Fitzgerald studies the developmental physiology and neurobiology of nociceptor circuits[6] in the brain and spinal cord. Her work has had a major impact on our understanding of how pain perception emerges in early life and how early pain experience can shape pain sensitivity for life.[7] Fitzgerald's research has changed clinical perception by showing that pain in infancy requires appropriate measurement and treatment and that it should be tailored to the developmental stage of the child.[2][8]
Awards and honours
In recognition of her work Fitzgerald was awarded the Jeffrey Lawson Award for Advocacy in Children's Pain Relief from the American Pain Society in 2011, the first basic scientist to have received this award. In 2013 she was elected to the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists for sustained and significant contributions to pain medicine.[9] She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 2000 and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2016.[2] She has been awarded honorary membership in the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the British Pain Society,[10] the International Society for Pediatric Pain (ISPP) and the Physiological Society[11]
A podcast describing her research career is available on the Pain Research Forum.[12]