Join us in welcoming Maria Nikodemova, MS, PhD to the BREATHE Center team! Formerly an Associate Scientist in Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Nikodemova is joining the Department of Physical Therapy and the Mitchell Lab here at UF. Her research has focused on microglial plasticity in the healthy CNS and during neurodegeneration, and she also brings experience in population health studies that include the investigation of risk factors, especially APOE4 phenotype, associated with adverse effects of sleep apnea on cognition. In her new position, Dr. Nikodemova will explore the role of microglia and neuroinflammation in regulating respiratory motor plasticity during hypoxia and after spinal cord injury. Welcome, Maria!