Articles
Since 2001, Stephani has worked as a freelance science journalist, writing for magazine, newspaper, online and broadcast outlets.
Magazine
Scientific American
Oct 2024
May 2024
Mar 2023
Jul 2022
Dec 2021
Sep 2021
April 2021
Feb 2021
Jan 2021
Nov 2020
Oct 2020
Feb 2020
Oct 2018
Sep 2018
Dec 2017
May 2017
May 2017
May 2017
Jun 2016
May 2016
Jan 2016
Jul 2015
Mar 2015
Jan 2015
Jan 2015
Dec 2014
Dec 2014
(Animation) Research Reveals the Structure of a Molecular Gateway to Pain
Online, by Claudia Wallis
Sep 2014
Mar 2014
Jan 2014
Nov 2013
July 2013
Sep 2013
Jul 2013
May 2013
Mar 2013
Mar 2013
Nov 2012
Jan 2013
Sep 2012
Sep 2012
May 2012
Mar 2012
Jan 2012
Mar 2012
New Scientist
Nov 2022
Nov 2016
Knowable Magazine
15 Apr 2020
UCLA Health
Other Magazines
Sep 2012
Sep 2012
Yoga for Anxiety. Tathaastu
Sep 2012
Gary Kraftsow’s Stress-Reducing Vision, Common Ground
Jun 2005
Breastfeeding: Natural Gratification Fit Pregnancy
Jul 1999
The Trees and the Bees: How Biodiversity Increases Coffee Yield Roast
pp.16-18
Jan 2005
Young Success in Science: The OES Program. Stephani Eckert*; The Woman’s Journal
Vol 7 No 7; p. 9; Jul 1999; Portland, OR.
Sep 1988
Speaking Her Mind: Animal Experimentation—A Second Opinion. Stephani Eckert*; The Woman’s Journal
Vol 6 No 9; pp. 10-11; Sep 1998; Portland, OR.
Online
RELIEF
Sep 2020
Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions: What Do They Share in Common, and What Are the Risk Factors?
May 2020
Switch to Telehealth During COVID-19 Pandemic Seen as “Silver Lining” of a Great “Natural Experiment”
Feb 2020
Multidisciplinary Pain Care: A Teamwork Approach with the Patient Front and Center
Oct 2019
Men and Women, Male and Female Animals: What’s the Deal with Sex Differences in Chronic Pain? (Part 1)
May 2018
Pain Biomarkers: What Are They, Why Do They Matter, and How Can Patients Benefit from Them?
Oct 2018
Treating Chronic Pain With Non-Drug Approaches: What Does the Evidence Say?
Sep 2018
Coming Together to Put Patients First in Headache Treatment
July 2018
Researchers Create a Game Plan to Study and Treat Chronic Pain
Jun 2018
NIH Announces HEAL Initiative to Combat Opioid Crisis
Mar 2018
Looking to the Brain to Understand Chronic Pain
Mar 2018
The Leading Edge of Personalized Pain Medicine: Tuning the Channel
Feb 2018
The Role of Diet in Chronic Pain: You Are What You Eat?
Jan 2018
Speaking Up for Science
Jan 2018
The Unmet Global Need for Palliative Care and Pain Relief
Nov 2017
Kids in Pain
Jan 2017
Brain Imaging of Pain: How Should It Be Used?
Sep 2017
Taking Aim at New Pain Drugs
Sep 2016
Fibromyalgia: Cracking the Case
May 2016
With Cancer—and Treatment—Comes Pain
Jan 2016
As Medical Cannabis Moves Mainstream, Can It Provide Pain Relief?
Jan 2016
Complementary Therapies for Chronic Pain: What Does the Research Say?
