Title of the article:
Perceived risk for falls and decision-making in riding raised ramps in mountain biking: a pilot study

List of authors:
Emily P. Chilton, Stephen N. Robinovitch

The journal in which the article is published:
Frontiers in Psychology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1243536

A brief summary:
We found that mountain bike riders made decisions to ride ramps based on (1) their perceived probability of falling, and (2) their perceived probability of getting injured if they fall. These two probabilities combined predicted riders’ willingness to attempt ramps with 95% accuracy. Riders were willing to attempt skinnier ramps at lower heights, when consequences of falls were smaller. As ramp width increased, so did the acceptable height where riders were willing to attempt the ramp. On average, riders were unwilling to attempt a ramp if they perceived the risk for being injured as more than 13%. This threshold stayed constant, regardless of the ramp dimensions.

Who are you:
I’m Sarah, and I’m the graduate program assistant here in BPK! I joined in May 2022 after I completed my BSc in Environmental Sciences here in Fall 2021 and wanted nothing to do with being in school for the foreseeable future so here I am…. Working at a school.

Outside of work I enjoy roller skating, writing, knitting, and anything to do with aquarium fish!

What is your role:
I mainly work with the MSc and PhD students in the BPK department and help out with anything from enrollment to thesis defenses. I answer a lot of questions from current grad students as they work through their degree as well as prospective grad students as the go through the application process.

What advice would you give your younger self:
Be lazier. If you don’t have to do something, and it won’t have that much of an impact, and you don’t really want to, just don’t do it (sometimes at least).

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be:
To stay up late but still somehow get the same amount of sleep as if I went to bed early, for example, if I could slept 8 hours in a 4 hour time period.

Who are you:
Hi, I’m Chelsea! I recently earned my Kinesiology degree from SFU and am from Port Coquitlam, BC. I chose to go to SFU because I heard great things about the BPK program. It’s also pretty close to my house so I was able to live at home as I completed my degree.

Your chosen major and future career plans:
I just finished completing my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with an Active Health and Rehabilitation Concentration and I completed three co-op work terms to earn the co-operative educations distinction. I also completed my honours thesis, which studied performance and biomechanical differences between chipping methods of golfers with and without chipping yips. I plan to continue my education by completing a masters of physiotherapy and I hope to one day become a pediatric physiotherapist!

Why did you choose to study BPK?
Growing up, I was involved in many sports including ice hockey, long distance running, snowboarding, and hiking. Because of this, I have been passionate about health and exercise from a young age. Throughout school, I always enjoyed math and sciences, particularly human biology. The combination of these two interests led me to apply to the BPK program. I was initially accepted into the the Biomedical Physiology program but quickly realized that Kinesiology was more for me and made the switch.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
I would love to travel to many places but the next place I hope to travel to is New Zealand. I have heard there are lots of amazing hikes and I have seen so many pictures and it looks beautiful!

Who you are:
Dave immigrated from Hong Kong and grew up in Richmond, BC. He studied at SFU’s BPK program while working as a personal trainer with an interest in performance modeling. This interest led to an honours thesis with Dr. Dave Clarke’s Lab for Quantitative Exercise Biology. Graduating from SFU, Dave pursued a Master of Physiotherapy degree at Western University where his thesis focused on the MRI evaluation of knee cartilage composition following an acute loading stimulus.

Shifting from theory to practice, Dave practiced as a registered physiotherapist for a number of years across public and private sectors of care. He progressively moved towards healthcare leadership where he has since completed a Master of Health Administration degree from UBC.

What is your role:
Dave is currently the Manager of Occupational Health and Safety at Vancouver Coastal Health. He leads a diverse team of nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapist, and adjunct staff to ensure that all VCH staff have a safe place to work.

Dave is also a term lecturer with SFU teaching a range of courses within the BPK department.

Dave also maintains an active appointment with the College of Physical Therapists of BC as the Vice Chair of the Inquiry Committee that addresses malpractice claims to protect public safety.

Dream job outside academia:
I have a keen interest in car detailing and have been doing it for over 12 years. I love paint restoration and bringing out the best a car can look

Tips for Students:
Take the time to know your fellow classmates! You never know who you’ll end up running into in your professional life!

Who you are:
I have a long history at SFU – my Mom worked here when I was a kid and I spent a lot of time at SFU summer camps. I did my undergrad degree in MBB (honors and co-op) while taking neuro courses on the side. I went on to UBC to get my PhD in Neuroscience (where I met both Dr. Leanne Ramer and Dr. Victoria Claydon), studying cellular changes in neurons after spinal cord injury. After completing my PhD and having my first daughter, I started as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Tom Claydon’s lab – where I spend most of my time looking at a different kind of electrically active cell (those of the heart – though we also have some interesting neuroscience projects happening too). With Dr. Ramer on sabbatical this fall, she suggested that I should teach BPK426 and I couldn’t resist the opportunity!

What is your role:
I am a postdoctoral fellow in Tom Claydon’s lab and I am also teaching BPK426 this fall!

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?
Clairvoyance. Wouldn’t it be great to have an idea of what is going to happen – what experiment will work? What path would be best to take? I think having at least a clue as to what is coming would make life a little easier ;)

De-stress strategy:
Baking and crafts! Making scones, finishing a quilt, doing a paint by number, glass blowing, embroidery, baking some cookies, I am a serial hobbyist and love to be creative!

Tips for students:
Remember that it’s so much more fun when a good grade comes from being engaged and interested in what you are learning – it’s so easy to think that the grade is what you are working toward, but really it’s the knowledge and understanding that is worth the price of admission! 

Who you are:
I started off at SFU as a student pursing a bachelors in communication and media studies. During my undergrad, I worked in several co-op positions which ultimately helped me land my current position.

What is your role:
I work as an Undergraduate Program and Communications Assistant for BPK.

What advice would you give your younger self:
Your worries aren't as important as you think they are, just be you.

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?
I would love to have the power of invisibility. It would be great to sneak onto a plane without anyone seeing me and get a free trip, preferably somewhere warm with lots of sunshine.

About Dr. Alexandra Coates:
Alex Coates grew up as a competitive swimmer and triathlete in Calgary, AB. She moved to Victoria, BC, to train with the National Triathlon Centre after high-school, and spent 7 years there racing internationally, and pursuing her undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria. Her time racing and coaching triathlon informed many of her past and present research questions, and she is particularly interested in the physiological consequences of overtraining, under-fueling, and prolonged strenuous exercise. Alex’s graduate training took place at the University of Guelph under the supervision of Dr. Jamie Burr, where she studied overreaching (moderate-overtraining), and exercise-induced cardiac fatigue. She recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Martin Gibala at McMaster University, where she studied recovery techniques from eccentrically-induced muscle damage, and interval training in high-performance athletes. Alex is very excited to be joining BPK as a new Assistant Professor, where she will be directing the Exercise Physiology and Performance Laboratory (EPPL). Outside of academia, Alex loves spending time outside mountain biking, trail running, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding!

