UAMS Translational Research Institute Helps Busy Neurosurgeon, Dr. Erika Petersen, Lead Multiple Studies
Erika Petersen, M.D., saw the outlines of her career when she was just 16. As a participant in a summer research program at Duke Cancer Institute, she gained insight beyond the lab work. “As part of the program, I got to stand beside an anesthesiologist and watch open-heart surgery,” she said. “That was the moment I knew I was interested in medicine.”
Dr. Petersen, a UAMS neurosurgeon and associate professor at the College of Medicine, also noted at the time how her Duke mentor, a breast oncologist, was able to run a research lab in addition to seeing patients. “That helped me see a model of how doctors could do research in different ways,” she said.
She came to UAMS in 2010 and sees patients at the Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute. Her expertise in neuromodulation is unique to the region, futuristic even, with her ability to use deep brain stimulation and implant other devices to treat movement disorders and chronic pain.
Read the full article on UAMS TRIbune.