Senior researcher

With a background in social-affective neuroscience and experimental psychology, my work is
fundamentally mechanistic and seeks to understand the underlying causes of conditions
such as chronic pain and anxiety, while translating this understanding into clinically relevant,
patient-facing research. I hold a postdoctoral position at Kongsberg Hospital, Vestre Viken
HF, and am affiliated with the Leknes Affective Brain Lab at Oslo University Hospital and the
Department of Psychology, University of Oslo.
My research interests center on chronic pain, prescription opioid use and misuse, and
anxiety – conditions that predominantly affect women, which has grown into a broader
interest in women’s health. More specifically, I study non-pharmacological approaches to
chronic pain, particularly Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), alongside the psychosocial and
biological factors underlying prescription opioid misuse and fear-related processes in
anxiety. I investigate these questions in a range of groups, including patients with chronic
pain, surgical patients, and healthy volunteers.
I have a PhD in Social and Affective Neuroscience from Utrecht University (2020), on the
roles of the opioid and oxytocin systems in human social-emotional behavior. During my PhD
I was a visiting researcher at the University of Cape Town (2015–2017). My first postdoctoral
position was at Oslo University Hospital, in the Leknes Affective Brain Lab, where I studied
psychosocial risk factors and biological markers involved in opioid use following surgery. I
have since continued at the same lab as a researcher, before moving into my current
postdoctoral position at Vestre Viken HF.
I currently lead a project on online-delivered Pain Reprocessing Therapy for opioid-treated
chronic pain patients, using a telehealth approach to reach patients in rural Norway. I am
also a senior advisor and co-investigator on the FOKUS trial, applying PRT in patients with
chronic widespread pain, and Principal Investigator on a Helse Sør-Øst-funded project on
the role of endogenous opioids in fear related processes underlying anxiety. I collaborate
internationally on related questions, including with Prof. Marina López-Solà (University of
Barcelona), Assoc. Prof. Chantal Berna (University of Lausanne), Jan Haaker (University
Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf) and Dr. Anne Willems and Prof. Bram Vervliet (University of
Leuven).
Research interests:
– Chronic pain and Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)
– Factors driving long-term opioid (prescription) use
– Anxiety and fear-related learning
– Psychosocial risk factors in clinical populations
– Clinical trial methodology (EMA, SCED)

Isabell’s Google Scholar Profile
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Isabell_Meier
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/im-meier/
Bluesky: @isabellmeier.bsky.social