Dream job outside academia:
An artist living in a cabin somewhere in the forest, selling art at local markets.

De-stress strategy:
Stress and mental health are tied very closely to physical health! Make sure you are exercising most days (even just a little bit) and prioritizing 8 hours of sleep! Also try to take breaks from social media – the easiest way is to go camping somewhere where there isn’t cellular service!

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?
I’d like to be a better technical mountain biker.

Your tips for students:
Don’t rush your academic journey! I took 7 years to complete my undergraduate degree, and I didn’t realize I wanted to pursue research until the final year or two of the degree. I’m very grateful for the extra time that allowed me to figure out my path.

Who you are:
My name is Meihui Li, or you can call me Alice. I was born in Dandong, a border city in Northeast China. My supervisor, Dr. Chris Napier, brings me to SFU. Before studying here, I’ve been living in Beijing for 10 years.

What you do:
I work with Chris at SFU Run Lab with my lab mates. My research is related to sports injury prevention for female volleyball athletes. Currently, I am learning how to work but not very hard.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Diligence is important but finding the balance between study and life is more essential. A short piece of advice here is: work smart and play hard.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
I have 100% faithful for cats, 99% for dogs, and no more than 1% for human beings.

Title of the article: ⁠
Counter pressure maneuvers for syncope prevention: A semi-systematic review and meta-analysis

List of authors:
⁠Erin L. Williams, Farhaan M. Khan, Victoria E. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published: ⁠
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.101642 / PMID: 36312294

A brief summary:⁠
Counterpressure maneuvers (CPM) are movements that are commonly recommended to delay or prevent syncope (fainting), however these recommendations are largely based on theoretical benefit. In this semi-systematic literature review, we assess current CPM efficacy, identify literature gaps, and highlight future research needs. We found that most studies to date took place in laboratory settings while very few evaluations were done in the community setting. Although laboratory evidence showed that CPM were effective in improving cardiovascular stability, many patients reported practical barriers to properly applying them in daily living. These findings highlight the need for direct, real-world evaluation of CPM efficacy, alongside establishing novel CPM that could overcome practical barriers experienced by patients.

Hi! I am Peter Young, an MSc Student in Dr. Dawn Mackey’s Aging and Population Health Lab.

Who you are:
I was born and raised here on the BC coast a couple of ferries away.

While completing my bachelor’s degree in Human Kinetics at UBCO I worked in personal training to help pay the tuition bills. During this time, I observed how exercise and physical activity could foster prolonged well-being and quality of life in older adults. After graduating I committed to trading in the dumbbells for notebooks to try to impact as many lives as possible.

What you do:
My research aims to standardize the selection of outcome measures for future clinical trials of physical activity with older adults. I hope to lend a platform to older adults to amplify and help center their curiosities, interests, and voices in outcome selection.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Make time for yourself and your own needs. It’s easy to become consumed by deadlines and data, but you will feel and perform your best when you have balance.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
Dogs or cats, the age-old debate.

I will have to say I prefer dogs; I think they are joy embodied in a four-legged frame. If you ever catch a rare sighting of me with my French Bulldog Gordon, please feel free to say hello.

Hi! My name is Erin Williams and I am a PhD Candidate in the Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory led by Dr. Victoria Claydon.

Who are you:
I have been an SFU Student since Fall 2012 (happy 10 years, BPK!) when I began my undergraduate degree. I became interested in Kinesiology after training for many years as a high-performance artistic (synchronized) swimming athlete. After retiring in my second year of university, I moved into high performance coaching at my swim club, but also wanted to get to know the SFU community better. Over my undergrad I got involved in BPK Peer Mentorship, the Kin Games Team, Tutoring, SFU Strength and Conditioning, and more! The sense of belonging I found in BPK added so much to my degree, and helped me make a lot of close friends. When I got into my upper division courses, I fell in love with the intricacies of physiology and was keen to give research a try. I joined Dr. Victoria Claydon’s Lab in 2018 and was quickly hooked on cardiovascular research… I ended up doing a Directed Studies, and Honours and a USRA. After graduating in Summer 2019 (and doing a little backpacking in the Fall), I started my graduate degree in Spring 2020!

What do you do:
My research looks at ways to prevent fainting by stopping the pre-fainting dizziness that most patients experience. This feeling is an early warning sign that someone is about to lose consciousness; by identifying key strategies to get blood back to their brain in that moment, we can stop a faint from actually happening. My project investigates how skeletal muscle contractions in particular can contribute to cardiovascular stability, and how to better harness the mechanism of skeletal muscle pumping to terminate a faint. By establishing simple, practical prevention strategies like these, we can reduce the risk that someone seriously hurts themselves when they collapse after losing consciousness. This will help patients regain their independence by participating more in daily activities, and ultimately, improve their quality of life.

Any advice for starting graduates:
Learn to learn from everyone around you – make friends, get involved, and become a part of the BPK Community! Having those people around you to help celebrate the highs, give support through the lows, and open doors to the “what if’s” is so important. In my experience, it’s the people you surround yourself with that make the journey that much more enjoyable.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
I will forever be a crazy cat lady – the way they play hard to get, gets me every time. My two kitties Leonard and Empress are the best study buddies on work from home days!

My name is Tiffany Stead and I am pursuing my Master’s of Science here at SFU under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Blaber.

Who you are:
I came to SFU from my hometown of Calgary, AB in order to merge my interests in physiology and space at the Aerospace Physiology Lab.

What you do:
My interests in the field are in expanding our understanding of how different countermeasure technologies can be combined in order to protect space voyagers. Following the recent finding of a blood clot in the large neck vein of an astronaut, I set out to study blood clotting in simulated microgravity environments.

Any advice you would give to staring graduate:
The best piece of advice I have for new grad students is to not count yourself out of any race; let someone else do that for you. Don’t think you would get selected for that scholarship? Apply anyway! You are your own worst critic, so you won’t judge yourself as fairly as someone else will.

What's your favourite movie of all time?
My favourite movie of all time is a Spanish horror film called The Orphanage (El orfanato) directed by J.A. Bayona. I recommend it to anyone who asks (or doesn’t). I forced my roommate to watch it and she cried—which was good, I think.

Who you are:
I was born in Calgary but moved to Port Coquitlam when I was 10 years old. I came to SFU as an undergrad in 2010 because this was one of the few places offering a BSc in neuroscience. I originally wanted to go to medical school, so I started volunteering in an eyewitness memory lab during my first year of undergrad to boost my CV. I realized that I wanted to do something more physiology-based, so I switched labs and completed my honours in Dr. Victoria Claydon’s lab looking into high altitude populations. Through this experience, I realized I am interested in both neuroscience and high-altitude physiology, so I decided to find a graduate program combining both.