Pain Research Forum
May 2021
Pain Ligand-Receptor “Interactome” Revealed
May 2021
Resolving Pain: Macrophages Are the New Boss in Town
Mar 2021
How Food Triggers the Pain of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Nov 2020
SARS-CoV-2 Interacts With Sensory Neurons
Sep 2020
Discoveries of TRP and PIEZO Channels Pave a Path to the Kavli Prize: A Conversation With David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian
Aug 2020
The Parabrachial Nucleus Takes the Pain Limelight
May 2020
Fibroblasts Join the Ranks of Pain Targets
May 2020
Switch to Telehealth During COVID-19 Pandemic Seen as “Silver Lining” of a Great “Natural Experiment”
Apr 2020
COVID-19 Hits Pain Research Labs Hard
Mar 2020
Higher Pain Ratings in African Americans Rooted in Discrimination
Mar 2020
A New Clinical Trial Shows Clear Benefits of TENS for Fibromyalgia – Finally!
Feb 2020
Jan 2020
Biased Opioid Agonists Isolated From an Australian Fungus
Oct 2019
Pain Nerve Endings: “Bare” No More
Sep 2019
Immune Receptor TLR4 Mediates Hyperalgesia Caused by Opioids
Jul 2019
Newly Discovered Microcircuitry Between the Thalamus and Anterior Cingulate Cortex Controls Pain-Related Aversion
Jul 2019
Emotional Mirror Neurons Respond to Pain in Self and Others
Jun 2019
Spontaneous Firing in DRG Neurons From Patients With Neuropathic Pain
Apr 2019
Not All Pain Is the Same: Characterizing the Extent of High-Impact Chronic Pain
Apr 2019
Pain Research Leaders Convene to Chart a Path to Pain Biomarkers
Mar 2019
Probing the Intersection of Sleep and Pain with Brain Imaging
Feb 2019
Male Mice—and Men—Remember the Pain
Jan 2019
Hippocampal Extracellular Matrix Modulates Chronic Pain and Related Memory Deficits
Dec 2018
Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Piezo2 Mediates Tactile Allodynia
Oct 2018
Angiotensin Signaling Contributes to Neuropathic Pain via Peripheral Macrophages
Oct 2018
Jun 2018
NIH Announces HEAL Initiative to Combat Opioid Crisis
May 2018
Danger Ahead: Threat Signals Converge to Drive Pain, Hunger
Mar 2018
Neuropathic Pain Symptoms Arise From Different Mechanisms
Jan 2018
Pain Researchers Among Science Advocates at Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
Jan 2018
Dec 2017
Where Will New Pain Drugs Come From?
Sep 2017
Sep 2017
The Latest Thinking on Chronic Pelvic Pain
Aug 2017
Harnessing the Power of Placebo
Jul 2017
Highlights From the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Pain Society: Part 2
Jun 2017
Highlights From the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Pain Society: Part 1
Apr 2017
Itch in the Periphery, Pain in the Spinal Cord: The Dual Nature of MRGPRX1
Mar 2017
For Pain, Green Light Means Stop
Feb 2017
Highlights From Neuroscience 2016: Part 3
Feb 2017
Highlights From Neuroscience 2016: Part 2
Nov 2016
Highlights From Neuroscience 2016: Part 1
Jan 2017
Meeting Report: Virtual Reality Pain 2016
Jul 2016
Spinal Cord Circuitry: Wired for Allodynia
June 2016
Highlights from the 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society: Part 3
May 2016
Highlights From the 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society: Part 1
May 2016
The Long Road to Precision Pain Medicine
Apr 2016
Mindfulness Effective for Chronic Low Back Pain in Clinical Trial
Feb 2016
Peripheral Afferent Drive Reduced in Chronic Inflammatory Pain
Mar 2016
Exploiting Opioid Receptor Variants for Safer Analgesics
Dec 2015
What Caught Your Eye This Year? PRF’s Top News Stories and Papers of the Week for 2015
Dec 2015
Dec 2015
Dec 2015
Dec 2015
