Sarah D. Linnstaedt, PhD, assistant professor in the UNC Department of Anesthesiology, has been awarded a 2020 Award in Pain grant from The Rita Allen Foundation. This prestigious award will help Dr. Linnstaedt’s lab perform studies examining a promising therapeutic target for the prevention of chronic pain.
The Rita Allen Foundation has named the 2020 class of Award in Pain Scholars, celebrating four early-career leaders in the biomedical sciences whose research holds exceptional promise for revealing new pathways to understand and treat chronic pain. Sarah D. Linnstaedt, PhD, assistant professor in the UNC Department of Anesthesiology, has received one of the prestigious awards, which provide a $50,000 annual grant for three years to fund innovative research on critical topics related to the biological mechanisms of pain.
Over the past 44 years, The Rita Allen Foundation has awarded millions of dollars in grants to early-career biomedical scholars. The Award in Pain grant has recognized 29 pain researchers since 2009.
The research in Dr. Linnstaedt’s lab focuses on the identification of biological predictors and mediators of chronic pain development following trauma exposure, with the goal of discovering novel predictive tools that identify individuals at risk for chronic pain and novel targets for drug discovery. Her lab uses translational research methods that include human cohort based discovery, behavioral model work, and molecular/cell culture studies.
Dr. Linnstaedt joined the UNC Department of Anesthesiology in 2012. She was previously awarded a Future Leaders in Pain grant from The American Pain Society and her work in collaboration with Dr. Samuel McLean has been supported by the Mayday Fund. Current support includes a K01 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), departmental support, and private donor funds. She earned her PhD at Georgetown University and completed post-doctoral studies at Duke University before joining the UNC research community.
In the lab, Dr. Linnstaedt enjoys mentoring a team of research assistants and collaborating with other researchers across campus. While not in the lab, Dr. Linnstaedt spends her time traveling, taking photos, and having fun with her family.