News Releases
Collaboration Comes to Life at MPower Day
March 18, 2019
University of Maryland School of Nursing student Chika Okusogu, a UM Scholar, shared with expo visitors his excitement of working with Associate Professor Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS, in what’s become known as the “Colloca Lab,” as she explores the role of the placebo in pain management.
“While we may have this perception that it (opioid addiction) is an issue of morale or character, it really is an issue of we don't understand how pain works as well as we should,” Okusogu said. “Pain is a universal experience that is incredibly subjective. For some reason, even though each and every one of us in this room will feel pain at some point in our lives, we tolerate it differently. I feel like the work I’ve done in the Colloca Lab, whether it is through using virtual reality to help modulate pain or using placebo effect to also treat pain, that is also not only cost-effective, but also doesn't have major side effects or potential toxicities, are all attempts to help make a universal common issue more approachable and manageable for each and every one of us in this room.”