What you do:
Broadly, my research is looking into how high altitude impacts the brain. More specifically, I investigate whether a difference exists between hypoxia induced by high altitude or by breathing a low oxygen gas mixture in regard to resting state and attention; utilizing an EEG inside our hypobaric chamber. This work is of importance to pilots as both forms of hypoxia are used to train pilots to recognize their own hypoxic symptoms, but it is still not known if they impact the brain similarly.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Everyone has times that they struggle in grad school.

If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be?
Upper Mustang, Nepal.

Title of the article:
Canadian aging and inactivity study: Spaceflight-inspired exercises during head-down tilt bedrest blunted reductions in muscle-pump but not cardiac baroreflex in older persons

List of authors:
Farshid Sadeghian, Donya Naz Divsalar, Rabie Fadil, Kouhyar Tavakolian and Andrew P. Blaber

The journal in which the article is published:
Frontiers in Physiology
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.943630

A brief summary:
In the first Canadian ageing and inactivity study, we investigated blood pressure (BP) regulation following 14-days-bedrest in older people. Upon standing, gravity pulls blood down towards the feet, which needs some compensatory mechanisms to maintain BP and pump pulled blood back to the heart. The mechanisms after bedrest are multifaceted, including failure to maintain BP due to changes in cardiac function coupled with reduced blood volume and venous return. Two weeks of bedrest impaired skeletal muscle's ability to return blood to the venous circulation differently across sexes and intervention groups, and the proposed countermeasure alleviated muscle-pump baroreflex declines, but not the cardiac baroreflex impairment.

Title of the article:
Evaluating the impact of orthostatic syncope and presyncope on quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis

List of authors:
Brooke C.D. Hockin, Natalie D. Heeney, David G.T. Whitehurst and Victoria E. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.834879 PMID: 35224062

A brief summary:
Syncope (fainting) and presyncope (near fainting) are common manifestations of autonomic dysfunction that are usually triggered by prolonged standing. In this systematic review, we report the impacts of syncope and presyncope on quality of life (QoL) and QoL domains, identify key factors influencing QoL in patients with syncopal disorders, and combine available data to compare QoL between syncopal disorders and to population normative data. Our findings highlighted the severe impact of syncopal disorders on QoL. Patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and with a high frequency of episodes experience particularly severe impairments to QoL. The negative impact on QoL resonated with our stakeholder communities and patient partners, who highlighted that recurrent syncope leads to stress, fear, anxiety, and psychological disorders, impairing the ability to fully participate in activities and lead active independent lives.

Hey! My name is Indraj (Raj) and I am a third year Biomedical Physiology major.

I decided to pursue an education at SFU as a result of finding out about the BPK department and the BP and Kinesiology programs that are offered.

Your Chosen major, future career goals:
My chosen major is Biomedical Physiology and I intend to practice medicine in the future.

Why did you choose BPK?:
I chose BPK because I have always been passionate regarding any and all science related to the human body. Continuing my education within the different facets of this program enables myself to facilitate and further my knowledge of the science relating to the human body.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
In the near future, I want to travel to Greece or New York.

Title of the article:
Reliance on vascular responses for the maintenance of blood pressure in healthy older adults – Insights from the Valsalva maneuver

List of authors:
Brooke C. D. Hockin, Omnia M. Taha, Victoria E. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical
DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102898 PMID: 34688188

A brief summary:
Intact cardiovascular reflexes that enable us to constrict or dilate our blood vessels and fine-tune cardiac output, are crucial for homeostatic blood pressure control. In a previous publication that was featured in the BPK Insider, we showed that the compensatory constriction of the blood vessels during an induced drop in blood pressure was much larger in older adults than young adults. Perplexingly, these larger vascular constriction responses were not associated with a greater blood pressure recovery. In this short communication, we highlight that, in older adults, the impact of large vascular constriction responses on blood pressure are offset by a larger fall in stroke volume and cardiac output. Our data support the notion that older adults are more reliant on vascular responses to maintain blood pressure, and might explain why older adults taking antihypertensive medications to ameliorate age-related increases in blood pressure are particularly prone to orthostatic hypotension.

Hello! My name is Kashish, I am a 4th-year Biomedical Physiology student also minoring in Psychology. I have always been eager to learn about research in neuroscience, hence it's been a great experience working with Dr. Song and the neuroimaging research team at Surrey Memorial Hospital. I have gotten to learn a lot about brain MRIs in a fairly short amount of time while also getting the opportunity to work with clinicians, patient partners, etc. During my co-op, data analysis has made me a lot more humble, and I admire the amount of work researchers around the world do. This position has also inspired me to continue working in the research field.

Hi! My name is Diya Mann, and I am a 2nd year student. I am from Richmond, BC, and I decided to come to SFU for the Biomedical Physiology major. I chose SFU since I received a scholarship. A couple of my friends are students here too. I enjoy hiking, the outdoors, and going out with family and friends.

Your chosen major and future career plans:
I am a Biomedical Physiology Major, and I am unsure as to what I want to be! My plans were originally med school, but I am also considering other options in the healthcare field.

Why did you choose to study BPK?
BPK has a lot of classes I am interested in! I was excited to learn a lot of the content offered in these classes.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
I want to travel to Greece, as well as Venice!

Hi, I’m Emily. I'm a second year student and I just moved here from Calgary, Alberta. I love it in BC, and I've always wanted to move here. I have an uncle who was an SFU prof and he convinced be to come!

Your chosen major and future career plans:
I'm in behavioral neuroscience, and my goal is to go into psychology research later on, perhaps in the forensic or neuropsychology areas.

Why did you choose to study BPK?
I've always loved science and once I had a research experience in high school, I knew I wanted to do some sort of research involving the brain or psychology. The program I'm in gives me the most options for fields I'm interested in!

Favourite show to binge watch?
I have currently been binging She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Hi! My name is Tope, I am an MSc student under the supervision of Professor Scott Lear (CoHearT Lab).

I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria where I completed my undergraduate degree in Physiotherapy and practised as a physiotherapist for 5 years. As my year in clinical practice progressed, the rate of chronic conditions increased, with more cardiovascular diseases and now COVID-19. I decided to pursue research in this area to contribute to the prevention and management of these conditions. This led me to move to Canada for graduate studies.

What you do:
My thesis research project will assess South Asian parents’ willingness and perception towards vaccinating their children (aged 5-12) against COVID-19. As a result, this study will help us understand some of the barriers to getting the COVID-19 vaccine for children of South Asian descent.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Graduate school is a journey that is unique to each student. Always ask questions, show up and protect your back.

