Laura Payne, PhD

Laura Payne, PhD, is the director of the Clinical and Translational Pain Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital. Her research focuses on identifying neurobiological, behavioral, and psychological biomarkers related to pain, particularly menstrual pain in adolescents.

Specifically, she is interested in identifying factors that are associated with the transition from recurrent to chronic pain in girls and young women. Her work also extends to developing and evaluating novel treatments for menstrual pain, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and nutraceutical supplements.

Dr. Payne has been awarded numerous NIH grants, including a career development grant to examine central pain mechanisms in adolescents and young adults with menstrual pain, and most recently a large-scale study identifying behavioral and neural phenotypes of menstrual pain in adolescent girls. She is actively involved in professional organizations and serves on several editorial boards, including the journal Pain Medicine.