Control of Breathing & Airway Defense Core

The UF BREATHE Center explores key principles in the neural control of breathing and respiratory muscle activity, as well as clinical applications related to breathing, swallowing or cough impairment. Major areas of emphasis include fundamental studies of respiratory neuroplasticity, respiratory muscle function, neural control of the lung airways and vasculature, and opioid-induced respiratory depression. We apply new knowledge to improve function in cases of neuromuscular diseases such as ALS, Pompe and Parkinson’s disease, aging, heart failure, stroke, sepsis and cancer and traumatic brain and spinal cord injury.

	Researcher/Clinician Name	Title	Department	Specialties
	Richard Berry, MD	Professor	Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine	Sleep disorders, upper airway physiology, pharmacological treatment of sleep apnea, mechanisms of respiratory arousal
	Donald Bolser, PhD	Professor	Department of Physiological Sciences	Respiratory control, mechanisms of cough, and airway defense
	Andrew Bryant, MD	Clinical Associate Professor	Division of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine	Pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine; hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension
	Barry Byrne, MD, PhD	Professor & Associate Chair; Director	Department of Pediatrics; Gene Powell Center	Pompe disease; gene therapy
	Erica Dale, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Physiology & Aging	Spinal stimulation induced phrenic motor plasticity; neurostimulation and functional recovery of breathing capacity after spinal injury
	Paul Davenport, PhD	Distinguished Professor	Department of Physiological Sciences	Respiratory control, sensation and airway defense
	David Fuller, PhD	Professor; Associate Director	Department of Physical Therapy; BREATHE Center	Spinal stimulation and recovery of breathing activity with opiate-induced respiratory depression and spinal injury; Regulation of airway muscles; hyperbaric oxygenation, intermittent hypoxia and respiratory plasticity, Pompe disease
	John Hayes, PhD	Assistant Scientist	Department of Physiological Sciences	Respiratory control, mechanisms of cough, and airway defense
	Karen Hegland, PhD, CCC-SLP	Professor & Associate Chair; Director	Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences; Master's of Arts Degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders Program	Cough and respiratory sensation in Parkinson's Disease
	Russell Hepple, PhD	Professor	Department of Physical Therapy	Aging and toxicology of respiratory muscle
	Andrew Judge, PhD	Professor	Department of Physical Therapy	Sepsis, cachexia and respiratory muscles
	Sarah Judge, PhD	Research Assistant Professor	Department of Physical Therapy	Skeletal muscle biology and cancer cachexia
	Christopher Kaufmann, PhD, MHS	Assistant Professor	Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics	Sleep disorders and neurodegeneration
	Orlando Laitano, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology	Mechanisms underlying sepsis-induced myopathy with disuse in aging and on the pathophysiology of exertional heat stroke
	Jorge Lascano, MD	Program Director & Clinical Professor	Division of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine	Pulmonary critical care
	Alex Marciante, PhD	Research Assistant Scientist	Department of Physical Therapy	How the APOE4 gene interacts with other triggers of neuroinflammation to undermine respiratory plasticity in a time-of-day-dependent manner.
	Borna Mehrad, MD	Chief & Ethel Smith Research Professor	Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine	Lung disease
	Michela Mir, PhD, CCC-SLP	Assistant Professor	Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences	Improving diagnostic and rehabilitation methods for upper airway functions in clinical populations.
	Gordon Mitchell, PhD	Preeminence Professor; Director; Deputy Director	Department of Physical Therapy; BREATHE Center; McKnight Brain Institute	Intermittent hypoxia induced respiratory plasticity, therapeutic intermittent hypoxia in spinal injury and ALS
	Natalia Moguillansky, MD	Clinical Assistant Professor	Division of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine	Complex lung diseases, including severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nontuberculous mycobacteria, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, lung nodules and pleural effusions.
	Nicholas Napoli, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering	Hyperbaric oxygenation
	Maria Nikodemova, MS, PhD	Research Associate Scientist	Department of Physical Therapy	Microglial plasticity in healthy CNS and during neurodegeneration; APOE4 phenotype, sleep apnea; the role of microglia and neuroinflammation in regulating respiratory motor plasticity during hypoxia and after spinal cord injury
	Aline Oliveira, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics	Neuroimmune axis contribution to pulmonary hypertension; neuroinflammation and neuroplasticity
	Steven Pratscher, MA, PhD	Research Assistant Professor	Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science	Investigating the efficacy and biopsychosocial mechanisms of action of breathing self-management practices, integrative breathwork interventions, and psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat chronic pain.
	Michael Reid, PhD	Professor & Dean	Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology; College of Health & Human Performance	Molecular biology of respiratory muscle
	Leah Reznikov, PhD	Associate Professor	Department of Physiological Sciences	Neural innervation of the airways, cystic fibrosis
	Dorian Rose, PT, MS, PhD, FAPTA	Professor	Department of Physical Therapy	Restoring motor control and functional mobility following stroke
	Emma Schachner, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Physiological Sciences	Origin and evolution of major morphological and physiological innovations in vertebrates, with a focus on the evolution of the amniote respiratory system
	Yasin B. Seven, MS, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Physiological Sciences	Neuroprotection in spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases, nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery
	Kimberly Sibille, PhD, MA	Associate Professor; Director	Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Pain TRAIL	Bridging the biomedical, behavioral, and psychosocial chasm in chronic pain
	Barbara Smith, PT, PhD	Research Assistant Professor	Department of Physical Therapy	Pompe disease, diaphragm pacing; therapeutic intermittent hypoxia in ALS patients
	Ashley Smuder, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology	Diaphragm atrophy; response to therapeutics; HBO and diaphragm muscle inflammation in Pompe and SCI
	Ramon Sun, PhD	Associate Professor; Director; Associate Director of Innovation	Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Center for Spatial Biomolecule Research; McKnight Brain Institute	Cellular metabolism, signaling, and physiology; disease etiology of neurological disorders
	Tanja Taivassalo, PhD	Associate Professor	Department of Physiology & Aging	Muscle dysfunction & therapeutics in human DMD
	Krista Vandenborne, PT, PhD	Distinguished Professor & Chair	Department of Physical Therapy	Respiratory failure in human DMD
	Adrienn Varga, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Neuroscience	Role of opioid-sensitive respiratory neurons in the brain in both normal breathing and under the influence of opioids
	Alicia Vose, PhD, CCC-SLP	Assistant Professor	Department of Neurology (UF Health -Jacksonville)	Acute intermittent hypoxia and respiratory strength training to enhance breathing and swallowing in people with chronic spinal cord injury; effects of diaphragm stimulation on respiratory neural drive and function
	Glenn Walter, PhD	Professor & Vice Chair	Department of Physiology & Aging	MRI imaging of respiratory muscles & their plasticity
	Lan Wei-LaPierre, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology	Neuromuscular physiology; intracellular Calcium signaling and mitochondrial physiology in the disease-causing mechanisms for respiratory and limb muscle weakness in neuromuscular conditions.
	James Wymer, MD, FAAN	Professor & Division Chief	Department of Neuromuscular Neurology	Diagnosis and management of neuromuscular diseases, including ALS, muscle diseases and peripheral neuropathies