Dr. Titilola Falasinnu

Biography

I primarily focus on lupus research and identify as a pain scientist methodologist in the field. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disproportionately affects women and racial minorities, being the fifth common cause of death among 15-24 year-old Black and Hispanic women in the U.S. This highlights the significant public health impact of the disease. More than half of SLE patients experience chronic pain due to overlapping conditions such as migraines and fibromyalgia, which contribute significantly to disability and impaired quality of life. Chronic pain is not merely a symptom but a disease that deserves rigorous study and clinical attention. The global burden underscores the urgent need for a clear and standardized definition of pain as a disease, especially in the context of autoimmune rheumatic diseases. My work involves developing and validating computational methods to study chronic pain as distinct from other conditions within rheumatology. I aim to employ machine learning and natural language processing to enhance pain phenotyping, classify pain subtypes, and develop predictive models for treatment response, all while integrating biological, psychological, and social determinants of pain.

Research Interests