Akiko Okifuji, PhD is Professor of Anesthesiology, Division of Pain Medicine, at the University of Utah. She is a licensed clinical psychologist who is specialized in pain management. She is also a pain researcher. She has been a principal investigator and co-investigator of various federal and locally funded projects in pain medicine. Her current research interests include rehabilitative approaches to fibromyalgia, weight management in chronic pain, women’s health and chronic pain, the cost-effectiveness of multidisciplinary pain care approaches, psychosocial and psychophysiology of opioid use/taper, and cognitive-behavioral aspects of chronic pain. She is also a member of the treatment team at the University of Utah Pain Management Center, where she provides behavioral medicine services to people with chronic pain. Dr. Akiko Okifuji has over 25 years of experience in clinical research in the field of chronic pain. She is one of the MPIs of the recently funded study “Metformin as a novel, mechanistic treatment of fibromyalgia” (R21AR082574). She is also an investigator for the study to develop an animal model of fibromyalgia (R61NS123758). Dr. Okifuji is an investigator for the NIH-funded studies of 1) evaluating the pharmacy-based program for reducing opioid misuse (R01DA051546), 2) examining the effect of spinal cord stimulator on cardiovascular and neuromuscular function of chronic pain patients (R01HL170007), and 3) developing an animal model of fibromyalgia (R61NS123758). She is collaborating with faculty in the Bioengineering department to conduct a pilot study of the use of ultrasonic brain stimulation for chronic pain. Dr. Okifuji is also a PI/mentor for three internal grants. She serves as a sponsor/mentor for a F31 grant for a PhD graduate student. In the past, she was a PI for a project testing behavioral preparation programs to facilitate activating therapy for sedentary fibromyalgia patients. Dr. Okifuji also served as a PI as well as an investigator in federally and locally funded projects to address the clinical benefits of various therapies for chronic pain and to investigate potential pathophysiologic factors underlying chronic pain, particularly fibromyalgia. As a PI, she has managed interdisciplinary and translational research teams for logistically challenging clinical research projects. She is also a practicing psychologist and a member of the interdisciplinary pain care team. She has written papers and chapters on the topic of the management of chronic pain. Given her experience, Dr. Okifuji believes that she is well suited to serve as a mentor for post-doctoral trainees.