If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be?
Dubai would be one of my favorite places to visit in the world! Exploring the marine life in the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo and taking a ride through the desert safari are on my list of things to do.

Title of the article:
Faintly tired: a systematic review of fatigue in patients with orthostatic syncope

List of authors:
Ryan E. Y. Wu, Farhaan M. Khan, Brooke C. D. Hockin, Trudie C. A. Lobban, Shubhayan Sanatani & Victoria E. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
Clinical Autonomic Research
DOI: 10.1007/s10286-022-00868-z

A brief summary:
Orthostatic syncope (transient loss of consciousness when standing-fainting) is common and negatively impacts quality of life. Many patients with syncope report experiencing fatigue, which may further impact their quality of life, but the incidence and severity of fatigue in patients with syncope remain unclear. In this systematic review, we investigate the associations between fatigue and conditions of orthostatic syncope.

We found fatigue to be more prevalent and debilitating in syncope patients compared to the healthy population, especially in patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Therefore, the consideration of fatigue in patients should be prioritized to improve diagnosis and management of symptoms.

Hi! my name is Aleksandra. I am Polish-Canadian. I moved here from Europe 5 years ago. I love to travel back to Europe to visit my family and I always plan an adventure to a place I haven’t seen yet. I came to SFU because I wanted to be near the water and mountains so I can sail or ski depending on the time of the year. BPK program was exactly what I was looking for.

Your chosen major and future career plans:
My major is behavioural neuroscience. I would like to continue my education in medical school or getting a masters degree in clinical psychology.

Why did you choose to study BPK?
I love to learn about anatomy and physiology. Human body is fascinating to me. I also really enjoy studying the brain and how our behaviour reflects on it.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
Travelling is my biggest passion. I would love to travel to Asia. I have been to many places in the world but Asia is not one of them and I can’t wait to be able to do that.

Any other information you would like us to know about you?
I am always happy to meet new people and make friends!

Who you are:
Hi all! My name is Gemma, I am in my 2nd term of my MSc in the Sensorimotor and Neuroscience Lab led by Dr. Daniel Marigold. I grew up in a small town in Mexico and completed my BSc in Biomedical Engineering as a student-athlete in Track and Field. I had the opportunity to come to Canada for the first time 4 years ago for a MITACS research internship related to the mechanics of nerves and muscle movement. Since then, one of my dreams was to come back and pursue graduate school. I moved to Canada a month ago and so far, it has been great!

What you do:
My research will investigate strategies to improve how we retain and transfer new learnings under different environments to enhance neurorehabilitation programs.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
You haven’t failed until you’ve stopped trying.

If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be?
Anywhere in the southeastern of Australia… surfing, beach, kangaroos, and hot weather. Can’t get better than that!

Who you are:
I grew up in the small town of Huntsville, Ontario, but have lived in BC for 7 years now. I came out west to attend Quest University for my undergrad which is where my interest in human physiology began. I really enjoyed my time as a volunteer research assistant during my undergrad career and so I was thrilled to join Dr. Victoria Claydon’s lab for my Master’s degree!

What you do:
With my research I aim to help improve the lives of individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). To do this I am working on the second stage of a study interviewing healthcare providers of individuals with SCI to understand the barriers and facilitators to recommending changes in bowel care routines. I am also hoping to complete a clinical trial that will evaluate the safety and efficacy of using glyceryl trinitrate (a drug commonly used to treat chest pain) to treat a dangerous blood pressure condition known as autonomic dysreflexia.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Try to give yourself space to have a life in addition to your work: see friends, get outside, do the things that make you smile.

What hobby have you picked up during quarantine?
I was driven to pick up Baltic pickup style weaving on an inkle loom to create intricate woven belts (kirivöö) that are part of my Estonian cultural clothing. I’m pleased to report that despite the lack of tutorials online I figured out how to weave them (for some easy patterns, anyway)!

Who you are:
I was born and raised in the UK immigrating to Canada in 1989. I hold a BHK from UBC (exercise physiology), and an MSS from AMU (Aerospace studies). I have a passion for bioastronautics and assisting humanity to become a space-faring species. I co-authored a physiology paper, volunteered for various student organizations and won numerous awards and recognitions, and presented a student project at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' 2021 Student Regional Conference. I am a practicing Functional Capacity Evaluator/Kinesiologist, who enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and most of all travelling. After completing my MSS, I was so fortunate to connect with Dr. Blaber and begin my Ph.D. in bioastronautics.

What you do:
I research epigenetic changes in isolated environments (inter alia) to determine if there are possible physiological countermeasures that could assist astronaut crews to withstand the effects of space as they explore deeper into (and beyond) our solar system.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates: 
Never give up. You will encounter numerous obstacles and negative advice. Ignore them and stay true to your passion.

What’s your favourite movie of all time?
Lord of the Rings. This movie is the epitome of what I feel is the purpose of life. Stay true to virtue; defend against cruelty at all costs, all while transcending inner human fragility.

Title of the article:
Prolonged unloading of the cardiovascular system during bedrest and spaceflight weakens neural coupling between blood pressure and heart rate

List-of-authors:
Andrew P. Blaber, Nandu Goswami, Da Xu

The journal in which the article is published:
Acta Astronautica
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2022.03.009

A brief summary:
We focused on the regulation of blood pressure when going from lying to standing. Under gravitational conditions these transitions occur daily and trigger several responses including an increase in heart rate to compensate for the drop in blood pressure and loss of central blood volume to the legs. However, during spaceflight and bed rest this mechanism is not activated resulting in impaired ability to maintain blood pressure. We present evidence that this reduced blood pressure control is primarily mediated through altered reflex/neural mechanisms. After spaceflight females had the largest declines in neural coupling between blood pressure and heart rate.

Title of the article:
A remote laboratory course on experimental human physiology using wearable technology

List of authors:
Patrick Mayerhofer, James Carter, Max Donelan

The journal in which the article is published:
Advances in Physiology Education
https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00127.2021

A brief summary:

To help educators deliver their physiology laboratory courses remotely, we developed an inexpensive, customizable hardware kit along with freely available teaching resources. The particular hardware kit is cost effective (~cost of a textbook) and all teaching materials, including lab manuals, video tutorials, and required software, are freely available online. The resources will allow other educators to rapidly implement their own remote physiology laboratories, or to extend our work into other pedagogical applications of wearable technology.

