Musculoskeletal Pain & Analgesia

BIOGRAPHY

Kathleen Sluka Academic positions: - Professor, Graduate Program in Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science - Director, Neurophysiology of pain lab

Any industry positions (last five years): I am (or have been in the past 5 years) a Consultant for Medtronic, Merck and Amgen. I have (or have had in the past five years) a research grant from Pfizer, Healthonics and EMPI, Inc. I hold stocks in Eli Lilly, Inc.

Research interests: Dr Sluka's research focuses on the spinal cord mechanisms involving the control of musculoskeletal pain. Her group use animal models of acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain that produce behavioral signs such as limping and guarding of the limb and an increased response to heat or mechanical stimuli, hyperalgesia. Her laboratory is particularly interested in the intracellular pathways and ion channels in chronic musculoskeletal pain. Experimental approaches include measuring behavioral responses to noxious stimuli (hyperalgesia), recording activity of dorsal horn neurons, measuring release of neurotransmitters (microdialysis/push-pull perfusion and HPLC), and anatomical localization of mediators of hyperalgesia (immunohistochemistry).

Any other information: Memberships: APTA, American Pain Society, International Association for the Study of Pain, Society for Neuroscience

Manuscript reviewer for: Journal of Neurochemistry, Experimental Brain Research, Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Neuroscience Methods, Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Anesthesiology, American Journal of Physiology, Pain, Physiotherapy Research International, Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Somatosensory and Motor Research, Journal of Pain, European Journal of Pain