Michelle Hook is an Associate Professor in the Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics department at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Dr. Hook obtained her B.Sc (Hons) and PhD in Physiology from the University of New England in Armidale, Australia. Following her PhD studies, she did postdoctoral training at the University of Memphis and then moved to Texas A&M University where she transitioned from a post-doctoral position to a Research Associate Professor. She joined the faculty in the Texas A&M College of Medicine in 2014. Dr. Hook’s laboratory uses a rodent model of spinal cord injury (SCI) to investigate recovery of function following spinal cord injury. Her group has shown that early administration of morphine significantly attenuates locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury, increases long-term pain, and increases cell death at the spinal injury site. They have also conducted pioneering studies of depression in the rodent SCI model, and are currently investigating whether inflammation increases susceptibility to affective disorders. Dr. Hook’s research has been supported by the Department of Defense, NIH, Mission Connect (a project of the TIRR foundation), the Gillson Longenbaugh Foundation, and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation.