Peripheral and central mechanisms of chronic musculoskeletal pain

Kathleen A Sluka*: Dr Sluka is a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Iowa (IA, USA). She is also a member of the Pain Research Program and the Neuroscience Graduate Program. She received a physical therapy degree from Georgia State University (GA, USA) and practiced physical therapy pain management in Houston (TX, USA) before obtaining a PhD in Anatomy from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (TX, USA). After a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr William D Willis, she joined the faculty at the University of Iowa. Dr Sluka's research focuses on the neurobiology of musculoskeletal pain, as well as the mechanisms and effectiveness of nonpharmacological pain treatments commonly used by physical therapists. She has published over 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts, numerous book chapters and a textbook on Pain Mechanisms and Management for the Physical Therapist. She has received numerous awards including the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy and is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow from the American Physical Therapy Association and the Frederick WL Kerr Basic Science Research Award from the American Pain Society. She is actively involved in the International Association for the Study of Pain, the American Pain Society and the American Physical Therapy Association, serving on committees, task forces and society boards.