Trainees

Alex’s research focuses on examining the effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on upper and lower-limb muscles and nerves. Specifically, Alex aims to determine the impact of COPD on neuromuscular fatigue, neural excitability, and alterations to the corticospinal motor pathway in females and males.

As part of the ULTRA team, Ali is investigating the effects of long-term endurance training on immunometabolism. His research focuses on understanding how 12 months of high-volume exercise can impact immune function through metabolic pathways. Ali aims to uncover the specific mechanisms behind exercise-induced adaptations in immune health and explore their potential as therapeutic interventions to improve health outcomes for individuals with various diseases.

My research focuses on understanding how the brain regulates oxygen delivery during different physiological stressors. To achieve this, I plan to conduct three studies examining the effects of high altitude, changes in hematocrit, and exercise. These studies aim to uncover the mechanisms behind cerebral oxygen regulation under various conditions, providing comprehensive insights into how the brain maintains its oxygen levels.

Ayechew is interested in the field of high-altitude physiology, focusing on how genetic factors and prenatal and developmental exposure to high-altitude hypoxia influence physiological responses to acute hypoxic conditions. His research aims to enhance our understanding of how individuals raised or previously exposed to high-altitude environments differ in their physiological responses to acute hypoxia compared to those without such exposure. This work could have significant implications for preventing and managing cardiopulmonary diseases, as well as for developing strategies related to high-altitude activities, including mountaineering and athletic performance.

With an applied approach, Bryce’s research focuses on sport-related neuromuscular function in elite hockey athletes. Specifically, he investigates mechanisms influencing inter-limb asymmetry, the impact of fatigue, and the relationship between neuromuscular function and sport-performance.

Bryony’s research focuses on the evolution of the mammalian heart. Specifically, Bryony is interested in understanding the morphology and function of the great ape heart, to i) support the healthcare of this taxa, and ii) to gain insight into the evolution of the human heart.

Camille is interested in atrial fibrillation in athletes and cardiac adaptations in response to exercise.

Cassidy’s research is focused on the effect of histamines on central hemodynamics during and post-exercise.

Courtney’s doctoral studies have focused on physiological adaptations to free-diving. Specifically, she is interested in comparing the phenotypic differences in competitive free-divers, Indigenous diving populations who have been diving for >2000 years, and highly adapted marine mammals. Through this work she aims to better understand how humans are able to adjust to significant physiological stresses both acutely and long term.

Dario is interested in the field of temperature-related stress on the human brain, with an emphasis on the neurovascular damage. His research aims to define the impact and mechanism behind blood-brain barrier opening, along with the magnitude of this stress. With constant climate change and global warming, more and more people are impacted by high temperatures. Hence, this research will be important from a health and exercise perspective. This work could have significant implications for preventing and managing heat consequences, as well as for developing strategies to cope with such stress.

Alex’s research focuses on how the human body responds and acclimates to different environmental stresses. From thermal extremes and temperature fluctuations to decreases in oxygen availability, at high altitude or during breath-hold diving. At lululemon, his postdoctoral research utilizes exercise and fluctuating environmental scenarios to better understand the interplay between thermophysiology and thermal perception/behaviour. Another passion of Alex’s is understanding the physiological (and pathophysiological) adaptations that occur in elite breath-hold divers.

Madden’s research focuses on the regulation and adaptations of the human body when exposed to both natural and human-driven environmental stressors (e.g. pollution, high altitude, diving, temperature extremes). Her current postdoctoral fellowship project, supported by WorkSafe BC, aims to assess the effects of the wildfire suppression environment (pollutants, heat, physical exertion, etc.) on cardiorespiratory health. She is working alongside the BC Wildfire Service to detect potential cardiorespiratory changes in their crew members across three seasons (2024-2026) of wildland firefighting. Her interest in occupational exposure also extends to other critical outdoor workers in BC: tree planters. She is currently partnered with critical reforestation groups, like the Brinkman Group, to better understand how the multi-exposures of this physically demanding job may influence health outcomes in our changing climate change. As global climate change is predicted to exacerbate future wildfire activity, she hopes to continue this work to develop effective intervention strategies from both an occupational and public health perspective. Madden’s other research interests include high altitude physiology and the mechanisms which contribute to vascular dysfunction and disease in low- and highlander populations as well as the physiology of breath hold diving in elite free divers. Madden was also a research sub-team lead involved in the Lululemon FURTHER project, an all-female ultra-marathon with various physiology-related research initiatives.

