UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Assistant Professor Demario Overstreet, Ph.D., has been awarded substantial funding through the National Institutes of Health for his innovative research program, titled “Contemporary human models of postoperative pain: A biopsychosocial investigation in general surgery.”
The award, totaling over $2 million through 2030, will support Dr. Overstreet’s investigation aimed at uncovering the factors that determine patients' experiences of acute and chronic pain during their healing journeys after surgery. The primary focus of the award is to deepen our understanding of the transition from acute to chronic pain.
Dr. Overstreet explicitly investigates factors often undetectable by traditional scans or testing methodologies. His research examines biomarkers of inflammation and pain regulation, employs quantitative sensory testing, integrates psychosocial assessments, and considers social determinants of health (e.g., poverty and adverse childhood experiences) that contribute to variations in postoperative pain and recovery.
This marks Dr. Overstreet’s fifth major NIH award. He has received continuous support since 2018, including the predoctoral NIH Health Services Research T-32 Service Award (2018–2021). This highly selective program recognizes trainees whose scholarship is poised to shape the nation’s health-related research for generations to come.
A prolific contributor to pain literature, recent scholarship from Dr. Overstreet has examined biopsychosocial factors that are associated with complications after colorectal surgery, methodologies of quantitative sensory testing, the potential role of adverse childhood experience and emotion dysregulation in modulating painthe potential role of adverse childhood experience and emotion dysregulation in modulating painthe potential role of adverse childhood experience and emotion dysregulation in modulating pain, and, most notably, inflammatory mediators that underlie the pain experience in idiopathic chronic low back pain. This was published in the prestigious PAIN Journal last year. Remarkably, in just two years as an assistant professor, he has not only written and secured the MIRA R35, but also published at least seven peer-reviewed papers, in addition to many previous publications.
“This research will help us rethink the healing process for patients and explore how pain manifests differently across individuals,” says Dr. Overstreet. “It also provides an opportunity to develop translational, evidence-based strategies to predict, prevent, and treat postoperative pain, ultimately improving the quality of life for the surgical patients we serve.”
Dr. Overstreet also expresses his gratitude to co-investigators Drs. Lily Gutnik and Daniel Chu for their essential support and clinical expertise, which will be crucial for carrying out this work in mastectomy and colorectal surgery.
UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Director Dr. Daniel Chu collaborates directly with Dr. Overstreet to inform how patient treatment is addressed in both the clinical and recovery settings.
“Dr. Overstreet is providing invaluable insights into how we approach pain in the post-operative setting,” says Chu. “His research is pivotal in helping surgeon-scientists shape the methodologies we use to help patients feel better faster and sustain better surgical outcomes.”
About Dr. Demario Overstreet
Dr. Overstreet joined the UAB Department of Surgery in August of 2023. Since his arrival, he has quickly become a pivotal figure in the department. He mentors students, trainees, and junior faculty, serves on thesis, dissertation, and qualifying exam committees across disciplines at UAB, and plays an active role in the Department of Surgery's Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) program.
He obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University. Dr. Overstreet then matriculated to UAB, where he obtained his Doctorate in Behavioral Neuroscience. He also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine.