Luana Colloca

Dr. Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS is an MPower Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore with dual appointments in the School of Nursing and School of Medicine. She serves as Director of the Placebo Beyond Opinions Center and holds expertise in Pain and Translational Symptom Science. As an NIH-funded principal investigator, Dr. Colloca leads research on human pain modulation from both mechanistic and translational viewpoints.

Dr. Colloca's educational background includes:

• MD from University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro School of Medicine, Italy
• PhD in Neuroscience from University of Turin Medical School, Italy
• MS in Bioethics from University of Turin, Italy
• Post-doctoral training in Brain Imaging at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
• Senior Fellowship in Ethics/Placebo research at NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda

Her research focuses on the psychoneurobiological bases of endogenous systems for pain modulation, primarily in healthy controls and participants suffering from acute and clinical pain conditions. Dr. Colloca has developed an international reputation as a leading scientist advancing knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms of placebo and nocebo effects using multifaceted approaches including psychopharmacological, neurobiological and behavioral methods. Her work spans acute experimental pain, brain mapping, chronic pain, placebo responders, pain modulation mechanisms, temporomandibular disorders, and virtual reality mechanisms.

Dr. Colloca's publication trends reveal a growing emphasis on virtual reality applications for chronic pain management, neural correlates of hypoalgesia, and the translation of placebo research into clinical practice. Her recent work increasingly integrates digital health technologies with traditional pain research methodologies, reflecting a shift toward innovative, non-pharmacological pain interventions that reduce reliance on opioids.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Patrick Wall International Award (2016)
• Dubner International Research Prize (2008)
• UMB Named Inaugural MPower Professorship award
• Multiple international awards from IASP and other professional organizations

As a mentor and research leader, Dr. Colloca has secured multiple NIH grants including R01AT010333 on neural correlates of hypoalgesia and R01AT011347 on neural mechanisms of immersive virtual reality in chronic pain. She serves in leadership roles internationally as Chair of the PAIN and PLACEBO SIG at IASP, treasurer of the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies, and as associate editor for Journal of Pain and European Pain journals. Her research has been featured in major media outlets including National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Colloca directs the Colloca Lab, which focuses on translational neuroscience research related to chronic pain and placebo mechanisms. The lab actively investigates how virtual reality can reduce pain and potentially replace opioid medications for some patients, with current projects examining expectancy-induced analgesia in patients suffering from chronic pain conditions.