Membership
APS Member Spotlight
Featured in the December 2010 Issue of ENews
Edgar Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, MD PhD
Edgar Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, MD PhD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Toxicology
Dartmouth Medical School
Lebanon, NH
What is your area of specialty?
My recent research focuses on the spinal cord mechanisms underlying chronic pain. Specifically, my team studies the potential role of glial cells, endocannabinoids, and phosphatases in the transition from acute to chronic pain and the maintenance of chronic pain.
What initially sparked your interest in working in your field?
While studying medicine in Guatemala, I met several patients suffering from different types of pain, a phenomenon that I was always curious about. After I graduated with my MD degree, I received a fellowship from the government of Spain to pursue a PhD at the Universidad de Alcala, Alcala de Henares (Spain), where I studied the pharmacology of pain. After that first experience in basic science, I moved to the US and decided to continue to further explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain.
What has been a highlight of your work?
Recently, we published a paper describing the mechanisms by which postoperative pain spontaneously resolves. These findings are important because understanding these physiological processes may help us to better understand other types of pain that do not resolve, such as neuropathic pain. My team and I are very proud of these findings. The challenge now is to further tease out the molecular mechanisms of these processes that allow us to identify new targets for the development of new effective drugs to prevent or treat chronic pain.
Who is your favorite role model?
Scientifically, I admire Santiago Ramon y Cajal. He is an excellent role model in what one can accomplish with very limited resources. Ramon y Cajal is a great example of passion and dedication for science, especially in these times of economic crisis. Generally speaking, I share several points of view on life and people as a society with the Cuban troubadour Silvio Rodriguez. Therefore, the thoughts and conduct of these role models have influenced my personal and professional life in many ways.
How has membership in APS been of value to you and your professional development?
The impact of APS in my professional career has been enormous. As the recipient of the 2008 APS Future Leader in Pain grant, I had the privilege and opportunity to develop my independent research project, which gave me the advantage I needed to subsequently translate my work into a R01 grant funded by the NIH/NIDA. In addition, APS keeps me updated on the most important things that happen in the pain field. My gratitude to APS is immeasurable.
