Pain and Neuroinflammation Imaging Lab

Megan Heffernan

Clinical Research Coordinator

I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May 2022 with
a B.S. in Psychology on a Neuroscience Track and a secondary major in
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. At UMass, I worked as an undergraduate
research assistant for Dr. Rebecca Spencer’s Somneuro Lab. I was involved
in investigating the relationships between sleep and procedural memory in
older adults using polysomnography and behavioral measurements.
In collaboration with Dr. Thomas Cheng of the Headache and Neuropathic
Pain Unit at MGH and the Loggia Lab, I am excited to be investigating
neuroinflammation in patients with chronic facial pain using simultaneous
MR/PET technology. In addition, I will be assisting in the Migraine and
Mindfulness study with the Napadow Lab. I look forward to working on these
studies and aiding in research that will provide insight into the brain
mechanisms of chronic pain and treatments.