Nov 2015
Sep 2015
Aug 2015
Jul 2015
Jul 2015
Human “Pain-Protective Haplotype” Explained in Mouse Study
Jun 2015
Jun 2015
Jun 2015
Jun 2015
May 2015
Apr 2015
Mar 2015
Glycinergic Inhibitory Interneurons in the Spinal Cord “Gate” Pain
Feb 2015
Feb 2015
Jan 2015
Jan 2015
Jan 2015
Dec 2014
Dec 2014
Dec 2014
Dec 2014
Sep 2014
Sep 2014
May 2014
Jul 2014
May 2014
May 2014
Apr 2014
Mar 2014
Feb 2014
Feb 2014
Jan 2014
Jan 2014
Dec 2013
Popularity Contest: The Top News Stories of 2013 on PRF
Dec 2013
Nov 2013
Nov 2013
Nov 2013
Nov 2013
Nov 2013
Oct 2013
Oct 2013
Oct 2013
Sep 2013
Aug 2013
Jun 2013
Jun 2013
May 2013
Mar 2013
Mar 2013
Feb 2013
Feb 2013
Dec 2012
Jan 2013
Nov 2012
Nov 2012
BrainFacts.org
Mar 2019
Nov 2018
May 2017
Dec 2016
Oct 2016
Aug 2016
Global Health NOW
Apr 2018
Apr 2018
Apr 2018
Apr 2018
Multiple Sclerosis Discovery Forum – New Findings
Dec 2013
Nov 2013
Nov 2013
Sep 2013
May 2013
Apr 2013
Apr 2013
Apr 2013
Nov 2012
Sep 2012
Jul 2012
Newspaper
In summer 2001, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) awarded me their Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship. During my ten-week internship, I wrote science articles for the news desk at the Los Angeles Times, including daily news and features. View the online archive of my articles.
Los Angeles Times
Sep 6, 2001
LOS ANGELES; Four Caltech Physics Students Take the Ride of Their Lives; Science: Dreaming of careers in space, they board NASA’s ‘vomit comet’ to carry out research in weightless environment.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Sep 6, 2001; B.4
Aug 27, 2001
SCIENCE FILE; An Island Paradise; During Their Month-long Stay in the Caribbean, Two Scientists Get More Kicks From Cataloging Species Than Frolicking in the Sand and Surf.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Aug 27, 2001; A.12
Aug 15, 2001
THE NATION; Study: Surgery for Emphysema May Be Deadly
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Aug 15, 2001; A.16
Aug 10, 2001
THE NATION; A Downside to Antioxidants; Health: Popular supplements may be harmful to people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, study finds.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Aug 10, 2001; A.16
August 10, 2001
THE NATION; Plants May Date Back Earlier Than Thought.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Aug 10, 2001; A.17
Aug 6, 2001
HEALTH: Robots Take a Major Hand in Heart Surgeries; Less invasive procedure aims to reduce patients’ pain, recovery time.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Aug 6, 2001; S.5
Aug 3, 2001
THE NATION; Dinosaurs Given a Nose Job to Reflect New Earthy Image; Paleontology: Old nostril placement on models was based on belief that the giant creatures were aquatic.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Aug 3, 2001; A.18
Jul 18, 200
THE NATION; Pacifiers No Hindrance to Nursing.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Jul 18, 2001; A.16
July 16, 2001
SCIENCE FILE; Mapping Big Bang’s Shadow; Scientists hope that MAP satellite will be able to report on the content and expansion of the universe. Results will take months.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Jul 16, 2001; A.8
Jul 13, 2001
THE NATION; Rate of U.S. Babies Born With Syphilis Falls 51%; Health: Gains in the 3-year effort to eradicate the disease are tied to early detection and treatment, CDC reports.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Jul 13, 2001; A.13
Jul 12, 2001
THE NATION; New NASA ‘Time Machine’ Craft to Take in Some Sun.
