Marwan Baliki, PhD

Today, chronic pain is deemed an “epidemic” in the United States by the American Academy of Pain Management. It remains the primary reason why people seek healthcare, and everyday 50 million Americans are either partially or totally disabled by pain. The health care and lost productivity costs associated with chronic pain are estimated to be > $600 billion/year in the US alone. This lack of success in both managing chronic pain and understanding it development comes from a lack of understanding the central processes of chronic pain, especially the role of the brain, which has been ignored till the past decade. My research seeks to identify the brain mechanisms underlying the processing, modulation and development of chronic pain in different clinical settings. My research utilizes state of the art brain imaging technology that enables us to formulate comprehensive and accurate biological models to study chronic pain, its relationship to function and psychological disorders, as well as its responsiveness to various therapeutic interventions.