Laura Stone, PhD to Join University of Minnesota Medical School as Department of Anesthesiology’s First Basic Scientist
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Sept. 11, 2019 – The University of Minnesota Medical School Department of Anesthesiology has announced Laura Stone, PhD, will join the Department of Anesthesiology and the Pain Consortium in the summer of 2020.
Dr. Stone is a University of Minnesota Medical School trained scientist who has gone on to receive numerous awards for her research in pain management; including the Québec Science Top 10 award and the 2014 and 2019 Basic Science Best Paper Award from the International Society for the Study of Lumbar Spine.
“We are proud to welcome Dr. Stone back to the University to begin her work here as the first Basic Scientist in the Department of Anesthesiology,” said Department Head Michael Wall, MD.
Dr. Stone has received six Canadian Institutes for Health Research grants as Principal Investigator, consistently being funded since 2006, and was funded for her research projects submitted to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2006-2008. In August 2019, she was granted funding by the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative from the NIH for her project, “Targeting the Vgf signaling system for new chronic pain treatments.” The NIH funding application for this project was submitted last fall by Dr. Stone and Lucy Vulchanova, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School.
“The arrival of Dr. Stone is a major step toward the Department's goal of expanding its involvement in basic and translational pain science, as well as in chronic and acute pain management,” said Michael Todd, MD, Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Anesthesiology.
The overall objective of Dr. Stone’s research program is to enhance the quality of life for chronic pain patients by improving pain diagnosis and treatment through increased understanding of the underlying causes. Her research program is primarily focused on chronic low back pain, the role of epigenetics in the development and maintenance of persistent pain and in the combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies to reduce pain, while minimizing undesired side-effects. Given the complex nature of pain, Dr. Stone collaborates extensively with colleagues that have complementary expertise and incorporates a broad range of methodological approaches.
“It is an honor to join the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. I am excited to work with the Department, the Medical School and the Pain Consortium to grow our basic and translational pain research program in collaboration with the world-class researchers and infrastructure at the University of Minnesota,” said Dr. Stone.
About the University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. Visit med.umn.edu to learn how the University of Minnesota is innovating all aspects of medicine.