Stephani Sutherland; Los Angeles Times; Jul 12, 2001; A.14
Journal & Trade
Neuroscience Quarterly
for the Society for Neuroscience
Fall 2013
Summer 2013
Inside Science: Scientists Examine How Brain Processes Facial Expressions
Spring 2013
Inside Science: Scientists Work to Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Earlier
Winter 2013
Inside Science: Scientists Probe Role of Sleep in Memory
Fall 2012
Inside Science: Risk and Uncertainty: the Science of Decision-Making
Summer 2012
Inside Science: The Roots of Mental Illness
Spring 2012
Inside Science: The Leading Edge of Stress
Winter 2012
Inside Science: Making Strides in Understanding Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Journal of Neuroscience
Published weekly by the Society for Neuroscience. From 2003 – 2007, I wrote “This Week In The Journal,” or TWIJ, for Editor-in-Chief Gary Westbrook, MD. I occasionally fill in for the current author. The feature highlights four articles in four areas: Cellular & Molecular; Development, Plasticity & Repair; Behavioral, Systems & Cognitive; and (added in 2004) Neurobiology of Disease. Here are a few samples of TWIJ, and you can view the complete archive online. (See “A Tribute to the Outgoing Editor-In-Chief,” by David C. VanEssen, past president of the SfN. | Download PDF )
Jun, 2012
This Week in The Journal, June 20, 2012
Jun, 2012
This Week in The Journal, June 13, 2012
Nov, 2006
This Week in The Journal, Nov 8, 2006
Jun 2005
This Week in The Journal, June 8, 2005
Aug 2004
This Week in The Journal, Aug 4, 2004
Apr 2004
This Week in The Journal, Apr 14, 2004
Drug Discovery Today
Elsevier Publishing. I covered biomedical and pharmaceutical research news from 2002 to 2005.
Dec 2005
Massive variability in a stable binding protein.
2005 Dec; 10(23-24):1580.
Sep 2005
Endocannabinoids mediate age-old pain suppression.
2005 Sep 15 ;10(18):1209-10.
Aug 2005
Cell cycle inhibitors key to neoangiogenesis.
2005 Aug 1; 10(15):1015-6. Download PDF
May 2005
Getting inside the bug: new targets for TB drugs.
|2005 May 15; 10(10):679-80.
Sep 2004
Creatine as a neuroprotector.
2004 Sep 15; 9(18):776.
Aug 2004
Peptibodies: the new cool technology.
2004 Aug 15; 9(16):683.
Jul 2004
Glia emerge as pain therapy targets.
2004 Jul 15; 9(14):588.
Jun 2004
Embracing the rat.
2004 Jun 1; 9(11):468.
Jul 2003
Ebola glycoprotein: the key to successful gene therapy?
2003 Jul 15; 8(14):609-10.
Apr 2003
New antibiotics for anthrax?
2003 Apr 15; 8(8):335-6.
Mar 2003
Nucleus ‘hallowed ground’ no more.
2003 Mar 15; 8(6):238-9.
Jan 2003
Targeting cell migration.
2003 Jan 1; 8(1):6-7.
Nov 2002
Inhalant induces tolerance against stroke.
2002 Nov 15; 7(22):1112-3.
Oct 2002
Pretzel-shaped peptide for autoimmune disease.
2002 Oct 15; 7(20):1023-4.
TARGETS
Elsevier Publishing.
Jun 2003
One step closer to specific cancer drugs? 2003 June; 2(3):73-4.
Dec 2002
Tiny protein sets size, speed records. 2002 Dec; 2(1):183-4.
Dec 2002
Finding anti-anxiety targets in fear mechanisms. 2002 Dec; 1(5):149-151.
Mindfulness Research Monthly
From September 2011 to August 2012, I wrote the Highlights column for MRM. This free newsletter compiled monthly by David S Black, PhD, MPH, provides complete references to new research pertaining to mindfulness.
