Sarah Nelson, PhD (she/her)
@sarahnelsonphd.bsky.social
Researcher in Pediatric Pain, Adversity, Stress, and Health Disparities. Assistant Professor and Pediatric Psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Views and opinions are my own.
Beiner et al. find that early childhood adversities significantly predict the severity of fibromyalgia syndrome symptoms, an effect that is mediated by perceived stress levels rather than endocrine stress indicators. Learn more in #PAIN bit.ly/4m2HJQe
✨ New in the June edition of PPL. "Young Adulthood: Supporting Pediatric Patients’ Most Pivotal Transition". Authors: Morgan Mitcheson, Jennifer Christofferson, Sarah Nelson and Leah Reece. 📥 Download the article here: pediatric-pain-letter.org/wp-content/u... @morganmitcheson.bsky.social
pediatric-pain-letter.org
In an #OpEd, @sarahnelsonphd.bsky.social & Natoshia Cunningham, PhD, warn that recent federal grant restrictions & cuts are threatening pediatric chronic pain research — pressuring scientists to self-censor to secure funding & undermining scientific integrity. www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Opinion | What's Lost if We 'Play the Game' to Get Research Funding?
Our journey to understand and treat childhood pain in a new reality
medpagetoday.com
Bravo to amazing colleagues and friends on a timely #oped. #medicaid is vital and life saving for so many, including youth with pain. Call your representatives! www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Opinion | What Medicaid Cuts Mean for Chronic Pain
Untreated childhood pain follows to adulthood
medpagetoday.com
Living with #chronicpain often feels like an invisible battle. Many endure their struggles in silence, feeling isolated and misunderstood. Remember, you are not alone. Join one of our @peoplepainnetwork.bsky.social wellness meetings #education #connect Www.pipain.com
Like many, I can’t stay silent when we are living through unprecedented attacks on science and health. My #oped is now live on #medpagetoday in collaboration with Natoshia Cunningham and in support of many colleagues and friends. www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Opinion | What's Lost if We 'Play the Game' to Get Research Funding?
Our journey to understand and treat childhood pain in a new reality
medpagetoday.com
New study reveals alarmingly high rates of illicit opioid and fentanyl use in the US, much higher than prior estimates, underscores the urgent need for better data to fight the opioid crisis. #OpioidCrisis #Fentanyl #PublicHealth jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Estimates of Illicit Opioid Use in the US
This cross-sectional survey study estimates the prevalence of illicit opioid use, including illicitly manufactured fentanyl, and initial opioid exposure among those reporting illicit opioid use.
jamanetwork.com
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Research shows some state policies can contribute to preventing maltreatment. www.childtrends.org/publications...
Leveraging Economic and Health Policies to Prevent Infant and Toddler Maltreatment: A State Policy Toolkit - Child Trends
childtrends.org
Dr. Jennifer Stinson is the first nurse to win a Gairdner Award. A nurse at Sick Kids and a professor at the U of T, she has "revolutionized pediatric pain management," using apps, VR and a human touch. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... @jenniferyang.bsky.social @gairdnerawards.bsky.social
More, or should I say, less pain at NIH... Dismemberment of the Office of Pain Policy and Planning office www.statnews.com/2025/04/08/n...
Unique pain research office eliminated in HHS purge
Pain is the most costly chronic health problem in the U.S. In latest RIFs at NIH, an entire division devoted to pain research was closed down.
statnews.com
I'm assisting the HELP Committee with stories of child-or family-focused researchers, grants, clients/patients, or clinical services/programs that were suspended, terminated or otherwise harmed by recent actions. Please contact me: diana.fishbein@npscoalition.org.
In #ScienceAdvances, a special issue on #WomensHealth highlights a growing wave of research focusing on women’s unique biological and psychological experiences. Learn more on #WorldHealthDay: scim.ag/3R59fPe
We have slots for 2-3 postbacs! Get in touch if you’re interested in joining the Affective Neuroscience and Pain lab & contributing to our studies of pain, emotion, and social processing in the 🧠
Dan Handwerker @danielhandwerker.bsky.social · last yr.Recruitment of postbacs & postdocs in the NIH IRP has resumed. I have no additional info beyond what is publicly stated on the website. www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...
