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)

Yang Wang, MS, PhD

Assistant Professor

Yang Wang received her BA in English from China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China and both a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Psychology from Southwest University, Chongqing, China. Her research interests include exploring the influences of expectations on pain perceptions within healthy and clinical participants. She is a current Assistant Professor at the Colloca Lab working on the influence of vasopressin on observationally induced analgesia.

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.

Katia Matychak, MS

Research Coordinator

Katia earned her Bachelor of Science from Temple University, majoring in cellular and molecular neuroscience. She also earned her Master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biomedical Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. In college, Katia started working in a lab that studies ion channels through X-ray crystallography and patch-clamp electrophysiology, and from there she knew she wanted to work in research. She continues her dedication to research as a clinical research coordinator, streamlining lab projects.

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Roni Shafir, PhD

Post Doctoral Fellow

Roni completed her B.A. in Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Program in Humanities at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and both her M.A. in Psychobiology and her PhD in Psychology at Tel-Aviv University, Israel. Currently, she is a postdoctoral fellow at the Colloca lab. Roni's main interest is in exploring how placebo and nocebo effects shape psychological, physiological and neural responses to pain experience, as well as individuals' self-regulation of such responses.

Carmen-Édith Belleï-Rodriguez, Ps. Ed., PhD

Post Doctoral Fellow

Carmen completed her BA in psychoeducation and psychology and her M.Sc. in psychoeducation clinic and research at the University of Montreal, Canada. She completed her Ph.D. as well as a first postdoctoral fellowship in Health Science Research at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada. She is currently undergoing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Colloca Lab. Her research interests include the non-pharmacological strategies in pain treatment, such as the effect of expectations, placebo and nocebo.

Nandini Raghuraman, MS, PhD

Post Doctoral Fellow

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.

Postbaccalaureate Students

Jewel White, BA

PhD Student (Neuroscience)

Jewel White is a PhD student in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine. She received her B.A. degree in biology with a minor in psychology at the University of Virginia and completed her postbaccalaureate studies in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Georgia, where she focused on the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory following substance use. Her research interests include the neural mechanisms of pain modulation and substance use disorders. As a part of the Colloca Lab, her research focuses on observation and pain reduction.

Lakota Watson, BA

PhD Student (Neuroscience)

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.

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.

Shannon McDonnell, RN BSN, NREMT-B

MS Student (Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences)

Born and raised in St. Mary’s County, MD, Shannon McDonnell earned her B.S. in Nursing from York College of Pennsylvania in May 2020. Immediately postgrad, she worked as an RN in one of Washington D.C’s busiest emergency departments for three and a half years. While there, she found a passion for patient and provider education, as well as improving patient and staff safety. In addition to emergency care, she’s also worked in holistic wellness nursing, COVID-19 testing, and occupational health.
Shannon is currently completing her M.S. in Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences at Georgetown University and has particular interest in translational/clinical integrative medicine research and promoting policies that allow more patients to access complementary and integrative care. Her other interests in integrative medicine include burnout prevention/treatment, health equity, natural medicine, and the study of traditional medical systems.
When she isn’t working or learning, she enjoys caring for her beloved houseplants, cooking, anything creative, and enjoying her current home of Washington D.C.

MPower Scholars

Megha Chander

MPower Scholar SON, 2024

Megha Chander is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing the nursing pathway with plans to enroll at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Fall 2025. Aspiring to become a Nurse Practitioner and researcher, her professional goals align closely with the innovative research conducted in the Colloca lab. Megha's interest in pain perception encompasses its physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects, as well as the various mechanisms and strategies for pain relief. She is committed to deepening her understanding of pain to enhance patient care and contribute to advancements in the field.

Princess Atud

MPower Scholar SON, 2024

Princess Atud is a junior at the University Of Maryland Baltimore School Of Nursing with a goal to obtain her BSN degree by the fall of 2026. Aspiring to become a nurse practitioner with a focus on aesthetics, and a researcher, she is passionate about exploring the medical world to gain further knowledge and experiences to push forward both her academic and professional goals. With her professional goals and aims aligning closely with those at the Colloca Lab, She was selected to participate in the lab through the competitive UM Scholars program as a summer intern. She is excited to get a broad overview and a head start on her research interests in improving patient pain and management response while also keeping an open mind for any further research interests.

Kayla Morris

MPower Scholar SON, 2024

Kayla is a sophomore at the University of Maryland College Park with the goal of attending the University of Maryland School of Nursing in the Spring of 2026. She is an aspiring nurse anesthetist and researcher whose keen sense of detail-orientation in her related coursework align with principles of the Colloca Lab. Kayla’s interest in examining the perception of pain is significant to her dream of caring for patients who are not heard regarding the subjectivity of pain. Her interest in understanding how the brain works and its correlation to pain also speaks to her dedication to seek further research on this topic.

The Colloca Summer Fellowship

Based on the MPower Distinguished Professorship, this award aims to recognize the early steps of successful young scholars.

Anna Han

2022-2024

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 Summer Fellowship 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

Eric Duan

Eric Duan is a senior at Glenelg High School in Howard County, Maryland. He was selected for the Colloca Lab as a member of his school's Gifted/Talented Mentorship Program, and hopes to deepen his passions in neuroscience and the placebo effect with respect to pain. Eric is also active in competitive chemistry and aspires to pursue neuroscience in the medical field in the future.

Radhika Shah

Radhika Shah is a rising senior at Reservoir High School in Howard County, Maryland. She participates in numerous science-related competitions through the Science Olympiad (an academic competition team) such as Optics, Disease Detectives, and Anatomy. She enjoys studying parts of the brain and aspires to discover the undiscovered majority. Furthermore, she has cultivated her interest in medical-oriented studies and hopes to continue her pathway to pre-medical studies in college.

Srinidhi Iyer

Srinidhi Iyer is a rising junior at Acton-Boxborough High School in Acton, Massachusetts. She has participated in and received various science-competition awards. She is excited to experience the innovative research at the Colloca Lab and explore pain perception and the placebo effect. Srinidhi hopes to immerse in the field of medical science and chart her path in chemistry and pharmaceuticals. She is determined to pursue a vocation in medicine and pharma that would enable research.