Ericka N. Merriwether, PT, DPT, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and is the Director of the Inclusive and Translational Research in Pain Laboratory (I-TRIP). Dr. Merriwether earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her clinical doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, and her PhD in Movement Science from Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Merriwether’s research examines multi-level mechanisms of chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults with higher BMI. Her work applies a novel integration of basic science, clinical assessment, biophysical measurement of pain, and motion analysis methods to characterize unique pain phenotypes. Dr. Merriwether's current projects examine mediators of chronic widespread pain after weight loss. This is an extension of her previous work with clinical trials of non-pharmacological pain interventions for women with fibromyalgia and lifestyle weight management interventions for adults with higher BMI who have marginalized identities. Dr. Merriwether has an additional line of research that examines relationships between chronic pain and racial discrimination in racially and ethnically diverse populations of adults with obesity. Dr. Merriwether's research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Physical Therapy, the NYU Steinhardt Center of Health and Rehabilitation Research, and the NYU Steinhardt Diversity Innovation Grant.
Prior to her faculty appointment, Dr. Merriwether was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Iowa. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP), has leadership positions in the International Association for the Study of Pain, and is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Dr. Merriwether has received several scholarships and awards, most recently the Gabriel Carras Award and the Champions of Equity Distinguished Service Award from NYU Steinhardt.
Selected Publications
- Merriwether EN, Vanegas SM, Curado S, et al. Changes in Widespread Pain After Surgical Weight Loss in Racialized Adults: A Secondary Analysis From a 2-Year Longitudinal Study. J Pain. Published online July 11, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104625
- Booker SQ, Merriwether EN, Powell-Roach K, Jackson S. From stepping stones to scaling mountains: overcoming racialized disparities in pain management. Pain Manag. 2024;14(1):5-12. doi:10.2217/pmt-2023-0098
- Merriwether EN, Wittleder S, Cho G, et al. Racial and weight discrimination associations with pain intensity and pain interference in an ethnically diverse sample of adults with obesity: a baseline analysis of the clustered randomized-controlled clinical trial the goals for eating and moving (GEM) study. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):2201. Published 2021 Dec 2. doi:10.1186/s12889-021-12199-1
- Vanegas SM, Curado S, Gujral A, et al. Cohort profile: study design and baseline characteristics of an observational longitudinal weight loss cohort and biorepository of patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy in the USA. BMJ Open. 2024;14(8):e081201. Published 2024 Aug 24. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081201
- Merriwether EN, Agalave NM, Dailey DL, et al. IL-5 mediates monocyte phenotype and pain outcomes in fibromyalgia. Pain. 2021;162(5):1468-1482. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002089
- Letzen JE, Mathur VA, Janevic MR, et al. Confronting Racism in All Forms of Pain Research: Reframing Study Designs. J Pain. 2022;23(6):893-912. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2022.01.010