Who you are:
My name is Clara and I am a PhD student in the Laboratory for Exercise and Environmental Physiology (LEEP) led by Dr. Matthew White. I grew up in Chambersburg, PA, USA and stayed close to home and attended Pennsylvania State University for my BSc where I majored in Kinesiology Movement Science with minors in Bioethics and Medical Humanities, as well as Health Policy and Administration. My coursework combined with work and internship experiences as a medical scribe, athletic training assistant, and a laboratory assistant, lead me to a path in research. I pursued a graduate degree in the Women’s Health and Exercise Laboratory (WHEL) where I gained research experience and received a MSc in Kinesiology: Exercise Physiology with additional coursework in Clinical and Translational Sciences from the National Institutes of Health. My master’s thesis focused on the synergism between psychosocial stress and low energy availability in the etiology of menstrual disturbances in young women. Although I enjoyed the work, I chose to take time off from my studies to evaluate the focus area I wanted to pursue as part of my PhD research. During my student-life hiatus, I worked for a local outdoor apparel and gear company and gained experience in evaluating and purchasing technical apparel. Then as an adjunct professor at Shenandoah University, it became clear to me that I wanted to return as a student to pursue my passion for exercise and outdoors by investigating the physiological and environmental conditions that challenge some individuals more than others, mainly in the cold.

I made my way to SFU in Summer 2019 to pursue a PhD focused on understanding cold thermophysiology, and clothing physiology of technical apparel. I am thrilled to be working in LEEP where I have experienced working with the climatic chamber to test the effectiveness of cold weather apparel for the military, as well as technical equipment meant for search and rescue groups. My relentless curiosity and passion to help others motivates me through the research process.

What you do:

Dissertation Proposal

My PhD focuses on the etiology of cold injuries and the influences of sex-specific factors versus morphological factors. The aims of the dissertation are focused on sex differences, assessments of body morphology, and the influence of clothing as thermal protection on the rate of upper limb and whole body cooling physiology.

About Laboratory for Exercise and Environmental Physiology (LEEP)

Recent projects within the laboratory have focused on the development of novel cold winter garments compared to commercially available and military garments. Other recent projects have focused on ultra endurance performance in variable environmental conditions during a North Shore trail race. LEEP continues to look to expand our expertise in the cold through qualitative and quantitative investigations to better understand important risk factors for cold injury.

Advice you would give to starting graduates:
A wise track coach once told me, “It’s important we take our work seriously, but never ourselves too seriously.” Remember to enjoy the process and a positive attitude goes a long way in overcoming obstacles.

Which do you prefer - dogs or cats? 
I have never owned a dog, but have owned and lived with cats for the majority of my life…and yet, I prefer dogs. I enjoy outdoor activities and dogs seem to match my energy level more than cats. Generally, I love all animals though, since I grew up on a farm in the country.

Who you are:
I grew up here in BC as a dancer, with a deep interest for how the human body works. Come time for university, not feeling quite grown up enough to leave home, I chose to do my undergrad at SFU in the biomedical physiology program. Curious about the world of research, I began to volunteer in the Cardiovascular Physiology Lab and loved it so much I stayed for a USRA, directed studies, and now a MSc!

What you do:
My research focuses on the impact of spinal cord injury on cardiovascular and respiratory physiology. Specifically, my thesis project will explore the interactions between breathing patterns and the reflexive tuning of heart rate and blood pressure. I will also examine how these relationships might contribute to sleep-related breathing problems that are highly prevalent in the SCI population.

Advice to starting graduates:
Be open to taking opportunities as they present themselves. Even if you feel unprepared or there’s a bit of imposter syndrome to work through, trust in your ability to learn and the power of figuring it out along the way.

Favourite movie(s) of all time?
For an adrenaline rush, Speed (1994). For pure serotonin, Paddington 1 & 2!

Patrick Mayerhofer received this award for his excellence as a teaching assistant, particularly for his role in establishing, running, and optimizing BPK 409; a new practical course designed for at-home experiential learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a TA, Patrick played a pivotal role in making the online at-home experiments successful and rewarding for students in the course. His commitment encompassed a broad array of skills and activities ranging from developing a budget-friendly lab kit, to creating YouTube video tutorials, to establishing online Github repositories, to editing and updating program code on the fly using interactive interfaces to fix bugs as they arose.

Patrick’s teaching approach is driven by reflective and innovative pedagogical practice. He recognizes the importance of balancing reiteration and fostering creative, curious thinking, as well as the value of student-centered feedback. One class student remarked “Patrick was able to turn a challenging topic into something that was fun, enjoyable and overall a great learning experience.” Another commented “BPK 409 ended up being one of my favourite classes in my entire undergrad, and Patrick Mayerhofer was the main reason I say that”.

The impact of Patrick’s efforts are broad. These experiential labs have engaged and challenged students to do projects that extended their current BPK knowledge in a highly relevant area for further academic and industry work. The work has also caught the attention of many beyond SFU, who have built from these labs to design their own courses at other universities. Patrick presented his pedagogical approach at the 2021 BPK Research Day and plans to publish this work in an education journal.

Who you are:
Exercise and physical activity have always been a major part of my life. I grew up in Utah, trying to keep pace with 4 older siblings while staying ahead of the younger one. There was never a shortage of sports balls, or competitive angst, around the house. Primarily driven by enhancing (my own) performance, I got my BSc from Utah Valley University in Exercise Science. I traveled north to the University of Montana for my MSc in Health and Human Performance. And then further north to SFU for my PhD. I am married with 3 kids that keep me on my toes and continue to fuel my need for competition by choosing to run asinine distances in the mountains.

What you do:
My PhD work explores the consequences of spinal cord injury (SCI) on cardiovascular autonomic control. I am working to build a cardiovascular disease risk profile following SCI, seeking to understand the earlier onset and faster progression seen in this population. I am testing the safety and efficacy of novel devices and therapies aimed at increasing physical activity and enhancing cardiovascular benefits leading to improved quality of life.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Work hard, Play hard, Rest hardest. It is between the bouts of stress that we adapt, change, and grow. Make time to rest from both positive and negative stress.

What is always on your music playlist?
Hamilton and Les Miserables soundtracks. Sprinkle in some Dashboard Confessional, Eagles, Garth Brooks and a dash of Disney and let me loose in the mountains!

Title of the article:
Forearm vascular resistance responses to the Valsalva maneuver in healthy young and older adults

List of authors:
Brooke C. D. Hockin, Eileen Z. Tang, Matthew G. Lloyd, Victoria E. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
Clinical Autonomic Research
DOI: 10.1007/s10286 021 00810 9 ; PMID: 34014418

A brief summary:
An intact ability to constrict our blood vessels is critical for controlling blood pressure while standing and to prevent fainting. We characterized the ability to constrict the forearm blood vessels during the Valsalva maneuver, a stimulus known to produce decreases in blood pressure that trigger a compensatory constriction of the blood vessels, in healthy young and older adults. We showed that vascular constriction responses increased with age, particularly in women. Small constriction responses were associated with increased fainting susceptibility, highlighting the potential to use these responses to identify individuals with impaired blood pressure control, and to aid in the diagnosis of fainting disorders.

