Keisha Lewter, PhD

Keisha Lewter, PhD, a native of Laurel, MD, earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology from Morgan State University in 2013. During her time at Morgan State, she was an MBRS-RISE trainee, conducting behavioral neuroscience research under Christine Hohmann, PhD. Following her graduation, Lewter pursued a PhD in Neuroscience at The University at Buffalo, focusing on the potential use of subtype-selective GABA_A receptor positive allosteric modulators for pain control in the lab of Jun-Xu Li, PhD. She received her doctorate in 2019 and was honored with the Bishop’s Outstanding Neuroscience Thesis Award.

Lewter did her postdoctoral training in the lab of Benedict Kolber, PhD, at The University of Texas at Dallas. As a postdoc, Lewter used multi-disciplinary approaches to explore the mechanisms underlying chronic pain-related lateralization within the amygdala. In 2021, she was awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA-F32) from NIDDK for her research on the role of calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) receptors on the development of persistent bladder pain. The following year, she received a Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

In Fall 2025, Lewter joined the faculty at TWU as an assistant professor. The Lewter Lab is focused on studying the neurobiology of pain disorders that disproportionately affect women, such as endometriosis. Lewter is deeply committed to diversifying the STEM workforce.

Education

PhD, Neuroscience, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
BS, Biology (psych. Minor), Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD

Research interests

Neuroscience, neuroanatomy, pain mechanisms, pain management, non-opioid analgesia, endometriosis, pelvic and abdominal pain, inflammation, animal models