Chiyoung Lee

Dr. Chiyoung Lee is a nursing scientist dedicated to advancing the understanding of the etiology and assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms, with a particular focus on the biopsychosocial underpinnings of pain and pain-related emotional and cognitive symptoms in older adult populations with chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Building on this foundational work, Dr. Lee's research aims to develop sophisticated intervention strategies to reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms. These strategies include noninvasive neuromodulation approaches, particularly home-based transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) for older adults with knee osteoarthritis and/or ADRD. Additionally, her work employs lab-based experimental paradigms to assess pain-related brain responses, utilizing advanced Quantitative Sensory Testing, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to enhance understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying tES effects. Her ongoing efforts focus on systematically optimizing tES treatment protocols and refining approaches by varying key stimulation parameters based on empirical findings to ensure clinical applicability. Dr. Lee currently serves as a co-investigator on a NIH/NINR-funded R01 study, which incorporates multimodal interventions-combining tES with mindfulness-based meditation-to more effectively address neuropsychiatric symptoms among older adults with knee osteoarthritis. She is also the Principal Investigator of two funded projects: the ORP Core Facilities Pilot Program at the University of Arizona Research, Innovation & Impact and the 2026 USASP-Mayday Clinical/Translational Research Award. Both projects aim to develop tailored neuromodulation-based interventions to achieve comprehensive pain relief for individuals with knee osteoarthritis experiencing chronic widespread pain.