Michelle Failla

Different responses to pain may influence how pain is managed in a clinical setting. Dr. Michelle Failla’s research focuses on understanding the role of social communication in pain responses and management. She is particularly interested in studying pain in populations with differences in social communication, across the lifespan, from autism spectrum disorder to Alzheimer’s Disease. She works to understand how altered neural processing of pain may contribute to differences in expression or experience of pain. She uses a variety of techniques such as psychophysics, neuroimaging, behavioral testing, and big-data approaches to investigate responses to physical pain. Dr. Failla’s work aims to improve pain management for populations where pain communication could potentially impact care.

Dr. Failla earned a B.S. in Biology from Truman State University. She earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh Center for Neuroscience with Dr. Amy Wagner and completed her postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center with Dr. Carissa Cascio in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science.

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