Aug 2012
Highlights August 2012
Jul 2012
Highlights July 2012
Jun 2012
Highlights June 2012
May 2012
Highlights May 2012
Apr 2012
Highlights April 2012
Mar 2012
Highlights March 2012
Feb 2012
Highlights February 2012
Jan 2012
Highlights January 2012
Dec 2011
Highlights December 2011
Nov 2011
Highlights November 2011
Oct 2011
Highlights October 2011
Sep 2011
Highlights September 2011
Online Updates to Wall & Melzack’s Textbook of Pain, 5th Edition
2005-2011
Edited by Stephen McMahon, PhD, & Martin Koltzenburg, MD, FRCP. Elsevier Books. Samples upon request.
Jul 2011
Meditative practices reduce pain experience by decoupling negative emotional aspects.
May 2011
Vibro-tactile stimulation activates functional descending control of nociception in patients with chronic widespread and local pain.
Jan 2011
Mindfulness improves outlook for chronic pain.
Jan 2011
Imaging studies and sham-acupuncture needles reveal brain circuitry for placebo and nocebo effects.
Nov 2010
Do chronic musculoskeletal pain in Gulf War veterans and fibromyalgia have a common underlying circuitry?
Sep 2010
P2X and acid-sensing ion channel receptors contribute to peripheral ischemic pain in a rodent model.
Aug 2010
Neurokinin receptor NK-1 underlies heat hyperalgesia
Aug 2010
Cannabinoid receptor 2 mediates activation of microglia and neuropathic pain.
Oct 2009
Repulsive cues help direct regenerating spinal afferent terminals in the dorsal root.
Sep 2009
A neural and molecular substrate of pain’s affective component.
Aug 2009
Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 antagonist combats postoperative pain.
May 2009
TRPA1 serves as major cold sensor after all in the viscera.
Feb 2009
Nerve growth factor and transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 channel contribute to bone cancer pain.
Dec 2008
New mouse model of itch.
Sep 2008
Matrix metalloproteinases contribute to early and late phases of neuropathic pain development.
Sep 2008
Runx transcription factors key to differentiation of sensory neuron subtypes.
Sep 2008
Promise fades for oxcarbazepine treatment of diabetic neuropathy
Apr 2008
Cold pain sensation and poststroke central pain localized to thalamic nuclei.
Aug 2008
Lamotrigine ineffective against diabetic neuropathy.
Apr 2008
Herniated disk: Surgery versus nonoperative treatment.
Mar 2008
Two calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists provide acute relief from migraine.
Mar 2008
TRPV1 as a thermoregulator.
Feb 2008
Origins of spinal microglia in neuropathic pain.
Aug 2006
Diagnosis: Symptomatic or classic trigeminal neuralgia?
Jul 2006
Magnetic resonance imaging can identify atrophy associated with trigeminal neuralgia.
Jul 2006
Brain atrophy.
Jul 2006
Preterm infants display cortical pain processing.
May 2006
Cannabis treatment for central pain in multiple sclerosis.
May 2006
Paroxysmal hemicrania features constant activation of neural pain axis.
May 2006
TRPA1 detects noxious compounds but not sound: Role in cold sensing and mechanical sensing still in question.
Mar 2006
Mature chloride extrusion capability dictates GABA’s action.
Feb 2006
There are no predictors for the treatment response to topical lidocaine patches.
Feb 2006
L-Cysteine modulates T-type calcium channels.
Jan 2006
Varicella-zoster virus vaccine reduces the incidence of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.
Nov 2005
Spinal cord neuron death after peripheral nerve damage? Too soon to tell.
Dec 2005
Gene expression after noxious stimulation is different in neonates and may last into adulthood.
Nov 2005
Endocannabinoids mediate stress-induced analgesia.
Nov 2005
Repetitive trascranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) produces lasting relief from chronic neuropathic pain.
Oct 2005
Neurosurgery.
