Heather Margonari, DNP, FNP-BC, UPMC Lead Coordinator for the Opioid-Free Pathway, and Jacques E. Chelly, MD, PhD, MBA, Professor and Director of Acute Pain Clinical Research and the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Center for Innovation in Pain Care, were featured speakers at the first event hosted by the Integrated Cultural Society in Pittsburgh on November 1, 2025.
The event, held at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill, brought together science, art, and cultural traditions through a multidisciplinary lens. Founded by Savita Mullapudi and Sangeeta Chakravorty, the Integrated Cultural Society aims to explore how diverse forms of knowledge, from neuroscience to storytelling, can intersect in meaningful ways for the community.
Drs. Chelly and Margonari were invited to present on the anatomy of smell, offering a medical perspective on olfaction and its role in health care. Dr. Margonari also shared the results of an aromatherapy study conducted at UPMC Shadyside, discussing how scent can reduce pain and increase mood and wellbeing. She also presented on the hospital’s current comprehensive opioid-free program and the role that aromatherapy may play as an alternative to the use of opioids in postoperative pain management.
The evening also featured speakers who presented perfumes in the Arabic, Persian, and Italian culture and shared historical insights into perfumes and scent rituals from different cultural backgrounds.
This interdisciplinary and community-centered event marked the beginning of an innovative collaboration between medicine/science, culture, and the arts. Drs. Chelly and Margionari were happy to contribute, helping to connect scientific knowledge with this creative use of cultural diversity to bring Pittsburghers together.