Meet Our Researchers 

Karin Westlund High, PhD
Vice Chair for Research, Distinguished Professor

Karin Westlund High, PhD, has over 40 years of experience in chronic pain research with a focus on behavioral pharmacology. She has pursued studies relevant to clinical pain syndromes for more than 20 years and has also trained 10 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical trainees who continue to study in this field.

Her laboratory specializes in developing and efficacy testing non-opioid therapeutics including:

• Novel small antibodies therapies
• Gabapentin and Pregabalin
• Transdermal cannabinoid formulation
• Repurposed drugs and endogenous opioid gene therapies in chronic animal models of pancreatitis and arthritis

More recently, chronic orofacial neuropathic and inflammatory pain models mimicking human chronic pain conditions have been devised for study. Single chain variable Fragment (scFv) antibodies developed to block pain biomarkers P2X4 and cholecystokinin B (CCK-B) receptor signaling are permanently reversing chronic pain, anxiety, and depression in these models. The efficacy of the patented scFv antibodies rivals other preclinical drug trials and could potentially replace morphine derivatives.

Dr. Westlund High’s laboratory’s highly cited studies are published as 179 peer reviewed manuscripts, 45 review chapters and reference texts. Read Dr. Westlund High’s recent publications here, and more about her promotion to Distinguished Professor here.

June Bryan I. de la Peña, RN, MS, PhD
Assistant Research Professor (Tenure-Track)

Dr. June Bryan de la Peña, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. He brings over a decade of research experience in neuropharmacology and molecular mechanisms of nociception.

Dr. de la Peña earned his bachelor’s degree in Nursing in the Philippines and completed both his Master’s and Ph.D. in Pharmacology, with a specialization in Neuropharmacology, at Sahmyook University in Seoul, South Korea. He received postdoctoral training in molecular biology and nociception at the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas and in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

His research focuses on uncovering the molecular changes in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) nociceptors that contribute to chronic pain. Key areas of investigation include neuropathic pain, opioid mechanisms, the effects of polysubstance use, and the therapeutic potential of natural products. Dr. de la Peña applies an interdisciplinary approach combining next-generation sequencing, human tissue analysis, molecular biology, pharmacology, and animal models to identify new, non-addictive strategies for pain relief.

Dr. de la Peña has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, delivered invited talks at international scientific conferences, and received multiple awards and grants in recognition of his contributions to the field.

For more information about Dr. de la Peña's research and team, visit the de la Peña Lab website.