BREATHE is devoted to developing new therapeutics to restore breathing and airway defense, walking, and health in those living with spinal cord injuries. A particular focus is to harness spinal cord plasticity through intermittent hypoxia or spinal cord electrical stimulation to restore function.
Researcher/Clinician Name | Title | Department | Cores | Specialties | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Prodip Bose, MD, PhD | Associate Professor & Interim Director | Department of Neurology; Brain Rehabilitation Research Center | Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Spasticity after TBI/SCI |
![]() | Erica Dale, PhD | Assistant Professor | Department of Physiology & Aging | Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Spinal stimulation induced phrenic motor plasticity; neurostimulation and functional recovery of breathing capacity after spinal injury |
![]() | Emily Fox, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS | Associate Professor; Director | Department of Physical Therapy; Brooks-PHHP Research Collaboration & Brooks Neuromuscular Research | Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Phrenic/diaphragm pacing as rehabilitative tool; therapeutic intermittent hypoxia and spinal injury |
![]() | David Fuller, PhD | Professor; Associate Director | Department of Physical Therapy; BREATHE Center | Basic Breathing Research Core, Airway Defense Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | 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 |
![]() | Elisa Gonzalez-Rothi, DPT, PhD | Research Assistant Professor | Department of Physical Therapy | Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Respiratory plasticity induced by neurostimulation and intermittent hypoxia; spinal cord injury; sleep apnea & pathogenic intermittent hypoxia after SCI |
![]() | Gordon Mitchell, PhD | Preeminence Professor; Director; Deputy Director | Department of Physical Therapy; BREATHE Center; McKnight Brain Institute | Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Intermittent hypoxia induced respiratory plasticity, therapeutic intermittent hypoxia in spinal injury and ALS |
![]() | Maria Nikodemova, MS, PhD | Research Associate Scientist | Department of Physical Therapy | Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | 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 |
![]() | Kevin Otto, PhD | Professor | Department of Biomedical Engineering | Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Neural interfaces, multi-channel implantable micro devices for neural stimulation, autonomic neuroengineering; neuroprosthetics; spinal/epidural stimulation |
![]() | Christine Schmidt, PhD | Distinguished Professor & Chair | Department of Biomedical Engineering | Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Neuroregeneration after peripheral or spinal cord injury |
![]() | Yasin B. Seven, MS, PhD | Assistant Professor | Department of Physiological Sciences | Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurotechnology Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | Neuroprotection in spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases, nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery |
![]() | Alicia Vose, PhD, CCC-SLP | Assistant Professor | Department of Neurology (UF Health -Jacksonville) | Basic Breathing Research Core, Airway Defense Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core | 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 |