Can we break the cycle of opioid addiction — starting with how we treat pain?Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS, professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinions Center, is investigating how pain treatment and brain responses are linked to opioid misuse. Her NIH-funded research aims to help people find freedom from dependence, starting with new clinical approaches.This is part of Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: Changing the Future Today, a campaign showcasing how University of Maryland, Baltimore researchers are transforming health through federally funded science.🔗 Learn more: https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #NIHResearch #PainManagement #PlaceboEffect #noceboeffect #Neuroscience #ChronicPain

The completion of UMB's new exterior art space on the north end of campus, Pearl Gallery North, was revealed on May 1, 2025. Pearl Gallery North features art from the fourth issue of 1807: An Art & Literary Journal.The gallery provides a moment to reflect and connect through images of meaningful art and thought-provoking poetry — created by UMB colleagues, alumni, students, neighbors, and partners.Hear from UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS; Senior Vice President for External Relations, Jennifer B. Litchman, MA, and former Clinical Associate Professor of Dentistry, Deborah Cartee, RDH, MS.#publicart #BaltimoreMurals #Baltimore #universitylife #Baltimore

What if the power of belief could actually reduce pain?Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS, professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinions Center, explores how placebo effects — and the brain's own response to expectation — can help patients manage chronic pain.Her NIH-funded research is redefining how we treat pain by combining neuroscience and compassion.This is part of Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: Changing the Future Today, a campaign showcasing how University of Maryland, Baltimore researchers are transforming health through federally funded science.🔗 Learn more: https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs#BreakthroughsCantWait #NIHResearch #PainManagement #PlaceboEffect #Neuroscience #ChronicPain

What if chronic pain relief could come not from a pill bottle, but from a headset?That’s the focus of the groundbreaking research by Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Colloca, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinions Center, is studying how immersive virtual reality (VR) can reduce pain and even replace the need for opioid medications in some patients.🔬 Learn more about this project and other lifesaving innovations: https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #NIHfunding #VirtualRealityMedicine #painmanagement #NIHResearch #nursing

What if virtual reality could ease chronic pain without drugs?Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS, professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinions Center at the University of Maryland is leading NIH-funded research exploring how immersive VR therapy may retrain the brain’s response to pain — offering a non-opioid alternative for millions.This is part of Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: Changing the Future Today, a campaign showcasing how UMB researchers are transforming health with support from federal research funding.🔬 Learn more about this project and other lifesaving innovations: https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #NIHfunding #VirtualRealityMedicine #painmanagement #NIHResearch #nursing

A healthy weight-to-length ratio for babies is similar to having a healthy body mass index for adults.Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Social Work are studying to see if healthy sleep behaviors can translate into better health including fewer colds, fewer stomach bugs and lessen inflammation as they grow older.That’s the focus of the work Lisa Berlin, PhD, MS, is doing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The Alison L. Richman Professor of Children and Families at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and expert in early child-caregiver attachment, Berlin is studying how a brief, home-based parenting program can make a measurable difference in children’s health and development. Her research is supported by the National Institutes of Health.🧪 Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: UMB research drives innovation, improves lives, and tackles global challenges. But we can’t do it without continued support.🔗 Learn more and support research that saves lives: https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #MaternalHealth #InfantHealth #UMBResearch #NIHfunding #HealthEquity #PublicHealth #BMI