Title of the article:
EMG Signals Can Reveal Information Sharing between Consecutive Pedal Cycles

List of authors:
Jaylene S Pratt, Stephanie A Ross, James M Wakeling, Emma F Hodson-Tole

The journal in which the article is published:
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (MSSE)
doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002727

A brief summary:
Variability in motor control is typically assumed to be due to random noise in the motor system. I challenged this assumption by developing a rigorous investigation into the nature of variability in muscle excitations during cycling. We found fluctuations in muscle excitation (measured with electromyography, or EMG) from cycle to cycle during pedaling are organized in a non-random manner. This organization throughout time is called structure, and it is thought to reveal underlying motor control strategies—for example, we revealed a memory of previous cycles persisting in the EMG signals for several consecutive cycles.

Who are you? When did you join BPK?
I’m working as the BPK Graduate Program Assistant. I joined the department in April 2020 when we just started working remotely, and it’s great to finally be able to start meeting my coworkers, faculty and grad students in person now that we’ve returned to campus.

What is your role?
I provide support with all aspects of BPK MSc and PhD programs. My favourite part of this job is supporting graduate students through the various program milestones and their defences. I think this part of my work is meaningful to me because until very recently I was a graduate student myself.

How did you come to be at SFU? What else do you do?
I came to SFU in 2018 to do an MA in Sociology. I studied women athletes’ relationship with food, working with Dr. Travers as my senior supervisor. I defended my thesis in October this year. It was quite the ride (especially with the pandemic and working full-time), and I’m very grateful for how supportive my supervisory committee and my manager in BPK were throughout this time.

Now that I’m done with my thesis, I plan to devote more time to my athletic training. I compete as a sprinter and I’m a member of the Greyhounds Masters Track and Field club. We didn’t have a lot of competitions in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, so I have a lot of hopes for the next year!

What advice would you give your younger self?
Make time for the unexpected! I'm a planner, but I discovered that sometimes the best things are the ones you don’t plan for.

Title of the article:
Electrophysiological characterization of the hERG R56Q LQTS variant and targeted rescue by the activator RPR260243

List of authors:
Jacob M. Kemp, Dominic G. Whittaker, Ravichandra Venkateshappa, ZhaoKai Pang, Raj Johal, Valentine Sergeev, Glen F. Tibbits, Gary R. Mirams, Thomas W. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
The Journal of General Physiology
DOI:10.1085/jgp.202112923

A brief summary:
Inherited variants in the hERG cardiac potassium channel gene can result in Long QT Syndrome, a disorder that can leave affected individuals susceptible to cardiac arrhythmias. Understanding the effects of variants on the electrical activity of those affected is beneficial for stratifying their risk of sudden death, and the development of novel treatments. Here, we characterize a poorly understood variant, demonstrate it may increase cardiac risk by a novel mechanism, and show that we can compensate for the observed loss of function using a specific channel activator drug.

Who you are:
I grew up in Maple Ridge, made my way to the University of Maryland for my undergrad and then to Indiana University for my master’s. After moving back to the area and working for a while, I decided I wasn’t done learning about Exercise Physiology yet and started my PhD at SFU in the BPK Department!

What you do:
My PhD is focused on female cardiovascular function and exercise. I am passionate about helping improve the knowledge gap surrounding female athletes and the relationship between the menstrual cycle and exercise.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Get involved! The BPK department is filled with great people who are willing to lend a helping hand academically and professionally. There is also no shortage of fun people to hang out with (whether in person or on Zoom!) when you need a break from work or school.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
Dogs- especially the little lady featured in my photo, Miga! She’s named after one of the Vancouver 2010 mascots, which also tells you I also love sports and Vancouver!

“My Co-op experience at Twin Rinks Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic has exceeded my expectations so far. I have enjoyed how hands-on and involved I am in the rehabilitation process of the patients that attend this clinic. I also have the honor of working in an extremely friendly workplace where I am constantly encouraged to ask questions. Lastly, working in an environment where I plan on working in the future, has been such an amazing opportunity for me!” 

"Being involved in medical care has really shown me how many people are involved within the health sector. Working with patients has made me realize that professionalism is self-taught and is really just confidence in oneself." 

"Working at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute has been an amazing experience! The Tibbits Lab is taking part in novel, cutting-edge research in cardiovascular physiology and working towards scientific and medical breakthroughs to combat devastating diseases. It's so rewarding to be a part of something so new, exciting, and impactful!"

Hi! My name is Donya and I’m a MSc candidate at the Aerospace Physiology Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Blaber.

Who you are:
I’ve lived in three countries. I was born in Iran, went to medical school in Hungary, and landed in Canada 7 years ago where I started my BSc in health sciences at SFU. I’m very passionate about human health in extreme environments like space and the deep sea. During my BSc, I designed the very first student-made virology payload for a small satellite to manage HIV in space using an unmanned spacecraft; a project that I started completely out of scientific curiosity. That project opened many doors in space health for me, including my current research. Being a part of humankind’s journey into deep space is what I look forward to everyday, and also what makes me love every moment of my graduate studies.

What you do:
I’m currently studying artificial gravity created by centrifugation as a countermeasure for spaceflight physiological deconditioning. In space, having Earth-like conditions using artificial gravity is a concept growing in popularity and we aim to find the best combination of exercise and artificial gravity to mitigate the physiological downsides of long-term space travel so we can safely travel to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Be curious and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to tap into areas that may not be in your expertise because that’s what will make you stand out. Most importantly, don’t listen to those who say your dreams are too big. No dream is too big.

What’s your favourite show to binge watch?
Bones- Besides being scientifically accurate (which doesn’t happen often in shows), the main character, Dr. B, was one of my role models growing up. When I have a scientific dilemma, to this day, I ask myself “what would Dr. B do?”. Don’t watch it if you don’t do well with anatomy and pathology though- you’ve been warned :)

"My co-op semester at Bureau Veritas so far has been an amazing experience! I’m currently working in the water lab where we test drinking water and wastewater for contamination. I’m very happy with my decision to spend the summer working as it has given me an opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in my classes and to determine if this is the right career path for me!"

I grew up in a small town in Jalisco, Mexico. However, 12 years ago, my brother decided to come and spend one year in Canada. This allowed me to visit Vancouver for the very first time with all my family. Here, I fell in love with the city. I wanted to come back, so during my master's, I did a research visit (summer of 2015). In that visit, I met one professor who will become my co-supervisor, Sylvain Moreno and would introduce me to my primary supervisor Sam Doesburg. I knew since the first semesters in my bachelor's that I wanted to do research. One professor at my university gave me the opportunity to be her research assistant, and she functioned as well as a very positive role model. Since my bachelor's, I was deeply interested in neurodevelopmental disorders. I firmly believe that a timely intervention can change the lifes of children and their entire family. So, I decided to focus on this topic, working on anything that could help develop better diagnostic and treatment methods. SFU gave me the opportunity to pursue this dream in a city that I love.