Dr. Debenham’s postdoctoral studies primarily focus on motor unit health in spinal cord injury patients, with the overall goal of improving patient functional outcomes following nerve transfer surgeries.

Tara’s research is dedicated to restoring connectivity lost due to spinal cord injury through innovative transplantation techniques aimed at improving sympathetic function. Dr. Fortino’s current work utilizes human induced pluripotent stem cell technology to differentiate cells into specific, excitatory, interneurons for transplantation. This approach aims to restore descending input to sympathetic preganglionic neurons after thoracic spinal cord injury, thereby improving cardiovascular function.

Tony’s postdoctoral research is centered around cardiovascular remodeling in health and disease. Using non-human primates as a model, one stream of Tony’s postdoctoral research examines how the social environment influences cardiovascular health and aging, and explores the underlying mechanisms, with the ultimate goal of informing human health research. Tony’s program of research also builds upon his graduate work to further examine the acute and chronic cardiovascular adaptations response to exercise, with a particular interest in the right ventricle, heart-lung interactions, and functional capacity.

My research focuses on the impact of exercise on markers of inflammation and immune function in people living with obesity. Specifically, I am interested in chronic immune system adaptations to 12-weeks of exercise. The exercise intervention uses “exercise snacks” or brief bouts of vigorous activity as a feasible way to increase MVPA and decrease sedentary time in an inactive population.

Eric’s research interests include neuronal excitability in hypoxia and sensorimotor integration using virtual reality.

Garett’s masters research focused on changes in immune cell recruitment and mobilization in response to acute submaximal aerobic exercise in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, the response of these cells to an updated physical activity guidelines exercise bout for individuals living with both paraplegia and tetraplegia. Garett’s PhD work involves exploring and characterizing extracellular vesicle phenotype, size, concentration, and micro-RNA content in individuals with respect to sex differences, in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and whether these can be altered using chronic exercise in healthy young adults.

Hailey’s MSc research aims to investigate the influence of acute cannabis intoxication on various aspects of sensorimotor integration with her main focus being how acute ingestion of cannabis products effects balance.

Jake is currently investigating the impact of nutritional interventions on Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) remission and immune cell function. In particular, he is looking at the preference for either a low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diet for T2D remission in a year long patient-centred, community-led implementation trial in BC’s Interior region. He will look at immune cell function before and after the intervention to understand how the immune system responds to real-world dietary changes and medication deprescription.

Jiawen’s MSc study is focused on heart-lung interactions and she is looking specifically at the the effects of lung volume on central hemodynamics of the heart.

Julia’s research is focused on using neural precursors unique to the central nervous system to regenerate axons after spinal cord injury. This research aims to utilize a cellular bridge to restore connectivity and improve cardiovascular function after spinal cord injury.

Julian’s passion for science lead him to graduate Queen’s University with a BHSc in 2024 at the age of 19. His other passions include classical piano, violin, and chess.

I am interested in the brain and exercise.

Kate is interested in investigating how physical activity, sedentary time and exercise influence vascular health in children and adolescents. Her first study, supported by NASPEM’s Marco Cabrera Student Research Award, is investigating the effect of 1 hour of sitting on lower limb vascular function in children, adolescents and adults. Additionally, she is involved with an exercise training study to determine the feasibility of using mobile health technologies for training adolescents, and the impact this could have on fitness and vascular health. Finally, she is working on a project investigating the acute cerebrovascular responses to exercise and hypercapnia in children and adolescents, compared to adults.

Kyla’s current research aims to explore alternative therapies to improve health and exercise tolerance in clinical populations that are limited in their ability to exercise. Her thesis projects use passive heat therapy to improve cardiovascular health and exercise tolerance in people with chronic lung disease. On the side, she is investigating the time-course and magnitude of vascular adaptation that can occur from a year of long-distance triathlon training.

Lauren is interested in differences between males and females in brain blood flow regulation, both at rest and in response to various stimuli. She is also interested in how the brain responds to a lack of oxygen, specifically in healthy humans exposed to high altitude environments. Lauren hopes to expand knowledge of how sex alters these responses to improve outcomes clinically and explore potential mechanisms underpinning sex differences in brain physiology.

Liam is focused on applied exercise physiology, with his PhD thesis aimed at characterizing the physiological adaptations that occur during a year of triathlon training in exercise-naïve individuals. His research will provide critical insights into how coordinated adaptations across multiple physiological systems enhance exercise performance. In addition to his research, Liam is committed to teaching and aims to foster a strong interest in exercise physiology among the next generation of scientists and practitioners.

