Alynna Summit, pursuing a Ph.D. in health behavior in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington (SPH-B), is digging deep into the relationship between chronic pain and substance use.
This past summer, Summit was awarded a two-year National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) F31 fellowship grant in the total amount of $97,948 for her research project "Evaluating the Association Between General Chronic Pain Liability and Substance Use." The funding, provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research, will support Summit's research and training—including stipend, tuition, and health insurance—through June 31, 2026.
"In the U.S. over two-thirds of individuals with substance use disorder struggle with chronic pain," says Summit. "It is a major public health issue, and we are not sure why chronic pain is related to substance use in this way. Deepening our understanding of this relationship is critical for informing research on substance use prevention and treatment initiatives."
Summit's mentor and sponsor Patrick Quinn, Ph.D. of the SPH-B Department of Applied Health Science shares that in addition to funding Summit's research, the F31 is a way for NIH to invest and support the next generation of research leaders.
"It's designed as a launching pad for a research career and so it also offers really great training opportunities to get Alynna to the next stage," says Dr. Quinn. "It isn't just about Alynna developing out a research project to pull apart these two subjects that hang together in ways we don't fully understand, but also to think about what resources Alynna will need to set her up for success in her career."
Summit has a B.A. in psychology with a double minor in sociology and Spanish and an M.A. in psychological science from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). She was initially interested in becoming a therapist, but an undergraduate course exploring the relationship between drugs and behavior led to her current career path.
"It was completely eye-opening—we studied not only illicit drugs but prescription drugs as well; the neurochemical mechanisms of how they work and their potential for misuse and abuse," says Summit. "Psychology—why we do what we do—is a huge part of this research".
Dr. Quinn says the F31 empowers SPH-B to collaborate with Summit on creating a tailored research and training environment where she can thrive.
"To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first F31 grant ever awarded to a student from IUSPHB," says Eric Walsh-Buhi, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Applied Health Science. "It sets a new precedent for the caliber of work expected from our Ph.D. students in our school moving forward and exemplifies the high standards of achievement we anticipate in future doctoral training within our program."
Mentorship is crucial to Summit's research and training. She credits Dr. Quinn as well as IU co-sponsor Brian D'Onofrio, Ph.D.; consultant Adam Hirsh, Ph.D. at IU Indianapolis for areas related to chronic pain; and consultant Erik Petersson, Ph.D. at the Karolinska Institute for areas related to statistics. Summit also expressed appreciation for SPH-B faculty Christina Ludema, Ph.D. and Kit Elam, Ph.D. for writing letters of recommendation as well as providing project feedback—and undergraduate and M.A. mentor Nora Noel, Ph.D. at UNCW for writing letters of recommendation and supporting her throughout her academic career.
"Putting this together, I had so many questions, and it is really nice that these individuals who invested in my success can answer those questions and provide me with their individual guidance and expertise," says Summit.
Summit will be auditing specific SPH-B courses and adds that the opportunities IU affords her to collaborate across departments and institutions is critical to her future career success.
For more stories about SPH-B students and faculty making a big difference both locally and worldwide, visit go.iu.edu/48bx.