Oct 2005
Nav1.7 and 1.9 channels contribute to nociceptor hyperexcitability in inflammatory conditions.
Oct 2005
Spinal fusion surgery no better than intensive rehabilitative therapy for chronic low back pain.
Oct 2005
Acupuncture beliefs affect brain activation.
Sep 2005
Loss of mucosal nerve fibres in tongue biopsies suggests that burning mouth syndrome is a small-fibre sensory neuropathy.
Sep 2005
Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor d (Mrgprd)-expressing nociceptors comprise a subclass of non-peptidergic nociceptors innervating the epidermis.
Aug 2005
Duloxetine for the treatment of painful diabetic polyneuropathy.
Aug 2005
PIP2 emerges as key TRP channel regulator.
Aug 2005
Cardiovascular adverse events of NSAIDs and coxibs.
Aug 2005
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can prevent acute back pain from becoming chronic.
Original Research
Find me on
2023
Predicting chronic postsurgical pain: current evidence and a novel program to develop predictive biomarker signatures.
Kathleen Sluka, Tor Wager, Stephani Sutherland, Patricia Labosky, Tessa Balach et al. PAIN, online June 15, 2023.
2022
Multi-Site Observational Study to Assess Biomarkers for Susceptibility or Resilience to Chronic Pain: The Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS) Study Protocol.
Berardi G, et al. Frontiers in Medicine. 2022 April 24; Vol 9.
2001
Toward an understanding of the molecules that sense myocardial ischemia.
Benson CJ, Sutherland SP. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2001 Jun; 940:96-109. Review.
2001
Acid-sensing ion channel 3 matches the acid-gated current in cardiac ischemia-sensing neurons.
Sutherland SP, Benson CJ, Adelman JP, McCleskey EW. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Jan 16; 98(2):711-6.
2000
Chemical mediators of pain due to tissue damage and ischemia.
Sutherland SP, Cook SP, McCleskey EW. Prog Brain Res. 2000; 129:21-38. Review.
1999
Acid-evoked currents in cardiac sensory neurons: A possible mediator of myocardial ischemic sensation.
Benson CJ, Eckert SP*, McCleskey EW. Circ Res. 1999 Apr 30;84(8):921-8.
1998
Rap1 mediates sustained MAP kinase activation induced by nerve growth factor.
York RD, Yao H, Dillon T, Ellig CL, Eckert SP*, McCleskey EW, Stork PJ. Nature. 1998 Apr 9; 392(6676):622-6.
1997
Isolation and culture of rat sensory neurons having distinct sensory modalities.
Eckert SP*, Taddese A, McCleskey EW. J Neurosci Methods. 1997 Dec 1;77(2):183-90. Erratum in: J Neurosci Methods 1998 Dec 31; 86(1):101.
*Eckert is my maiden name.
Podcast
RELIEF.news
Aug 2020
“Pain Doesn’t Stay in a Lane” — The Many Factors That Contribute to Musculoskeletal Pain: A podcast with Steven Z. George PT, PhD, FAPTA
Apr 2020
Understanding Touch and Pain Sensation: A Podcast with Alexander Chesler
Sep 2019
A Complementary and Integrative Approach to Easing Pain: A Podcast with Helene Langevin
Dec 2018
Chronic Pain as a Problem of Interruption, Interference, and Identity: A Podcast With Christopher Eccleston
Jan 2019
How Expectations Shape the Experience of Chronic Pain: A Podcast with Howard Fields
Aug 2017
The Brain Changes During Chronic Pain—But Non-Drug Treatments Can Change It Back: A Podcast with Catherine Bushnell
Nov 2018
The Path to Chronic Pain from the Body to the Brain: A Podcast With Robert Coghill
Apr 2018
How Psychologists Can Help With Chronic Pain: A Podcast with Beverly Thorn
Apr 2018
Diet, Inflammation and Pain: A Podcast With Johnny Figueroa and Robert Sorge