Presentations

Dr. Melissa Makhoul presented her research poster at the annual United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Her work examined how pain resilience and perceived stress mediate the relationship between grit and depression.

Ph.D. student, Annabelle Au, presented her research examining how risk and resilience-promoting factors influence inflammation levels in older adults experiencing chronic low back pain.

Undergraduate students, Samuel Curtis and Zaara Lacewala, celebrated their research presentations at the annual UFCD Spring Synergy event. Sam’s work highlighted dental care access disparities in emergency department super-utilizers, while Zaara’s research focused on risk and resilience-promoting factors in women with chronic pelvic pain.

Dr. Emily Bartley paired off with Dr. Rob Edwards at the annual United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) scientific meeting for a friendly debate on the importance of risk versus resilience-promoting factors in chronic pain.

Dr. Melissa Makhoul presented her research poster at the annual United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) meeting in Chicago, IL. Her study investigated how pain catastrophizing and pain resilience mediate the relationship between clinical pain intensity and pain outcomes.

Dr. Bartley presented early findings from the University of Florida as an established institution participating in the PRIMED DOOR collaboration at the American Dental Education Association scientific conference in National Harbor, MD.

Sam and Humna recently presented their research at the UF College of Dentistry's Spring Synergy event in March 2025. Sam’s poster, titled “BRIDGE the Gap: Bolstering Resources for Inclusive Dental Growth and Equity in Gainesville, FL,” earned 2nd place out of 19 pre-dental and undergraduate student posters. Humna presented her project, “Examining the Relationships between Income and Pain: Emphasis on Stress and Sleep,” highlighting the complex social factors that influence pain experiences. Congratulations to both students for their impactful contributions!

As part of a symposium (From hysteria to science: advancements in the management of female chronic pelvic pain), Dr. Bartley presented on the prevalence of chronic overlapping pain conditions in pelvic pain at the at the International Association for the Study of Pain World Congress on Pain, Amsterdam, NL in August 2024.

Dr. Emily Bartley recently traveled to Seattle, Washington for the 2024 USASP Annual Scientific Meeting to present her research findings .

Dr. Melissa Makhoul presented a research poster at the PRICE Pain Research Day. The presentation focused on how gratitude influences health outcomes, particularly emphasizing the role of stress and sleep disturbance as important pathways through which gratitude influences depressed mood in older adults with chronic low back pain.

Ben Ofri presented a research poster at the Undergraduate Symposium as well as the 2024 Spring Synergy. The presentation focused on examining the feasibility and acceptability of a novel resilience-focused intervention in aging adults with chronic low back pain as well as assessing preliminary treatment effects on pain intensity, pain interference, negative mood, and quality of life.