Dr. Boissoneault serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Minnesota, where he directs the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. Dr. Boissoneault’s research interests focus on neurophysiological and psychosocial mechanisms underling the bidirectional association between pain and substance use, especially alcohol. He is also actively involved in studies regarding cortical-brainstem-spinal interactions underlying placebo analgesia and non-pharmacologic approaches to improve pain modulatory capacity in people with chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain. He received his doctorate in medical sciences with a concentration in cognitive/behavioral neuroscience from the University of Florida and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pain research in the University of Florida’s Center for Pain Research and Behavioral Health. Outside of work he enjoys rock climbing, weight lifting, cooking, and hanging out with his dogs, Huxley and Hermes.

Dr. Cushnie earned her doctoral degree in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota, and her bachelor’s degree from the City University of New York at Brooklyn College.  Adriana is interested in studying anatomical and functional networks to better understand how they function in healthy brains and how they can be altered in neuropsychological disorders.  Adriana’s doctoral work focused on implementing genetic modulations - designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs- and combining this with whole brain resting state functional connectivity to study the interplay between structural and functional connectivity. Adriana is interested in continuing to use neuroimaging techniques to study connectivity patterns in different brain states, with a particular interest in the connectivity of the insular and cingulate cortex.

Dr. Sevel serves as Researcher 6 in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Minnesota and is a member of the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab (MAPL). Their research explores neural mechanisms of pain modulation in clinical and experimental settings, with an emphasis on endogenous processes. Their research also focuses on the role of intra-regional dynamics (signal variability and complexity) in resilience to pain. Dr. Sevel completed their doctoral in clinical psychology with a concentration in clinical health psychology from the University of Florida. They completed postdoctoral training at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Sevel is also a practicing psychologist in Nashville, Tennessee, and primarily serves those experiencing chronic illness, trauma, and social marginalization. They can be found visiting local farmers markets, and performing in local circus and poetry scenes. 

Dr. Davis earned her Doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Neurophysiology of Human Movement Lab directed by Dr. Roger Enoka. Leah is interested in studying the intersection between acute and chronic alcohol use and painful peripheral neuropathies. Outside of academia, Leah spends time fishing and camping with her dogs when she isn't dancing or weight lifting.

Dr. Verlinden is a NIDA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. His research primarily focuses on the intersection of alcohol use, pain, and sleep with an additional research interest in the neural and behavioral consequences exhibited during the immediate aftermath of a drinking episode (e.g. “hangover” state). Prior to joining the lab, he earned his doctoral degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Kentucky and his bachelor’s degree in Biology and Neuroscience (with a minor in Creative Writing) from Augustana College. In his free time, Justin enjoys being outdoors, watching movies, playing with his adorable cats (Honey and Sashimi), or writing (comically bad) screenplays.

Madison acts as a Research Professional for the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychological science from Gustavus Adolphus College, where she both studied and researched sexual assault perpetration and victimization,  along with its relationship with attachment. Previously, she has worked as a Research Assistant for the University of Minnesota's Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, where she helped facilitate research on decision making, learning, and substance use self administration in adolescent rodents. Madison has plans of attending graduate school in the future, and specifically enjoys the clinical and therapeutic applications of addiction research.  In her free time Madison enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her dogs.

Olivia acts as a Research Professional for the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab.  She earned her B.S. in Psychology (with minors in Neuroscience and Spanish) from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2023. During her undergraduate years, she worked with Dr. Bonnie Klimes-Dougan and Dr. Katie Cullen, studying how creative interventions ameliorates depressive symptoms and improves cognitive flexibility in adolescents. After graduating, Olivia worked at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family research in the Colorado Minnesota Parent and Adolescent Temperament and Health Study, collecting data on marijuana usage and attitudes/opinions within the Minnesota Twin population. Olivia's primary research goal is to further understand how the brain and body impact maladaptive behaviors. Outside of the lab, she enjoys photography, hiking with her dog, skiing, playing video games with friends, reading, and spending time outside.