What you do:
My research is focused on the study of social communication in autism.  Communication problems have always been considered a core feature of autism. Part of this struggle came from integrating contextual clues that usually help us interpret messages and intentions. So, I created two experiments to explore the integration of contextual information to interpret a message. For the first experiment, I used EEG to assess the differences between autistic and non-autistic children in their electrophysiological responses when assessing a message that demanded contextual information integration. For the second experiment, I used fMRI to investigate differences in brain activation and connectivity between non-autistic adults and children and autistic children. This experiment consists of the presentation of videos with two types of social interactions that required the integration of contextual information to be assessed correctly.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Seasonal depression is widespread in people that come from tropical countries like me, especially the first winter, so we should not forget to take our vitamin D and work out.

What’s your favourite quarantine snack?
Not the healthiest but it is Chips or popcorn with a lot of Mexican hot sauce and lemon! Also, I'm drinking a lot of smoothies, especially now in summer.

Title of the article:
At-home determination of 24-h urine sodium excretion: Validation of chloride test strips and multiple spot samples

List of authors:
N.D. Heeney, R.H Lee, B.C.D. Hockin, D.C. Clarke, S. Sanatani, K. Armstrong, T. Sedlak, V.E. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical
DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102797 PMID: 33773398

A brief summary:
Salt intake is linked to blood pressure control, and as such dietary sodium monitoring is important for those with low blood pressure and fainting, or with high blood pressure problems, to help them adjust their dietary sodium intake to meet prescribed targets. Dietary sodium intake is currently assessed with a 24-hour urine collection analysed in a laboratory, which is inconvenient. We evaluated an alternative approach of testing multiple spot urine samples using at-home test strips. We found this alternate method to be a reasonable substitute that will allow for more comfortable and convenient at-home monitoring of dietary sodium intake.

Hi, I'm Camille! I'm a 5th year at SFU and I'm from Coquitlam, BC. I chose SFU after hearing great things about the Kinesiology program and honestly the vibes just felt right LOL

Your chosen major and future career plans:
I'm a Kinesiology Major with an Active Health and Rehabilitation Concentration and I'm also in the Occupational Ergonomics Certificate and Co-operative Education streams. I'm looking forward to pursuing a career in physio/rehab field, but am always keeping my mind open to other career opportunities.

Why did you choose to study BPK?
My involvement in martial arts as both an athlete and coach really inspired my interest in health, exercise, human movement, and helping empower others. And since I have always wanted a career in the sciences, when I learned that Kinesiology was a thing, it was a no-brainer!

Where do you want to travel in the future?
I want to travel to a lot of places, but my first stop would definitely be the Philippines to meet the family I have there and build a stronger connection to my cultural roots.

Hello my name is Daniel Salazar, I was original born in Medellín, Colombia. I have lived in Florida, USA which is known for its famous beaches , theme parks, alligators, orange orchards and flamingos.

Lived in the lower mainland just over 10 years. I am in my 4th year as a Kinesiology student in Active Health and Rehabilitation. I currently work as a Therapist Assistant at a medical clinic providing soft tissue, IFC and exercise therapy. In my spare time I compete in Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting. I am also an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys scenic hikes around the lower mainland.

Your chosen major and future career plans:
Kinesiology in Active Health & Rehabilitation. Inspiring to become a Physiotherapist

Why did you choose to study BPK?
Due to previous injuries and rehabilitation I was able to continue to complete in weightlifting and powerlifting. Wanted to help others get back to their activities of daily living.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
Wish to travel to Australia known for its natural wonders and its vast tourist destinations.

Hi! I'm Jenna and I'm a third year BPK student. I live in Burnaby so when deciding between SFU and UBC I ultimately chose SFU because it was closer to home. I love the views from the Burnaby campus too, since they make for a nice backdrop when studying for tough classes.

Your chosen major and future career plans:
I'm a behavioural neuroscience major. Recently I've been looking into becoming a speech pathologist, so I'd likely have to pursue a master's degree somewhere on the East coast after I graduate.

Why did you choose to study BPK?
Initially when I came to SFU I was a psych major, but I found that I missed all the science courses I had taken in high school. Behavioural neuroscience provided a nice blend of physiology and psychology so I decided to apply in my second year.

Favourite show to binge watch?
Lately I've been obsessed with Parks & Recreation, and I've almost watched all seven seasons throughout this term.

Hey everyone! I’m Samia Ishimwe. I transferred from Langara this past fall and I've been loving SFU so far. I'm excited to be on campus soon.

Your chosen major and future career plans:
I'm majoring in biomedical physiology. As for my future career plans, I plan on going to med school after undergrad.

Why did you choose to study BPK
I love the anatomy and physiology side of the degree. As a former athlete and current gym rat, I also love the kinesiology portion of the major.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
Tulum, Mexico

I am Ravichandra, a Ph.D. student in Dr. Tom Claydon's lab, BPK department. I am originally from India and I started my Ph.D. at SFU in fall 2018. I developed an interest in science from my childhood and pursued a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in life science. After completing my master's, I worked as a research associate in a drug discovery and development company, in India. To continue my journey in science I decided to do a Ph.D. and moved to Dr. Tom Claydon’s lab. Here I am working on one of the cardiac ion channels and trying to understand its role in cardiac rhythm disorders to develop better treatment for patients with cardiac rhythm problems.

My Ph.D. work is to understand and explore the use of small molecule activators for the treatment of long QT syndrome patients. Patients with prolonged QT interval on the cardiac electrocardiogram are at risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias, and linked to these disorders are dysfunction of ion channels proteins in cardiac muscle cells. My project is focused on one of these ion channel proteins, which is important for the movement of potassium ions in cardiac cells. I am using various electrophysiological, human induced pluripotent stem cells derived cardiomyocytes ((hiPSC-CM) and zebrafish heart models to test small molecule activators' effect on these ion channels. This project will help in developing more targeted and effective treatments for LQTS patients.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
‘’Follow your passion’’

What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Avatar

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
None

If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be?
Egypt/Ladakh

Title of the article:
A differentiated Ca2+ signalling phenotype has minimal impact on myocardin expression in an automated differentiation assay using A7r5 cells.

List of authors:
BaRun Kim, Renato Molina, Gaby Jensen, Damon Poburko

The journal in which the article is published:
Cell Calcium
doi: 10.1016/j.ceca.2021.102369. Online ahead of print.PMID: 33677175

A brief summary:
Vascular smooth muscle takes on at least two forms, a mature contractile form and a proliferating, migratory form that is linked to development and disease. Shifting from proliferative to contractile form is associated with increased expression of the transcription factor myocardin and changes in Ca2+ signalling. To test if the Ca2+ signalling impacts the myocardin expression, we imaged Ca2+signals in live cells then imaged myocardin and contractile proteins in those cells. This let is show that changes in Ca2+ signalling as the cells mature have little impact on myocardin expression, which will help us better understand vascular disease progression.

