Lab Members

Robert North, M.D., Ph.D., is an assistant professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. North received his M.D. from Wayne State University School of Medicine and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Texas A&M University, and he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuronal electrophysiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His research has demonstrated that dorsal root ganglion neurons' spontaneous activity and hyperexcitability are fundamental shared features between animal models of radicular/neuropathic pain and humans with clinically defined radicular/neuropathic pain. Through multi-institutional collaborations, new genetic and biochemical correlates of neuropathic pain as well as evidence for sex-specific differences in gene expression were uncovered.

Francisco Call, M.D., was born and raised in El Salvador, where he attended medical school and graduated with honors in 2022. That same year he moved to the United States to validate his medical degree. In 2023, he joined Dr. North’s lab to contribute to research on central nervous system tumors and neuropathic pain.