06/03/2026
At the UMKC School of Medicine, Michelle Wu (BLA '25/M.D. '26) stood out as both a dedicated scholar and an innovative researcher. Through a Foundation of Anesthesia Education and Research fellowship, she explored how chronic opioid use impacts pain processing in patients.
"We actually found that patients on chronic opioid therapy had higher pain levels in terms of frequency and severity compared to those who weren't exposed to opioids," Wu said. "So, that meant over time, opioids actually cause more frequent and more severe pain, which was really interesting and kind of the first of its kind of a study to be done. As a future physician and anesthesiologist, it really reinforced for me how important it is to be thoughtful when managing patients, both in the chronic pain and also perioperative settings, being especially mindful of the long-term effects opioids can have."
Now a proud UMKC graduate, Wu is headed to UCLA for a anesthesiology residency. We look forward to seeing the impact she'll continue to make in medicine and on the lives of the patients she serves.
