Current Lab Members

Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS

Principal Investigator

MPower Distinguished Professor, Pain and Translational Symptom Science Department, University of Maryland School of Nursing

Director, CTSA TL1 Program University of Maryland School of Medicine

Adjunct Professor University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD - Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychiatry (secondary appoint.)

Chair, PAIN and PLACEBO SIG - International Association for Study of Pain (IASP)

Treasurer, Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS)

Titilola Akintola, PhD

Staff Scientist

Lola received her doctorate in Toxicology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore where she investigated opioid-induced conditioning effects and placebo effects in animal and clinical models of chronic pain, respectively. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Section on Affective Neuroscience and Pain at the National Institutes of Health. Her interests include exploring the mechanisms of cognitive & affective modulators of clinical outcomes in chronic pain and substance use disorder paradigms. She currently works as a research staff scientist in the Colloca lab overseeing multiple projects including virtual reality effects in pain and substance use disorders.

Gabriella Thomas, BA

Research Coordinator

Gabriella Thomas earned her BA from Drexel University in Psychology and brain sciences. During her time at university, she worked as a researcher at a lab that translated clinical and developmental research into juvenile justice policy. After graduation Gabriella moved to Switzerland where she interned at an NGO working with individuals diagnosed with ASD and focused on teaching socially significant behaviors and providing treatment and support services. Aspiring to attend grad school in the hopes of becoming a cognitive neuroscientist, Gabriella is passionate about exploring and being part of cutting-edge research.

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Nandini Raghuraman, MS, PhD

Nandini Raghuraman received her B.tech in Biotechnology from Anna University, Chennai, India and got her Master’s in Medical and Research Technology from University of Maryland Baltimore. She completed her Master's Thesis work with Dr. Colloca on Pain Perception in the Brain with Electroencephalography as a neuroimaging technique and is currently a PhD student in the lab working on sociodemographic factors that influence placebo hypoalgesia, observational learning of analgesia, and virtual reality and pain modulation projects.

Lakota Watson, BA, PhD

Lakota Watson is a PhD student in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine. Lakota obtained two BAs in neuroscience and psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2018. They went on to complete their postbaccalaureate training in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Cheer at UMB where they studied the effects of endocannabinoid signaling on pro-social behavior in mice and avoidance of aversive stimuli in rats. Lakota's research interests include substance use disorders, social behavior, and individual differences in placebo susceptibility.

Graduate Students

Mumtahana Nabi, BDS, MPH

PhD Student (Molecular Epidemiology)

Mumtahana Nabi is a PhD student in Molecular Epidemiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine. She obtained her BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) degree from the Dhaka Dental College in Bangladesh. She also received two MPH degrees in Epidemiology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Northern University Bangladesh. Her prior research experience provided a strong foundation in both quantitative and qualitative analytical skills using SAS and R. She is passionate about understanding the role of genetic and environmental influences underlying pain mechanism, variation in pain perception and response to treatment, particularly in the orofacial region. Her long-term goal is to improve pain management for cancer patients in developing countries through a better understanding of interaction between genetic and environmental factors, especially those from disadvantaged groups.

James Cottam, BSc (Hons), MSc

PhD Student (Epidemiology)

James Cottam received his Bachelor of Sciences with Honours from the University of Edinburgh, UK, before completing a Master of Sciences at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. He performed his master’s thesis ascertaining the reliability of data measuring seasonal malaria chemoprevention coverage. James is currently a PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. His current research interests include health disparities, social determinants of disease and differential responses to treatment.

Ankita Moss, BS

MD Student

Ankita is an MD Candidate at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, with an interest in the psychobiosocial aspects of pain management and perception. She has a background in neuroscience research methodology as well as neuroethics. She hopes to connect her experiences at the Colloca lab with her medical training. Ankita graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology with a double minor in Ethics and Philosophy. She then earned an Applied Machine Learning Certificate from Emory post grad.

MPower Scholars

Valerie Mooney

MPower Scholar SON, 2026

Valerie Mooney is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a degree in General Biology with plans to attend dental school in the future. Through her experiences shadowing dentists and working as a dental assistant, she has developed an interest in the treatment of orofacial pain and the factors that affect patient recovery. She is interested in enhancing patient care to improve recovery outcomes following invasive procedures and increasing access to oral healthcare through research.

Firdos Ahmed

MPower Scholar SON, 2026

Firdos is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park and will be matriculating to the University of Maryland School of Nursing in the fall of 2027. She is an aspiring nurse practitioner and researcher who is potentially interested in Women’s Health and Pediatrics. She hopes to gain some insight on what it is like to work in a research lab with the help of Dr. Colloca and her team. In her future she hopes to seamlessly blend both research and medicine into her daily work.

Griffin Lane

MPower Scholar SON, 2026

Griffin Lane, is a rising junior at UMD and will be matriculating to the School of Nursing in the Spring of 2027. A goal he has for himself is to ultimately become a CRNA or CRNP. Griffin is very interested in this specific type of research relating to pain because he has dealt with chronic pain for years. Ultimately, Griffin would like to better his understanding of pain; how it works, and how to treat it.

The Colloca Scholarship

Based on the MPower Distinguished Professorship, this scholarship opportunity aims to uplift young and minority students through the Colloca MPower award.

Gabriella Thomas

2024-25

Anna Han

2022 - 2025

Anna Han is a junior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in computational neuroscience and Medicine, Science, and the Humanities. She was selected for the Colloca Scholarship on the basis of her achievement, skill, and passion for discovery. She is excited to develop her research experience by exploring avenues of learning related to virtual reality and pain response. In the future, she plans to attend medical school and possibly become a physician-scientist.

Student Interns

Luca Fornari

Luca Fornari is a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He obtained a BA in Biochemistry from Grinnell College in 2025, where he conducted research on conformational changes in the MTHFR protein using HDX and LC-MS. Luca’s academic interests center on chronic pain, CNS injury, and translational research, particularly as they relate to movement science and preventative models of healthcare.

Itunuoluwa Oluwalayomi

Itunuoluwa Oluwalayomi Adekoya is a graduate student in Biomedical Science at Morgan State University, where she serves as a Graduate Research Assistant. Her research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying pain sensitivity and racial health disparities. Currently, she works on human-subject research involving participant coordination, spectrometry-based data collection, statistical analysis using R, and scientific data visualization. She also holds CITI certifications in Biomedical Research, Responsible Conduct of Research, and Conflict of Interest. Passionate about scientific discovery, mentorship, and science communication, Itunuoluwa aims to pursue advanced neuroscience research that integrates data-driven and translational approaches to improve health outcomes in underserved populations

Indraja Meizys

Indraja Meizys is a junior at Glenelg High School in Howard County, Maryland. She was inspired by her family’s ambition in different medical fields and decided to take interest in medicine herself through her school’s Gifted and Talented Internship Program. She strives to learn about the mind’s healing properties in relation to psychological disorders.