Research Interests
Inspired by my background as an exercise physiologist and a competitive swimmer, my research interests include neural and humoral determinants for the development of muscle fatigue, in particular the respiratory muscles, and the control of breathing during exercise. My current research focus is on the actions and interactions of chemoreflex, baroreflex, and metaboreflex regarding the regulation of cardiorespiratory responses to exercise in healthy and disease states.
Education
- PhD, Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
- MS, Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
- BS, Kinesiology, Washburn University, Topeka, KS
Research Interests
I am interested in how the central and peripheral components of the cardiovascular system interact with peripheral metabolic pathways to establish adequate oxygen delivery to tissues. Specifically, how local factors such as reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide impact ‘upstream’ delivery and ‘downstream’ usage of oxygen in skeletal muscle/mitochondria in health and disease. The goal of my research is to gain a greater understanding of the mechanisms which contribute to dysfunction at the interface of the vascular and skeletal muscle systems.
Education
- PhD, Integrative Biomedical Research, Universitá degli Studi di Milano, IT
- MS, Exercise Science for Health, Universitá degli Studi di Milano, IT
- BS, Exercise Science, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, IT
Research Interests
My formative years as an exercise physiologist were founded upon defining the typical physiological profile for athletes in different sporting activities, utilizing functional evaluations such as oxygen uptake, oxygen delivery and utilization, vascular function, and neuromuscular activation. In this period, I also studied the impact of neuromuscular disorders on neuromuscular activation in response to various stimuli. Currently, as an integrative physiologist, my research is focused on 1) understanding the mechanism leading to vascular dysfunction occurring as a consequence of aging, 2) assessing the efficacy of various treatment options on vascular physiology in young and old, in both health and disease, and 3) evaluating the cardiovascular consequences of preeclampsia post childbirth.
Education
- PhD, Human and Exercise Physiology, University of Calgary, Canada
- MS, Exercise Physiology, University of Rome, Italy
- BS, Sport Sciences, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy
Research Interests
I am interested in exploring how the metabolic, cardiovascular, and neuromuscular systems integrate at rest, during exercise, and in response to conditions that challenge O2 delivery to the exercising muscles in health and disease. The overarching goals of my research are to i) pinpoint the mechanisms that at various levels of these control systems limit exercise tolerance and ii) find novel, population-specific exercise-based interventions that mitigate the deleterious effects of physical inactivity, aging, and chronic disease. Currently, the focus of my research is to further our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for exercise intolerance in heart failure patients and of the potential beneficial effects of localized locomotor muscles training in this population.
Education
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PhD, Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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BS, Sport Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
Research Interests
My research interests are centered around the study of the mechanistic basis of fatigue by integrating circulatory, respiratory, metabolic, and neuromuscular responses in exercising humans. During my doctoral training, I focused on parsing out the role of central motor command from reflex-mediated responses on exercise performance and autonomic adjustments. Currently, my research goal is to advance our understanding of neurally-mediated cardiovascular adjustments in health and disease, with a particular focus on the neural control of circulation in chronic pain patients.
