草莓污视频导航

Melanie Noel
Mike Ridewood

July 5, 2021

草莓污视频导航 clinical psychologist Melanie Noel emerges as a leader in the field of pediatric pain

As winner of the inaugural Killam Memorial Emerging Leader Chair, Noel aims to take her groundbreaking research to the next level

It鈥檚 an unnerving fact that a mere 40 years ago, babies underwent surgeries without pain relief because it was believed that their nervous systems were too undeveloped to feel pain, nor could they remember the experience.聽

鈥淲e now know that this was totally false,鈥 says Dr. Melanie Noel, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. Noel is in internationally renowned expert in the field of chronic and acute pediatric pain as well as children鈥檚 memories of pain. 鈥淣ot only are those experiences felt and remembered, but they can actually change brain development,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hey can set the stage for pain experiences and mental health right into adulthood.聽

鈥淚t really goes to show how young this field is. And there鈥檚 so much more that we need to understand.鈥澛

Understanding pediatric pain

It鈥檚 Noel鈥檚 passion for this burgeoning field of study, along with her tireless research drive and the truly groundbreaking work she鈥檚 done, that has made her an international leader in understanding and mitigating the impacts of chronic and acute pediatric pain.聽

This is also why she鈥檚 the first-ever recipient of the Killam Memorial Emerging Leader Chair, one of the most prestigious research chairs at the 草莓污视频导航. The five-year chair was created to help accelerate the career and research of 草莓污视频导航 faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to their research field at an early stage of their career.聽

鈥淒r. Noel has emerged as a leader in the field of acute and chronic child pain, and her expertise is sought by researchers around the world,鈥 says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). 鈥淪ince joining our university family for six short years ago, her contributions have been remarkable. A stellar researcher and mentor, her ground-breaking work has influenced how we practice pediatric medicine and treat pain. We are honoured to name Melanie the inaugural Killam Memorial Emerging Leader Chair.鈥

鈥淔or half a decade, this Killam Trust is providing me with funding and protected research time to ensure that I can propel my work forward,鈥 says Noel. 鈥淭his is a huge gift, and I couldn鈥檛 be more grateful.鈥澛

Bodily experience transformed by thoughts

Noel was first exposed to the research of pediatric pain via her earliest academic work in the field of developmental psychology. Through a focus on children鈥檚 memories of stressful experiences, including injuries, she became intrigued by how children remember pain. 鈥淧ain is fascinating for a psychologist because so much about pain is subjective,鈥 says Noel. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect merging of the body and mind, the fact that this evolutionary, universal bodily experience can be so transformed by thoughts, memories and even language. All of this can have such a powerful influence on altering a child鈥檚 pain experience that it can offset problems later in life. It鈥檚 exciting work.鈥澛

As director of the PEAK (Pain Education, Advocacy, Knowledge) Research Lab, one of Noel鈥檚 greatest breakthroughs has been the development of an intervention to teach parents how to talk to their children differently about past pain experiences to foster more positive memories, thus influencing future health trajectories.聽

How a parent鈥檚 experience of pain can transfer聽to child

Another key area of Noel鈥檚 research is focused on the emerging field of pediatric pain neuroscience, examining the role of memory and the hippocampus in the transition from acute to chronic pain.聽

Noel has also done pioneering work in understanding how a parent鈥檚 experience of pain and trauma can be transferred to their children. 鈥淐hronic pain experiences in a parent can essentially get under the skin of a developing child to influence their own pain,鈥 Noel says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e partnering with neuroscientists; we鈥檙e looking at everything from epigenetic changes to language and memories to understand how we can halt this intergenerational transmission of pain from a parent to a child. The goal is to prevent chronic pain before it even begins.鈥澛

The Killam Memorial Emerging Leader Chair will allow Noel to catapult her research in these areas to new heights, positioning her as an international leader in the field of pediatric pain.聽

鈥淥ur understanding of pediatric pain has come a long way in 40 years, but we鈥檝e still got a long way to go when it comes to getting it on the radar and properly treated,鈥 says Noel. 鈥淎dvocacy and the relief of suffering is really at the core of my work.鈥

The is one of the most prestigious research chairs available at the 草莓污视频导航. It is awarded to a current 草莓污视频导航 faculty member who has, at an early career stage, made outstanding contributions to their field of research or scholarship. The purpose of the chair is to accelerate the scholar鈥檚 career, and the impact of their research, to a level of international leadership. The chair provides unrestricted research funds and dedicated research time at a critical juncture in the chairholder鈥檚 career.聽

Child Health and Wellness聽
The 草莓污视频导航 is driving science and innovation to transform the health and well-being of children and families. Led by the , top scientists across the campus are partnering with Alberta Health Services, the Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation, and our community to create a better future for children through research.

Melanie Noel聽is an associate professor of Clinical Psychology at the 草莓污视频导航 and a member of the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, the , the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and聽Education at the Cumming School of Medicine. She directs the PEAK (Pain Education, Advocacy, Knowledge) lab within the Vi Riddell Pain and聽Rehabilitation Centre at the Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital.聽