Aaron Mickle successfully passed his Ph.D. examination on Tuesday, November 25, 2014. His thesis title was "Pain Sensitization by Parathyroid Hormone-Related Peptide (PTHrP) via Convergent Phosphoregulation of TRPV1". Members of his thesis committee were chair, D.P. Mohapatra from the Departments of Pharmacology and Anesthesia, Donna L. Hammond from the Departments of Anesthesia and Pharmacology, Yuriy M. Usachev from the Departments of Pharmacology and Anesthesia, Christopher J. Benson from the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology, and Paloma Giangrande from the Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Mickle's research focused on investigating the role of PTHrP, which is highly critical for bone metastasis and tumor growth in breast and prostate cancers, and on pain sensitization via modulation of the key pain-sensing receptor TRPV1. Findings from his research provides mechanistic understanding of pain associated with cancers, and would aid in the development of more efficacious pharmacotherapeutic management of cancer pain in the future. Dr. Mickle received his BS in Biology with a Chemistry minor from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse and entered the Biosciences Program at the University of Iowa in 2010. He joined the Department of Pharmacology in 2011 to begin the Ph.D. phase of his training in Dr. D.P. Mohapatra's research group. Dr. Mickle has already accepted a postdoctoral position starting January 1, 2015 in Prof. Robert W. Gereau's research group at the Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.

CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Mickle!