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 Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence. Outside of work he enjoys rock climbing, weight lifting, cooking, and hanging out with his dog, Huxley.

Adriana 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. 

Nicholas Bush is a fifth-year neuroscience graduate student in the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab (MAPL). 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 plans to focus his dissertation around using smartwatch-based sensors to automatically detect and analyze drinking behavior. His hobbies include playing guitar, cooking and baking bread.

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.

Huda Ahmed serves as a Research Professional for the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Her research interests include investigating adolescent depression, studying the interaction between alcohol/substance use on pain, and learning about the psychiatric impacts of alcohol. She will be pursuing a Master's of Sciences in Psychology:Data Sciences in Human Behavior at the University of Wisconsin - Madison this Fall.

Sage Hebert serves as Student Tech Support Services for the Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Lab. She is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. Her research interests include substance abuse and addiction, decision-making, and pain perception. Sage plans to attend graduate school after she completes her undergraduate degree. In her free time, Sage enjoys attending concerts, playing guitar, kayaking, and hanging out with her dog and cat. 

Bio: A few sentences about yourself. Keep it light. Where will you be next? Any advice for people stepping into your role/one similar in the lab? Can new people in the lab contact you (if yes please include contact info)?