Pain Researchers Earn Scholars Award, Society Fellowship

Dr. Katelyn Sadler, assistant professor of neuroscience at The University of Texas at Dallas, is one of seven pain researchers in the U.S. selected as 2024 Rita Allen Foundation Scholars. Sadler received a three-year, $150,000 scholars award in pain that will support her work on how bacteria in the gut and on the skin contribute to chronic pain conditions, and how antibiotic usage might alter those processes.

"The recognition is really exciting," said Sadler, who is a researcher in the Center for Advanced Pain Studies in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. "I've known about the Rita Allen Award ever since I started my career in pain science. Amazing scientists receive it every year, so it's a big deal to be recognized as one of the rising stars in pain."

The award recognizes early-career leaders in basic pain research whose work holds high potential for uncovering new pathways to improve the treatment of chronic pain. Dr. Ted Price BS'97, founding director of the pain center and Ashbel Smith Professor of neuroscience, won the award in 2009, the first year it was awarded, and Dr. Michael Burton, associate professor of neuroscience and Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor, won it 10 years later.

Sadler's work in her Gut, Brain, Pain Lab focuses on several chronic pain sources, including the gut microbiome, the collection of bacteria that reside in the intestines. In many chronic pain conditions, certain bacteria species are either missing or overly abundant in the gut; her studies consider if those imbalances contribute to pain.

"This grant will allow us to specifically investigate whether taking antibiotics is a risk factor for developing gut pain conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)," she said.

Neither IBS nor IBD has a definitive origin or explanation, but there is some evidence that previous antibiotic use is associated with their development. In a recent experiment, Sadler's lab team introduced an antibiotic into a dish holding a pain neuron, and the antibiotic directly activated that neuron - an observation Sadler called "unprecedented."

"This may be a two-part process, where the first injury is taking the antibiotic and recovering, and the second could be a low-grade viral infection or general inflammation in your gut, or even taking another antibiotic within a given time frame," she said. "If it turns out that antibiotic use is a primary factor, it would be a fundamental shift in the pathophysiology of these diseases."

Sadler, who joined UT Dallas in 2023, previously received Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships and a Pathway to Independence Award, all from the National Institutes of Health. She completed her PhD at Duquesne University under Dr. Benedict Kolber, associate professor of neuroscience, who joined UTD in 2020.

"Dr. Kolber has had an immense influence on my career," Sadler said. "At Duquesne, he was incredibly understanding and supportive as I got my feet under me in neuroscience. He was willing to take a chance on me."

Burton Earns Pain & Society Fellowship

Dr. Michael Burton, an associate professor of neuroscience at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been selected for the Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship: Communicating Science & Improving Care.

Burton, Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor and founding member of the Center for Advanced Pain Studies in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is one of 12 researchers from institutes in the United States and Canada chosen for the 2024-2025 fellowship. The program was launched in 2018 to build the next generation of pain experts who can communicate evidence-based and solution-focused information about pain care and treatment.

"Being selected as a Mayday Pain & Society Fellow is an honor," Burton said. "The fellowship provides an opportunity for those passionate about improving health care as well as their communication skills. The aim is to help reduce human suffering from pain conditions through research, advocacy and fundraising."

The fellowship includes a three-day workshop in Washington, D.C., to help clinicians and researchers build skills for communicating with the public and lawmakers. Each fellow also receives coaching support to identify communications activities that they will complete within one year of the training.

The Mayday Fund encourages pain experts to assume public leadership roles and engage in public discourse about research, best practices in care and policy in order to improve pain treatment.

Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty, students and staff. To submit items for consideration, contact your school's communications manager.