Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience

B.S., Tulane University

Ph.D., University of Kentucky

The mission of the Corder Lab at the University of Pennsylvania aims to decipher the neural basis of how the brain generates the perception of pain, and how pathological dysfunction within these brain networks promotes the transition to chronic pain and drug abuse. Using advanced in vivo imaging of neural activity, neuroanatomical tracing, and optical neuromodulation techniques, our group deconstructs the brain circuits and molecular mechanisms involved in pain and emotion. From these basic science investigations, we work collaboratively with others—chemists, bioengineers, and clinician-scientists—to identify translational targets for the development of novel therapeutics that reduce mental health disorders associated with chronic pain and decrease the reliance on prescription opioids.