Aishwarya is a second year graduate student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience (GPN). She earned her B.S. in Neuroscience (with a minor in Computer Science) from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2022. During her undergraduate years, she worked with Dr. Lorene Lanier, studying the effects of serotonin on the development of medium spiny neurons, and Dr. Ian Ramsay to assess if transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) combined enhances functional brain activation measured by EEG in patients with schizophrenia. After graduation, she worked as a Junior Specialist in Dr. Michael Stryker’s lab at the University of California, San Francisco, determining the role of VIP interneurons in stimulus specific plasticity in the mouse primary visual cortex. As a graduate student, Aishwarya is interested in studying the biopsychosocial factors that influence pain- and substance-related clinical decision making. Outside of the lab, she enjoys biking, hiking, running, rock climbing, reading, traveling and exploring different art forms.

Chloe is an 2nd year MSTP student rotating in the MAPL. In 2023, she graduated from Agnes Scott College with a B.S. in Neuroscience. Here, she worked with Dr. Bonnie Perdue, investigating the ability of preschoolers to successfully retrieve prospective memories and harness aids to improve memory performance. Following graduation, she joined PREP at Johns Hopkins University where she worked under Christopher A. Ross. There, she studied the effects of psilocybin administration on depressive-like behaviors in a genetic mouse model of depression and attempted to correlate behavioral changes with alterations in gene expression using scRNA-seq. She has a longstanding interest in psychiatric research, with the ultimate goal of investigating how various stressors (social, environmental, etc.) affect adolescent/young-adult neurodevelopment at both a behavioral and structural level. Outside of the lab, she enjoys crocheting tapestries, playing tennis, and trying out local restaurants with friends. 

Sophie Rewey is a medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School with research interests in anesthesiology, graphic medicine, and neuroscience. She earned her B.A. in Neurobiology with certificates in Studio Art 2-D and French from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In college, she conducted research on memory formation and sleep in temporal lobe epilepsy with the Maganti and Jones lab. Sophie is passionate about improving patient care through translational research and investigates the impact of art in medical education in addition to her work with MAPL. In her free time, Sophie reads, makes art, practices yoga and runs. 

Grace is an undergraduate research assistant in the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. She is majoring in Psychology and working on her Honors Thesis, which examines the interactions of impulsivity, pain, and Alcohol Use Disorder. Following graduation, Grace plans to pursue medical school. She has previously conducted research on NIH career development awards and grants in Anesthesiology. In her free time, Grace loves playing baseball and baking.

Joshua is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota studying psychology. He is currently working towards gaining research, clinical, and medical experience in order to attend medical school and become a physician. His research interests include behavioral psychology, addiction, and neuroscience. 

Nicholas Bush was a neuroscience graduate student in the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and from the University of Florida with a Master of Science degree in psychology specializing in Clinical Health Psychology. His research interests stem from the intersection between pain and substance use, with specific interests in improving research methodology, assessing neural mechanisms and expectancy-based placebo manipulations. Nicholas’ Master thesis focused on task-based functional connectivity of painful stimulation and expectancy-based placebo processing. This project has since been published in the European Journal of Pain. Nicholas' dissertation was focused around using smartwatch-based sensors to automatically detect and analyze drinking behavior. He is currently doing his post-doctoral studies at Brown University in the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies under the mentorship of Dr. Jane Metrik. 

Huda Ahmed served as a Research Professional for the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab from 2023-2024 after completing her Bachelor of Sciences degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. During her time at the lab, she worked on the Bottom's Up! and Automatic Alcohol Use Detection study, as well as the R01 grant submission and IRB protocol for the Neural Correlates of Pain and Alcohol Analgesia in Chronic TMD study. Her research interests include investigating alcohol and mood disorders in Middle Eastern and Muslim communities in the United States. She is currently attending the Master's of Sciences in Psychology: Data Sciences in Human Behavior program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Sage Hebert works as a Research Professional for the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. As an undergraduate student she worked as a student researcher in the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. Her research interests include substance abuse and addiction, factors affecting drinking topography of alcohol, and decision-making. In her free time, Sage enjoys playing kickball, dodgeball, attending concerts, playing guitar, kayaking, and hanging out with her dog and cat.