Roger Allen has studied chronic pain—its mechanisms, modulators, and treatments—for 25 years. During that time, he has involved a long line of doctoral students in the work. Here, he spotlights a few of them and what they’re doing now.
Roger Allen—a gifted teacher and dedicated mentor—is set to retire after 25 years at Puget Sound. Read the story in Arches.
”Lexi was part of the student research team, along with Ty Allen DPT’05 and Kelsey Kumiji DPT’05, that conducted the initial patient case studies on latent increases in pain due to stress in patients with fi bromyalgia syndrome.”
NOW: Manager of rehabilitation services and physical therapist, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle
"Ginny and Sarah Maissy DPT’19 contributed a systematic review on interferential current for treating acute and chronic pain, which became an essential element of the chapter ‘Biophysical Agents in Physical Therapy’ in the fifth edition of Bonica’s Management of Pain.”
NOW: Board-certified geriatric physical therapist, Charlotte, N.C.
“Amy was a part of the research team, including Mauri Terao DPT’10 and Elizabeth Luppino DPT’10, that conducted the data analysis for our first large-scale study on delayed pain reactions due to stress in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome.”
NOW: Orthopedic physical therapist, Balance Point Physical Therapy, Mount Vernon, Wash.
“Allison asked a thought-provoking question in my clinical neuroanatomy class that led to investigation with Corie Cortez Good ’01, DPT’04, Cyndi Sim DPT’04, and Brooke Maury DPT’04, regarding the ability of plantar somatosensation to reduce the experience of vertigo.”
NOW: Physical therapist and assistant athletic trainer, Los Angeles Chargers
“Eva Fazzini ’15, DPT’18 and Arista studied the effects of the stress-related release of the hormone thyroxine on phantom limb pain among patients with limb amputations. They found that, via this hormone, stress can produce significantly delayed increases in perceived pain. This study was nominated for an outstanding orthopaedic research award by the American Physical Therapy Association.”
NOW: Physical therapist, Luxfit, San Francisco
“With neuroscience intern Kelcy Higa ’11—now a physician in Honolulu— Chad was integral in the first project to verify that the stress-related release of thyroid hormones could produce significant pain flares 10 days after stressful events in patients with complex regional pain syndrome. The work resulted in an international research publication and presentations at three national conferences, as well as a conference in Ireland.”
NOW: Orthopedic physical therapist, 3 Dimensional PT, Tacoma
”Julie’s curiosity made her ask a question in one of her classes that kicked off a 20-year sequence of studies investigating the relationship among thyroid hormones, mental stress, and a previously undiscovered 10-day delay between stress and increases in pain intensity experienced by patients with chronic neuropathic pain conditions.”
NOW: Physical therapist, Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Read more about Professor Roger Allen's remarkable career as he prepares to retire
