The EFIC Rising Stars Programme is a new initiative to connect and support early career researchers in the European pain field. The newest initiative is this ECR spotlight in the EFIC newsletter and posting on the Rising Star webpage. If you want to be represented or you want to nominate an ECR that should be promoted, please reach out to melinda.borzsak@efic.org!
This time, we kick off with two members of the EFIC Rising Star working group:
Chelsea Hopkins, PhD
I recently started my second postdoctoral position at the University of Glasgow, in Dr. Andrew Bell’s team, investigating ascending spinal cord circuitry. Growing up in South Africa, I moved to Hong Kong to complete my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in orthopaedics research, then to Denmark for my PhD and postdoc in bone pain research, making Glasgow my fourth home. This move into central nervous system research complements my previous work and lays the foundation for investigating the full bone-brain axis in painful orthopaedic disorders. I joined the Rising Star Programme to improve the research experience for early career pain scientists. When I am not experimenting in the lab, I am experimenting with new baking recipes in the kitchen.
Mar He
rnández Secorún, PhD
I am a physiotherapist and a postdoctoral researcher at the independent research group Neuroscience in Physiotherapy in Elche, Spain. My work aims to understand the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain and treatment proposals. With a clinical background, I understand how neuropathic pain patients struggle with their condition when there is no clear diagnosis or characterisation. On a personal level, if you don’t find me reading a stack of papers, you can catch me on Strava, as I’m a former 400m hurdler turned long-runner girl (preferably in the Pyrenees or on the riverbanks).
There’s so much more to come! Please feel free to get in touch with us or any of our colleagues with your ideas – we can’t wait to hear from you!
