the role of psychological and social factors in chronic pain, and evidence-based pain psychology interventions. I also facilitated small group case discussions earlier that morning. A great opportunity to connect with the next generation of physicians and share the importance of a whole-person approach to pain care.
February 20, 2026
Dr. Rachel Aaron Presents at Blaustein Pain Grand Rounds
My colleague and co-director Dr. Rachel Aaron delivered the Blaustein Pain Grand Rounds lecture, "Mental Health Comorbidities in Chronic Pain: Sources of Risk and Resilience." Rachel presented findings from our series of meta-analyses on the prevalence of depression and anxiety across chronic pain populations and discussed implications for treatment personalization, access to integrated care, and future treatment development. Proud to see this important work shared with the broader Hopkins pain community!
February 17, 2026
Lab Pizza Party at Johnny Rad's
We kicked off the spring semester with a lab pizza party! It was a great evening to step away from our busy schedules, enjoy good food, and spend time together outside the office. We're grateful for such a dedicated and collaborative team, and for opportunities to celebrate the hard work happening across the lab. Here's to a productive and exciting semester ahead!
January 16, 2026
Advancing Multidisciplinary Pain Care at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare
I participated in a multidisciplinary assessment visit to Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) in Saudi Arabia, focused on evaluating and strengthening existing pain management services for patients living with acute and chronic pain. The week-long site visit involved clinic observations and stakeholder meetings to understand current workflows and identify opportunities to enhance coordinated, patient-centered pain care. Findings from this assessment will inform recommendations to support multidisciplinary collaboration, implementation of evidence-based practices, and ongoing service development.
December 14, 2025
Presenting at the AcademyHealth D&I Conference 2025
Gloria Kammer and I presented at the 18th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health in Washington, DC. The conference highlights how implementation science can be used to help make sure that evidence-based care can be delivered in ways that improve access and engagement and help patients receive the care they need.
December 2, 2025
Proud of Our Team at the 15th PM&R Research & Clinical Expo!
Trainees presented their posters at the 15th PM&R Research and Clinical Expo this week! It was a fantastic showcase of the hard work happening across the lab. A special shoutout to Sylvia Johnson, whose poster "Bridging the Gap: Aligning Patient and Provider Priorities in PROMs Implementation for Spine and Pain Care" took home a top clinical poster award. So proud of everyone who presented, keep up the great work!
October 31, 2025
Presenting at ACRM 2025
Dr. Mary Slavin and I presented our collaborative project, "Bridging the Gap: Aligning Patient and Provider Priorities in PROMs Implementation for Spine and Pain Care," at the 2025 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Annual Meeting in Chicago!
July 24, 2025
Congratulations, Dr. Rachel Aaron!
Congratulations to my colleague and co-director Dr. Rachel Aaron, who went up for promotion to Associate Professor! We celebrated together as a team, and I'm grateful for her leadership and the impact of her work. Congratulations, Rachel!
June 27, 2025
Lab Paper Chase!
Our team came together for a full-day Paper Chase to jumpstart a manuscript. It was an energizing day of collaboration, writing, and teamwork that brought us one big step closer to submission!
May 3, 2025
Presenting at the Canadian Pain Society 2025
Dr. Rachel Aaron and I each presented symposiums at the Canadian Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto, ON. A great opportunity to share our work and connect with colleagues advancing the science of pain.
May 1, 2025
Sharing Our Research in Chicago - USASP 2025
Our team was proud to present at the 2025 US Association for the Study of Pain Conference in Chicago! Congratulations to everyone who represented the lab and shared our work on advancing evidence-based care for pain and disability.
February 7, 2025
Celebrating Philip Huang at the Medical Student Research Symposium!
Congratulations to our research assistant, Philip Huang, who was selected to give an oral presentation at the Johns Hopkins Medical Student Research Symposium! We are so proud of Phil's hard work and dedication.
November 14, 2024
First Place at the PM&R Research & Clinical Expo!
Big congratulations to our postbac RA, Sylvia Johnson, for winning first place at the PM&R Research and Clinical Expo! We're so proud of her presentation and the important work she's doing in our lab.
September 4, 2024
Kicking Off the 2024-2025 Academic Year!
We're excited to kick off the 2024-2025 academic year! Looking forward to another year of collaboration, discovery, and growth together.
June 20, 2024
Congratulations, Dr. Scott Ravyts!
We gathered to celebrate Dr. Scott Ravyts as he graduated from the Pain Psychology Fellowship. Congratulations, Scott, on this important milestone. We are excited to see all the ways you'll continue advancing pain research and clinical care in your new role as Assistant Professor at UNC-Charlotte!