Chronic Low back pain is a ubiquitous health condition affecting millions of people worldwide with a high lifetime prevalence. With increasing drug abuse and overdose deaths associated with opioid analgesics which are also the most commonly prescribed class of drug for treating low back pain, it is critical to tackle chronic low back pain as a major health problem. One of the major risk factors associated with chronic back pain is the degenerative status of the intervertebral disc. Consequently understanding the homeostatic and pathological cellular and molecular processes that govern the functioning of this complex skeletal tissue is critical. Our group has been working at the forefront of understanding the metabolic complexities of intervertebral disc cells, with recent efforts focusing on the contribution of cellular senescence and resultant metabolic dysregulations to the pathogenesis of this physiologically hypoxic tissue.

In this project, we aim to focus on how cell senescence affects the metabolic functioning of the disc cells in particular broader metabolic and mitochondrial homeostatic functions. We will also explore strategies to target cellular senescence and restore metabolic homeostasis and mitochondrial function to mitigate disc degeneration. This project will involve mechanistic studies using cultured primary cells and will provide an opportunity to develop novel mouse models and their detailed cellular, molecular, and metabolic characterization. Our lab and department offer state-of-the-art research facilities in particular for imaging, molecular, and metabolic studies, a thriving and stimulating collaborative research environment, and opportunities to make a major research impact in an unexplored area of biology while collaborating with a motivated, driven, and highly productive young team, and opportunities for academic development. Please refer to our published work on PubMed using the search term Risbud M.

Closing Statement

Jefferson includes Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, a dynamic university and health system with broad reach across the Delaware Valley. Jefferson is the second largest employer in Philadelphia and the largest health system in Philadelphia based on total licensed beds.

Through the merger of Thomas Jefferson University and Philadelphia University in 2017, our University includes ten colleges and four schools. We are an NCAA Division II university and an R2 national doctoral university offering undergraduate and graduate-level programs that provide students with a forward-thinking education in architecture, business, design, engineering, fashion and textiles, health, medicine and social science.

Jefferson Health, the clinical arm of Thomas Jefferson University, has grown from a three-hospital academic health center in 2015, to an 18-hospital health system through mergers and combinations that include hospitals at Abington Health, Aria Health, Kennedy Health, Magee Rehabilitation and Einstein Healthcare Network. We have over 50 outpatient and urgent care centers; ten Magnet®-designated hospitals (recognized by the ANCC for nursing excellence); the NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (one of only 70 in the country and one of only two in the region); and one of the largest faculty-based telehealth networks in the country. In 2021, Jefferson Health became the sole owner of HealthPartners Plan, a not-for-profit health maintenance organization in Southeastern Pennsylvania. We are the first health system regionally to create an aligned payer-provider partnership.

Jefferson's mission, vision and values create an organization that attracts the best and the brightest students, faculty, staff, and healthcare professionals, as well as the most visionary leaders to drive exceptional results.

• OUR MISSION: We improve lives.
• OUR VISION: Reimagining health, education and discovery to create unparalleled value
• OUR VALUES: Put People First, Be Bold & Think Differently and Do the Right Thing

As an employer, Jefferson maintains a commitment to provide equal access to employment. Jefferson values diversity and encourages applications from women, members of minority groups, LGBTQ individuals, disabled individuals, and veterans.