Q&A with Abigail Schwarz: From Center Stage to the Neuroscience Lab
April 14, 2026Abigail Schwarz, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is researching a psychedelic-like compound for the treatment of chronic pain and opioid use disorder.
Growing up, Abigail Schwarz never pictured herself wearing a white coat and working in a laboratory. She imagined herself center stage in a Broadway theater.
During college, she pursued musical theater and even performed at a professional theater in Chicago. But as her studies progressed, her growing fascination with how the brain works shifted her focus toward neuroscience.
Now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Schwarz received a 2026 PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery for research on a psychedelic-like compound for the treatment of chronic pain and opioid use disorder, two conditions that often occur together and are notoriously difficult to treat.
The compound, tabernanthalog (TBG), is inspired by psychedelic medicines but does not cause hallucinations. Through animal studies, she is investigating how TBG relieves long-lasting pain and whether it can decrease opioid-seeking behavior that is worsened by pain.
Watch the video to learn more about Schwarz and her research.
Learn more about the PhRMA Foundation’s fellowship and grant opportunities. Check out more researcher stories on our blog.
