- Overview
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My research program aims at investigating how early-life adversity (e.g. stress, pain, inflammation, clinical treatments) affects the developing brain of very preterm infants, using an animal model that closely captures critical aspects of what preterm infants are like and what they may experience in the NICU. The use of preclinical models allows mechanistic studies on how exposure to early-life adversity alters the normal trajectory of brain development. This research, in turn, better informs clinical studies in preterm infants and the development of novel treatments to mitigate adverse effects from these exposures.
This work is motivated by my clinical nursing background as a paediatric clinical nurse specialist in acute pain, and builds upon my doctoral training in infant brain reactivity to pain (McGill University/Harvard University/Boston Children’s Hospital) and postdoctoral fellowship in pediatrics/neuroscience at UBC, as well as my recent work as a research scientist at Columbia University in the division of Developmental Neuroscience.
- Publications
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Hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus volumes in very preterm children at 8 years: Neonatal pain and genetic variation
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00051
2019Adverse behavioral changes in adult mice following neonatal repeated exposure to pain and sucrose
Frontiers in Psychology
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02394
2019Is near infrared spectroscopy valid for the detection of procedural pain in postoperative cardiac surgery intensive care unit adults?
Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy
DOI: 10.1177/0967033517730369
2017Repeated exposure to sucrose for procedural pain in mouse pups leads to long-term widespread brain alterations
Pain
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000961
2017Neonatal Invasive Procedures Predict Pain Intensity at School Age in Children Born Very Preterm
Clinical Journal of Pain
DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000353
2016How do babies feel pain?
eLife
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.07552
2015Neonatal Pain and Infection Relate to Smaller Cerebellum in Very Preterm Children at School Age
Journal of Pediatrics
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.04.055
2015Early repetitive pain in preterm infants in relation to the developing brain
Pain management
DOI: 10.2217/pmt.13.61
2014Innovating in Pain Assessment of the Critically Ill: Exploring Cerebral Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Bedside Approach
Pain Management Nursing
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2012.03.005
2014Internalizing behaviours in school-age children born very preterm are predicted by neonatal pain and morphine exposure
European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom)
DOI: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2013.00431.x
2014Neonatal pain and comt Val158Met genotype in relation to serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) promoter methylation in very preterm children at school age
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00409
2014A multidimensional approach to pain assessment in critically ill infants during a painful procedure
Clinical Journal of Pain
DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31826dfb13
2013Neonatal Pain-Related Stress Predicts Cortical Thickness at Age 7 Years in Children Born Very Preterm
PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076702
2013Maternal Touch and Talk for Invasive Procedures in Infants and Toddlers in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Journal of Pediatric Nursing
DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2010.12.016
2012Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy as a measure of nociceptive evoked activity in critically ill infants
Pain Research and Management
2011Toward a new approach for the detection of pain in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: Near-infrared spectroscopy—A pilot study
Heart and Lung: Journal of Acute and Critical Care
DOI: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2009.10.018
2010Incidence of self-limiting back pain in children following caudal blockade: An exploratory study
Paediatric Anaesthesia
DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9592.2010.03365.x
2010Developing synergy to enhance the impact of nursing intervention research on patient health
Canadian Journal of Nursing Research
2009Interventions used in Emergency Departments (ED) for pain management of simple fractures in children
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007538
2009An acute pain service improves postoperative pain management for children undergoing selective dorsal rhizotomy
Paediatric Anaesthesia
DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9592.2009.03184.x
2009Controlling bias in complex nursing intervention studies: A checklist
Canadian Journal of Nursing Research
2009Theoretical, Psychometric, and Pragmatic Issues in Pain Measurement
Pain Management Nursing
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2007.12.001
2008Temperament and Pain Response: A Review of the Literature
Pain Management Nursing
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2007.09.005
2008Current Controversies Regarding Pain Assessment in Neonates
Seminars in Perinatology
DOI: 10.1053/j.semperi.2007.07.003
2007Horner's syndrome following thoracic epidural analgesia in children: A report of two cases
Acute Pain
DOI: 10.1016/j.acpain.2006.05.001
2006Continuous axillary block for paediatric trauma patients who failed with PCA therapy
Acute Pain
DOI: 10.1016/j.acpain.2006.09.001
2006 - Research
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Discovering the Immune Signature of Neonatal Pain and Sucrose Exposure: A Translational Mouse Model
Neurobiological Mechanisms of Environmental Stressor Effects on the Immature Brain
Exploring the Neurobiological Mechanisms of Neonatal Sucrose Treatment Using a Translational Mouse Model
Research Group MembersFermin Hoq, Volunteer
Rujun Kang, Research Assistant/Lab Technician Level 4
Tracy Leung, Trainee
Manon Ranger, Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Reducing the impact of pain in the youngest children: Q&A with Dr. Manon Ranger
Dr. Manon Ranger is a new investigator at BC Children's Hospital and UBC studying new ways to reduce the impact of pain and early life stress on preterm babies.
