Maria Jaakson, MS RN | Kinsey Lab | University of Connecticut

Education

MS - Neuroscience, Taipei Medical University
BS - Nursing, Tartu Applied Health Sciences University

Curriculum Vitae

I am a PhD candidate in the Nursing PhD program with a background in nursing and cognitive sciences. My experiences in bedside nursing exposed me to the challenges of chronic pain and its impact not only on patients, but also on caregivers and healthcare professionals, shaping my understanding of the importance of effective pain management. Later, working in anesthesia introduced me to the complexities of pharmacological pain management in perioperative period. These experiences sparked my interest in studying pain from a scientific perspective and contributing to the development of new approaches to pain management.

I currently work with Dr. Kinsey, whose laboratory investigates cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system as potential therapeutic targets for pain. My current research uses mouse models of opioid-induced hyperalgesia and rheumatoid arthritis to investigate pain and inflammatory mechanisms and evaluate cannabinoid-based approaches as potential therapeutic strategies.