Placebo Beyond Opinions (PBO) Center

The PBO Center promotes interdisciplinary investigation of the placebo phenomenon in health care and nurtures a higher education placebo research program.

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View the Luana Colloca, MD, PHD, MS: Researcher of the Year video.

The name "Placebo Beyond Opinions" (PBO) reflects the Center's commitment to moving beyond mere opinions or assumptions about the placebo effect and delving into rigorous scientific investigation. It emphasizes the Center's focus on advancing beyond subjective beliefs or unsubstantiated claims about placebos, instead aiming for a deeper understanding through empirical research and interdisciplinary collaboration. The term "Beyond Opinions“ refers to a departure from speculation and a dedication to evidence-based inquiry.

Mission:

The Placebo Beyond Opinions Center advances interdisciplinary research and education on placebo, nocebo, and expectation effects, emphasizing health equity and digital therapeutics. Working with global partners, we examine how these mechanisms influence symptoms and treatment responses, especially in underserved communities, and seek to integrate this knowledge into clinical trials, clinician training, and precision medicine.

Goals:

Addressing Social Determinants of Health:

The PBO Center investigates how social determinants of health affect therapeutic outcomes and leverage placebo, nocebo, and expectation science to advocate for change and advance fair, effective, technology-driven care.

Educating Medical Providers on Placebo Effects:

The PBO Center equips clinicians to harness placebo, nocebo, and expectancy effects, to provide more effective patient care and improve treatment outcomes.

Initiatives Supported by the PBO Center:

  • Interdisciplinary Entity for Global Collaboration: The PBO Center serves as an interdisciplinary hub that brings together researchers, clinicians, and trainees across fields including psychology, neuroscience, medicine (MD), physician assistant studies (PA), nursing (RN, NP), rehabilitation sciences (OT, PT), speech-language pathology (SLP), and related PhD programs. By fostering collaboration among scholars dedicated to advancing placebo science, the Center facilitates the exchange of ideas, methods, and clinical insights. This cross-disciplinary integration accelerates progress in understanding and applying placebo, nocebo, and expectancy effects to improve patient care across all healthcare settings.
  • Accredited Hybrid Lecture Series by Expert Practitioners: To further knowledge dissemination, the PBO Center hosts a hybrid series of lectures featuring local, national, and international experts in the field.

The PBO Center aims to benefit a wide range of patient populations, particularly those interested in pain management, while advancing the field of placebo science through collaborative research, education, and service.

News Articles about PBO

  • How do you anticipate the field changing in the wake of recent funding cuts?

    The Transmitter

    Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, an MPower Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinion Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, is featured in three sections of The Transmitter's 2025 State of Neuroscience Report: The science workforce and scale of research in the U.S. will shrink; Funding concerns will affect graduate training; and Decreases in government funding might drive more collaboration.

  • 8 Faculty, 3 Years of Lifesaving Collaborations

    Maryland Today

    Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, an MPower Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinion Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, is featured in an article about the first cohort of MPower professors and the group's commitment to health care innovation.

  • The Role of Placebo in Virtual Reality for Pain Management: A Conversation with Luana Colloca

    International Association for the Study of Pain

    Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, is an MPower Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinion Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. IASP’s former Associate Director of Publications Gregory Carbonetti, PhD, speaks with Colloca about her background in placebo research, how it influences her recent work with virtual reality, and the story behind her feature in a 2020 cover story for National Geographic.

Upcoming PBO Center Events