Just published: "Use of Nonpharmacologic Interventions by Adults With High-Impact Chronic Pain in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Analysis" Congrats to Tasha Parman (@tp-pt.bsky.social) on her first, first-author manuscript! Great work. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Use of Nonpharmacologic Interventions by Adults With High‐Impact Chronic Pain in the United States: A Cross‐Sectional Analysis
Introduction: Few studies compare differences in the use of nonpharmacologic interventions (NPIs) between those with high-impact chronic pain (HICP) and low-impact chronic pain (LICP) or describe dif...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
We urge all leaders, for the good of their nations’ health, not to ignore or contradict advice that is supported by a consensus of evidence from research. https://go.nature.com/43Rfr5a
Vaccines save lives. Leaders must champion them
Attacks on vaccines and the cancellation of research into what causes vaccine hesitancy puts people in harm’s way.
go.nature.com
I’m a biomedical researcher who lost his wife to cancer. Finding cures is personal to me. What’s happening at the NIH is devastating. Here’s my editorial in my hometown newspaper. www.vindy.com/opinion/edit...
DOGE ends America’s golden age of biomedical research
Biomedical research impacts all of us. I became curious about how drugs work after my mom was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when I was a small boy. She received “gold shots” as treatment, which ...
vindy.com
IASP recognizes that the advancement of pain science depends on the collective expertise, perspectives, and contributions our global network of members. DEI are organizational priorities here at IASP and we strive to ensure programming represents all members. Learn More: bit.ly/43LhOX4
This month we introduce a Collection on lived experience expertise in mental health research. The centerpiece is 11 interviews with lived experience experts who generously share their personal experiences with mental health challenges & explain why they decided to contribute to clinical research.
Lived experience expertise in mental health research
In this Collection we amplify the contributions of people with lived experience to mental health research through interviews with lived experience experts and ...
nature.com
New #publication alert focused on #GENDER #DIVERSE youth with chronic #pain. Clear evidence of what everyone has seen - an explosion of these youth seeking specialty care
Pain-Related and Psychosocial Functioning in Gender-Diverse Youth with Chronic Pain Prior to and Following the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic
link.springer.com
One of the most powerful moments of the day came from Emily Whitehead who told the story of how she was the first pediatric patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy for her leukemia at age 5: “I stand up for science because science saved my life. And that’s a fact.” @standupforscience.bsky.social
Latest report from @amfarofficial.bsky.social showing for every $1 of #NIH funding received, a state generates $2.46 on average in increased economic activity. Cutting #NIH grants doesn't make economic sense. www.amfar.org/news/how-nih...
The mood was defiant at many of the rallies, where chants of “Scientists will not be silenced”, “Facts over fear” and “What do we want? Peer review! When do we want it? Now!” were heard. https://go.nature.com/3F8T6FX
‘Scientists will not be silenced’: thousands protest Trump research cuts
Researchers at Stand Up for Science rallies voice defiance against the policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration.
go.nature.com
@altnih4science.bsky.social I know that the main focus of this group is on scientists, but can we please take a moment to show some love for the administrative staff who love the NIH and who are taking courageous stances also? wapo.st/3QMziuD
Read the resignation letter by former NIH official Nate Brought
Brought is the former director of the National Institutes of Health’s Executive Secretariat.
wapo.st
In an unprecedented move, the US National Institutes of Health has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects because they no longer meet “agency priorities”. https://go.nature.com/4bpG2It
Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.
go.nature.com
A blow-by-blow account of the implosion at NIH, with more to come www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
NIH reels with fear, uncertainty about future of scientific research
The Trump administration’s orders have created more turmoil and damage at the National Institutes of Health than was previously known.
washingtonpost.com
Today, a broad coalition of scientific professional societies who represent over 92,000 scientists are speaking out against the politicization and demonization of Federally funded science and government scientist jobs. It was an honor to help the Union of Concerned Scientists with this! 🧪🌎
48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science
48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science
ucsusa.org