Maddie’s research interests include studying sex-based differences in respiratory physiology, specifically in diaphragmatic perfusion. Her research will focus on diaphragm blood flow changes during exercise, and how these changes differ between males and females.

Madi’s research interests include examining diaphragm prefusion under varying conditions. Her research will focus on investigating potential changes in diaphragm blood flow when exposed to altered inspired gases, such as hypoxia.

Megan’s research focuses on the regulation and mechanics of diaphragm blood flow in humans. Using contrast-enhanced ultrasound, she investigates how diaphragmatic contraction intensity influences microvascular blood flow and diaphragm fatigue. Her work also examines sex-based differences in the metaboreflex and how blood flow is competitively distributed between respiratory and locomotor muscles during exercise. Megan aims to advance our understanding of the reliability and microdynamics of contrast agents using in ultrasound imaging to further validate it’s methodology.

Mina’s doctoral research focuses on examining mesenteric vasculature autoregulation in naive and animal models with high-thoracic spinal cord injury. She investigates the role of the sympathetic nervous system in this process, as well as the interplay between the sympathetic nervous system, vascular resistance, conductance, and transduction. In the next phase, she will explore how hypoxia and hypercapnia impact these parameters in vivo and in vitro.

Nadia’s research focuses on investigating how diaphragm blood flow changes when the work of breathing is reduced by mechanical ventilation. She is also interested in the effects of intermittent hypoxia and neural adaptation in individuals with spinal cord injury, as well as physiological responses to exercise at high altitude.

Nina is interested in how hemoglobin and iron metrics influence cerebral blood flow responses.

Noah’s research interests look toward investigating the effects of stretching on neuromuscular function and performance, and has a special interest in how this research can be applied in a sports science environment.

Nolan’s research will explore neuromuscular fatigue.

Paige’s PhD studies will focus on the effect of acute cannabis use on various facets of sensorimotor and cognitive activity. Further, she will focus on how these cannabis-induced effects may impact humans during different functional contexts, including fatigue and standing balance.

Lisa Ha’s primary research explores fatigue and neuromuscular physiology within the broader field of integrative human physiology, seeking to understand how the nervous system and muscles interact to shape human movement and performance. Her work investigates fatigue-induced mechanisms underlying potential sex-related differences, with the long-term goal of expanding these insights to better understand age-related changes across the lifespan. By bridging neurophysiological processes with whole-body function, Lisa aims to inform strategies that improve exercise tolerance, rehabilitation outcomes, and inclusivity in physiological research.

Quinn’s research interests include the effects of acute cannabis intoxication on human movement, the effects of dual tasking on balance control, sensorimotor integration, and the cognitive determinants of movement. He has also worked on determining the efficacy of various conservative approaches to treating chronic back pain, improving our understanding of the sensorimotor contributions to spinal manipulative thrust delivery, and is also proficient at computer programming.

Roddie’s current research is geared towards objectively characterizing exercise snacks using wearable devices across a variety of populations. Mainly using accelerometers, he aims to investigate how physical behaviours respond to different exercise interventions, with a particular focus on applying novel data processing methods to capture subtle and real-world changes in activity patterns. By integrating both objective movement data and physiological measures from wearable devices, his work seeks to more precisely characterize exercise snacks and their impact on daily physical behaviour and metabolic health outcomes in real-world settings.

Scott’s research examines how our autonomic nervous system responds and adapts when repeatedly exposed to low oxygen. By mapping changes in autonomic regulation through measurements of peripheral nerve activity and the function of the heart, lungs and vasculature, his PhD aims to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertension in sleep apnea, as well as exploring the therapeutic potential of hypoxia and neural adaptation in spinal cord injury to translate to improvements in patient cardiovascular outcomes.

The focus of Seth’s postdoctoral research will be two-fold: 1) to determine the feasibility of real-world exercise snacks to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health in adults living with obesity; and 2) determine the impact of exercise intensity, pattern, and type on anti-inflammatory responses to exercise training.

After years of training pre- and postnatal females, Tasha found a major gap in maternal education and understanding of the physiological processes that accompany pregnancy and birth. Since then, Tasha has focused her research on cardiac remodelling during postpartum with a specific interest in diastolic function.

Tori’s MSc research involves a pilot study exploring the efficacy and feasibility of an exercise training intervention consisting of brief, isolated bouts of vigorous exercise (“exercise snacks”) among individuals living with type 2 diabetes.

Yuan’s master’s research will explore the impact of low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diets on type 2 diabetes remission.