We are a pediatric anesthesiology lab focused on improving the health of children, adolescents, and young adults. Our research spans several interrelated areas, including pain, sleep, opioid, and anesthesiology research. Our clinical research expertise include epidemiology and population health, health services research, and intensive longitudinal cohort studies.
Pain
Pain affects 15–25% of children in the United States. Pain negatively affects children’s mental and physical health, social functioning, and economic expenditures on pediatric pain are estimated at around $11.5 billion annually. Our lab leverages existing datasets to identify social determinants of chronic pain on a national level.
Sleep
Obtaining adequate sleep is important for the overall health and well-being of adolescents, including their physical, social, and psychological health. However, up to 75% of adolescents in the USA are sleep deficient. Increasing evidence links sleep deficiency to problematic opioid use behaviors. Our lab studies links between sleep and opioid use in children and adolescents using intensive longitudinal methods in the perioperative environment.
Opioids
Prescription opioid use is of high public health significance during adolescence. Indeed, prescription opioid misuse remains a primary driver of opioid overdose and development of opioid use disorder, contributing to an unprecedented opioid crisis currently facing adolescents in the United States. Our lab conducts epidemiological and observational studies to identify the links between opioid prescribing and the development of problematic opioid use behaviors.