Current Laboratory Members

Kofi Frimpong-Manson
Ph.D. Candidate

Kofi Frimpong-Manson earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2019 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. In 2022, he began his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in the laboratory of Dr. Jenny Wilkerson. His research focused on using rodent models of chronic migraine to understand sex differences that underlie the pathophysiology of migraine, potential biomarkers for migraine treatment and diagnosis, as well as novel drug molecules that could be used to treat migraine. In 2026, he joined the Department of Anesthesiology to complete his PhD research on chronic migraine under the mentorship of Dr. Jenny Wilkerson. He also assists in collaborative research projects that seek to uncover mechanisms underlying chronic pain disorders and potential treatments for chronic pain.

Lida Khodavirdilou
Ph.D. Candidate

Lida Khodavirdilou received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2016. She began her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2023 under the mentorship of Dr. Jenny Wilkerson. Her research examines how disrupted sex hormone signaling modulates long-term postsurgical pain and its treatment, using rodent models of polycystic ovary syndrome. In 2026, she joined Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, within the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, to continue her doctoral research with Dr. Wilkerson. As a side project, she has contributed to studies evaluating candidate therapeutics for substance use disorder. She is also involved in collaborative research projects.

Bisola Ojo
Ph.D. Student