postdoc trainee
Alexandra Diller, PhD
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment After SCI
postdoc trainee
Kelly Rock, PT, DPT, PhD, PCS
Skeletal Muscle Properties
predoc trainee
Harrison Clarke, BS
Role of Hypoxic Environment on Lung Tumor Growth
PREDOC trainee
Alyssa Mickle, MS
Breathing Function After SCI
PREDOC Trainee
Branden Nguyen, MS
Chemotherapy-Induced Cardiorespiratory Dysfunction
predoc trainee
May Smith-Hublou, MA, CCC-SLP
Breathing & Swallowing in Neurologic Diseases
BREATHE Alumni
PREDOC ALUM
Emanuel Boutzoukas, MS
Boutzoukas’s research focuses on counteracting cognitive declines in aging using non-invasive brain stimulation paired with cognitive training. He aims to use multimodal neuroimaging and neuropsychological testing to characterize mechanisms of cognitive improvement in older adults. He is currently a Clinical Neuropsychology Intern at the Tampa VA.
Predoc Alum
Rachel Kelley, PhD, RD
Dr. Kelley’s research focuses on respiratory muscle dysfunction in disease. Using animal models, she is exploring diaphragm muscle abnormalities in aging, heart failure, and obesity. Dr. Kelley is now a Manager of Development & Strategic Partnerships at Endocrine Society.
PREDOC ALUM
Mia Kelly, BS
Kelly’s research focuses on characterizing the intricacies of biological rhythms (circadian /sleep cycles) within the neural network that controls breathing. The specific aim of her work during the T32 appointment was to enhance the ability of acute intermittent hypoxia to restore breathing by timing administration when AIH is most effective and best tolerated. Her work across the light-dark cycle in rodent models supports the existence of temporal windows best suited for the induction, maintenance, and accumulation of respiratory plasticity.
predoc alum
Ian Malone, PhD
Malone’s research focused on developing neuroprostheses to improve respiratory function following cervical spinal cord injury. He is currently a data scientist at Meta.
Predoc Alum
Jeremy Prieto, MS
Prieto’s research focuses on utilizing different signal processing techniques to capture and analyze human physiological signals, with the intent of linking these signals to find subtle differences that could lead to larger findings.
pREDOC aLUM
Gerard Robinson, PhD
Robinson’s research explores the role of skeletal muscle in the innate response to infection, particularly in sepsis. He is currently working as a Life Science Consultant at Fenix Group International.
Predoc Alum
Thomas Sutor, PhD, CSCS
Dr. Sutor’s chief interest is improving motor function after severe spinal cord injury. He is currently researching the use of acute intermittent hypoxia to increase breathing and sitting ability for people with chronic spinal cord injury. Dr. Sutor is a Postdoctoral Associate working with Dr. Emily Fox at the University of Florida.
PREDOC Alum
Lauren Tabor, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Tabor is the co-director of the NSU Health Neuroscience Institute ALS Center in Fort Lauderdale. The mission of her current research is to develop efficacious treatment regimens to improve cough function and airway protection in individuals with ALS, in effort to maintain oral intake and improve quality of life.
Predoc Alum
Alicia Vose, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Vose’s research focuses on physiologic mechanisms underlying normal and disordered airway protection. She has 7 years experience as a licensed speech-language pathologist. Dr. Vose is now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida.
postdoc alum
Alison Barnard, PhD, DPT
Dr. Barnard’s research is focused on investigating the effects of muscle degeneration and neuromuscular scoliosis on respiratory function in individuals with neuromuscular disease using advanced magnetic resonance imaging methods. Dr. Barnard is now an assistant professor at the University of Florida.
postdoc alum
Andrew D’Lugos, PhD
Dr. D’Lugos’s research focuses on cancer cachexia, a metabolic condition characterized by progressive skeletal muscle loss and weakness. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Kinesiology Department at California State University.
postdoc alum
Claire DeLucia, PhD
Dr. DeLucia was a postdoc in Dr. David Fuller’s lab where her research focused on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) as an adjunct therapy for Pompe disease. During her appointment, Dr. DeLucia gained proficiency in hyperbaric oxygen treatments, animal survival surgery and immunohistochemical techniques in brainstem/spinal cord tissues. She also contributed to and will continue writing a literature review on cellular mechanisms of HBO effects in a variety of neurogenerative or neuromuscular disorders.
postdoc alum
Cara Donohue, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Donohue is a practicing speech-language pathologist, an Assistant Professor, and the Director of Medical Speech-Language Pathology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She completed her post-doctoral research fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Emily Plowman. Current research interests include instrumental methods of swallow screening and signal processing, respiratory interventions to improve cough and swallowing in patients with neurological/respiratory diseases, and principles of exercise training in dysphagia rehabilitation.
postdoc alum
Eleana Manousiouthakis, PhD
Dr. Manousiouthakis’ research develops neural tissue platforms for disease modeling and systems with regenerative capabilities for damaged neural tissue, including spinal cord, using natural biomaterials. Her work focuses on the impact of extracellular matrix mechanics and composition on cell function, dysfunction, and development. She is currently a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Christine E. Schmidt’s lab in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida.
postdoc alum
Alexandria Marciante, PhD
Dr. Marciante works under the mentorship of Dr. Gordon Mitchell and was recently awarded an NHLBI K99/R00 grant, which will help her transition into an independent investigator. Her research focuses on different physiological, genetic and environmental factors (i.e. neural injury) that undermine respiratory motor plasticity. Recent work has focused on utilizing pharmacologic interventions and optimizing therapeutic protocols of acute intermittent hypoxia to rescue/maximize diminished neuroplasticity.
POSTDOC ALUM
Michela Mir, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Mir’s research focuses on improving diagnostic and therapeutic methods for cough and swallow dysfunction. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences, her research aims to advance rehabilitation of speech, swallowing and cough disorders. She collaborates with basic and clinical science researchers to deepen understanding of these disorders and improve novel interventions.
postdoc alum
Wendy Olsen, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Olsen completed her postdoctoral fellowship and received dynamic cross training from Dr. Donald Bolser’s basic science lab, and Dr. Nicholas Napoli’s Human Informatics Predictive Performance and Optimization (HIPPO) Lab. As a result of the T32’s empowering opportunities, Dr. Olsen will continue researching her scientific interests at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio as a National Research Council (NRC) Research Associate. Dr. Olsen’s research focuses primarily on breathing dynamics, cognition, and its impact on human performance in extreme environments. She plans to continue to submit grants, disseminate manuscripts, and collaborate with faculty from the BREATHE Center.
postdoc alum
Adrienn Varga, PhD
Dr. Varga’s research focuses on the role of opioid-sensitive respiratory neurons in the brain in both normal breathing and under the influence of opioids. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, her research aims to determine the cellular, circuit, and network-level mechanisms whereby respiratory control neurons in the brainstem interact with central circuits to shape each breath. Current projects are focusing on a neural pathway that her lab recently discovered between the locus coeruleus and pontine respiratory group, that may be pivotal in understanding state-dependent influences on breathing.
postdoc alum
Lila Wollman, PhD
Dr. Wollman’s research is focused on enhancing respiratory neuroplasticity and promoting respiratory motor recovery after spinal cord injury using pharmacological approaches. Dr. Wollman is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona.