Kimberly Sibille Ph.D., M.A.
Rene Przkora MD, PhD
Jared J Tanner Ph.D.
Ralisa Pop
Current Trainees
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Pratscher is a postdoctoral fellow in an integrative and multidisciplinary pain and aging research training program at the University of Florida. He is interested in examining the effectiveness and mechanisms of action of various mind-body and integrative interventions to improve health, vitality, stress, chronic pain, aging, and well-being. Dr. Pratscher is particularly drawn to psychedelic-assisted therapies and breathwork and how both can alter consciousness and support the body’s natural ability to heal.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Buchanan is a MERIT/IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She earned a doctoral degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida. Dr. Buchanan’s research currently focuses on understanding how exercise and pain impact mobility and cardiovascular function of older adults.
Doctoral Student
Akemi is a PhD candidate from the Department of Epidemiology. She is interested in studying risk factors of cancers that afflict women and understanding mechanisms of aging in underserved population subgroups (people living with pain and HIV). For her PhD dissertation she is investigating the associations between micronutrients (vitamin D, Omega-6/-3) and Leukocyte Telomere Length in individuals with mild to moderate chronic pain.
Medical Student
Shivani Hanchate joined the team in the Spring of 2020 to complete an Anesthesiology independent study in the field of chronic pain. She worked with Dr. Sibille, Dr. Tanner, Dr. Przkora, and Dr. Juan to investigate chronic pain and it’s relation to cognition, accelerated aging, neuropathological changes, and anesthetic delivery. She then continued this line of study while working on a project with our team investigating the relationship between chronic pain severity and temporal lobe cortex changes with relation to sociodemographic factors, as it specifically relates to Alzheimer’s disease. She is very passionate about the intersection of neuroscience, pain medicine, and social determinants of health and is eager to find a way to continue studying these fields and translating this research into clinical practice. Shivani graduated from the University of Miami in 2017 with a Bachelors in Neuroscience and with minors in Chemistry and Public Health. She is currently a 4th year medical student at the University of Florida College of Medicine and will be starting an Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Virginia in the summer of 2021. She is hoping to either pursue dual board certification in Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology or pursue an Internal Medicine subspecialty fellowship.
Research Volunteer
Stanley is currently a research volunteer in the lab. Working as a medical assistant at North Florida Integrative Medicine, he saw how patients reported a variety of pain tolerances which varied differently across ethnic groups. This curiosity led him to become a volunteer research assistant at PRICE. In the future, Stanley will be applying to medical school in order to become a scholarly physician contributing to the advancement of science through clinical research.
Research Trainee
Dr. Angie M. Adkin is a research trainee under the mentorship of Dr. Kimberly Sibille. After attaining her Bachelor of Science in Zoology degree with honors from Michigan State University, she spent several years as a zookeeper in Chicago caring for, training and managing many species of animals. While at the zoo, she also assisted with several behavioral research projects that focused on assessing the behavior and health of sable antelope, the endangered Grevy’s zebra and Sichuan takin. This is where her love of comparative psychology and ethology was founded. Her research interests in behavior led her to the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida where she earned a MS in 2013 and PhD in 2018. While in graduate school at UF, her research focused on utilizing the equine model to explore how nutrition and environmental factors impact behavior and health in horses. Dr. Adkin’s current research goals take a mixed method approach to comparative psychology and ethology by exploring reciprocal translation research benefiting both humans and horses. Her goals are to study how temperament contributes to a horse’s emotional regulation and learning ability, as well as assess biomarkers related to temperament and stress. By using an evidence-based approach to test behavioral modification techniques in anxious horses, her ultimate goal is translate this research to benefit both humans and horses.
Bankole Olowofela is an MD candidate at the University of Florida in the College of Medicine. His received funding through the 2021 Medical Student Research Program to investigate the links between the physiological toll of chronic pain on the body and neuroimaging findings in the temporal lobe cortex in the brain as well as the influence of sociodemographic factors on those relationships. He is interested in exploring and finding ways to address disparities that exist in healthcare.
Margaret Ann is a current third year MD candidate at the University of Florida College of Medicine. She previously studied Neurobiological Sciences and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Florida while conducting research under Dr. Andrew Maurer at the McKnight Brain Institute. Her previous research addressed neurologic mechanisms of weighted decision making and spatial working memory. She has a continued interest in the impact of diet, behavior, exercise, and lifestyle on neurocognitive functioning and health throughout the lifespan, including during fetal development, pregnancy, and aging. She is currently exploring the implications of intermittent fasting for chronic pain conditions.
Jesse is a third-year medical student at the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. He graduated from Brandeis University with a B.S. in Neuroscience in 2017. After graduation, he worked as a research assistant and clinical trial coordinator in the Cardio-oncology Program and Center for Advanced Heart Failure at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. He also served as a volunteer pianist at the hospital. Jesse’s clinical interests include chronic pain management, mechanisms of neuropathic pain and neuroplasticity, improving patient education and adherence, and prehabilitation. Outside of medicine, Jesse’s interests include playing soccer, running, pilates, jazz and blues, freestyle rapping, and playing the piano, harmonica and guitar. He is currently researching mechanisms and applications of intermittent fasting in pain management.
Brittany Addison is an undergraduate senior studying at the University of Florida. Brittany expects to receive her B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience in May 2022. Her primary research interests revolve around investigating genetic and sociodemographic influences on neurodegenerative diseases via neuroimaging techniques. Brittany hopes to continue researching and contributing to these topics by applying to a PhD program in Neuropsychology. Brittany is also the co-founder and current president of Gator Genetics, a student genetics club.
Previous Team Members
Alisa Johnson, PhD
Lucas DeMonte, MEd
Chelsea Service
John Carroll, RN
Franchesca Arias, PhD
John Marks, LPN, DHS
Staja Booker, PhD
Duane B. Corbett, PhD
Carlo Custodero, MD
Federlin Jean, MD
Harold Rocha
Lazaro Tejera
Ryan Lupari
Felix Bartsch
Jeffrey Schmidt
Divya Reddy
Ashley Ryner