My name is Veronica Hode, a Biochemistry major at the University of Arizona. It's been almost a year now since I joined the Porreca and Navratilova lab through UBRP. Our lab focuses on understanding the factors that bring about pain, with emphasis on neuropathic pain, visceral pain, and pelvic pain. We particularly focus on understanding the prevalence of pain in females because women are prone to experiencing pain more often than men. The project I work on focuses on elucidating the role of prolactin in endometriosis-associated pain. Endometriosis affects women in the reproductive age group and can cause severe pelvic pain. Figuring out the part that prolactin plays in endometriosis-associated pain may help in developing treatment solutions for women affected by this condition. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy staying home, watching various tv shows, reading books and webtoons, cooking, and dancing with my sister.