My name is Vinicius, but most people call me Vini. I'm a Ph.D. student in the Sensorimotor Neuroscience Lab under Dr. Dan Marigold. I grew up in the Sao Paulo metro area, Brazil. I did my BSc in Physical Education in the School of Physical Education and Sports of the University of Sao Paulo and my MSc in the School of Medicine at the same university. During my BSc and MSc, I studied exercise physiology and sports nutrition. I came to SFU in Fall 2018 and currently, I investigate how people use vision to plan movements when walking becomes challenging.

What you do:
My research focuses on how people use vision when walking with increased energetic cost. For instance, when crossing a street, people must avoid bumping into other pedestrians or cars while also ensuring the signal indicates it is safe to walk. In these situations, people use vision to gather information about the environment (e.g., read a street name to orient themselves) and decide about possible paths. One of the main factors that our brain considers when deciding which path to take is the amount of energy required. However, it is unclear how increases in the energetic cost of walking, such as those resulting from injury or when carrying a weight, affects which feature of the environment we focus on or how this relationship shapes our decisions about which path (or step) to take.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
Aristotle once said; “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. On daily basis, much of the work in academia are just small tasks that can be quite boring and seem unimportant, however, those are the things that pave the way for the big moments we all look for. Being able to dedicate yourself and do those more trivial tasks well is not only fundamental but truly sublime.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
I have had dogs in my house since I was a kid. My mom and I would grab them from the streets and give them a home. Now there is just one that is living with my mom back in Brazil; her name is Tutu, she loves naps and biting people. 

Anne-Kristina’s interest in ergonomics was kindled during her undergrad degree in Kinesiology here at SFU. After lots of exploration of different opportunities in ergonomics, her passion for the field has found her come full circle and she is now the Chair of the Occupational Ergonomics Certificate in BPK. Anne-Kristina admits to having made many mistakes trying to balance school, sport and social life while on the SFU swim, basketball and ski teams, as well as the Canadian National Canoe and Kayak team, however all these experiences taught her resilience, perseverance, and the importance of letting go when things aren’t working out as expected.

Outside work she enjoys:
Hiking, cross-country, backcountry and alpine skiing, kayaking, reading, knitting, travel, and relaxing with friends, her 3 sons, husband and new puppy Chilco!

De-stress strategy:
Exercise, ditching technology and enjoying wine (not necessarily in that order!)

Her tips for students:
Life is never a straight path, there are many ups and downs. Celebrate the wins and learn from the losses.  Be kind to yourself and recognize that some days things aren’t going to go your way.  Let it go, a good night sleep and a fresh start the next morning allows you to see things in a different light.

Hi, I’m Nitika Jain. I am an international student pursuing B.S. in Biomedical Physiology at SFU. I moved from Saskatoon to Vancouver and applied to SFU as a transfer student. I have completed two years of coursework at University of Saskatchewan.

Your chosen major and future career plan:
I want to pursue a career in health care field. I am open to new opportunities in this field.

Why did you choose to study BPK?
I want to pursue medicine and specialize in surgery. I am passionate to learn more about human anatomy and physiology

Where do you want to travel in the future?
I want to travel to Europe, USA, Japan, China, Latin America and South Korea.

My name is Katia, and I am an MSc student in the Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group (MCPG) under the supervision of Dr. Glen Tibbits. I grew up in Moscow, Russia and life has ultimately led me to moving to Vancouver and starting my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Physiology at SFU. My current research as an MSc student is focused on identifying contribution of a variant found in Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels to lone atrial fibrillation in human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (I know, it’s a mouthful).

What you do:
My research is dependent on producing atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes that I can further use to model the disease and determine whether the variant is associated with a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation

Any advice you would give to starting graduates:
I think one of the most useful things is to realise that, as a new graduate student, you will have a lot of questions and it’s okay to ask for help. And something that works for others, may not necessarily work for you.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
Definitely dogs. In fact, I have been on the waitlist for an Australian shepherd puppy and is expecting them later this summer!

Title of the article:
Cannabidiol inhibits the skeletal muscle Nav1.4 by blocking its pore and by altering membrane elasticity.

List of authors:
Ghovanloo MR, Choudhury K, Bandaru TS, Fouda MA, Rayani K, Rusinova R, Phaterpekar T, Nelkenbrecher K, Watkins AR, Poburko D, Thewalt J, Andersen OS, Delemotte L, Goodchild SJ, Ruben PC

The journal in which the article is published:
Journal of General Physiology
doi: 10.1085/jgp.202012701.PMID: 33836525

A brief summary:
Even before cannabis was legalized in Canada and many other jurisdictions, one of its main constituents, cannabidiol (or CBD) was widely used for pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, and other disorders. CBD is approved to treat two inheritable seizure disorders; Dravet Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. How CBD eases the severity and frequency of seizures is not entirely understood. Because Dravet Syndrome is caused by mutations in the genes that encode voltage-gated sodium channels – the proteins partially responsible for electrical activity in nerve, muscle, and heart – we set out to discover how CBD interacts with these important proteins. Using a combination of techniques, we found that CBD directly affects sodium channels and changes the properties of cell membranes in ways that likely affect other signaling proteins.

Hi I'm Jaden. I was born in Victoria and moved to Vancouver when I was 5. In high school, I enjoyed learning Biology and more specifically, anatomy and physiology the most. I found the BPK program at SFU especially interesting and almost instantly felt this was the next chapter of my education.

Your chosen major and future career plans
I'm currently a 2nd-year Biomedical Physiology major potentially interested in pursuing a career in optometry after graduating.

Why did you choose to study BPK?
I chose Biomedical Physiology due to my strong passion for learning about the human body.

Any hidden talents?
A hobby and cool skill I have learned and practiced over the past 3 years is pen spinning tricks. I also have a customized pen specifically designed for spinning.

My name is Farhaan M. Khan. I was born and raised in Vancouver, and spent a lot of my childhood either on the slopes, in the water, or camping in the back country with my outdoorsy dad. I did my BSc in biology at UBC, and minored in Kinesiology in my final year. I immediately fell in love with the field and wanted to learn more, particularly through research where I could investigate the unknown. I also always wanted to go to SFU as I’ve only heard great things, so here I am!

What you do
My research examines the autonomic regulation of blood flow to the brain in order to understand the physiology behind fainting. Fainting is experienced by approximately 1/3 of the population and can be debilitating to those who experience recurrent episodes. My research focuses on the effects of postural sway and emotional stress on fainting, as well as the relationship between unexplained cardiac arrests and fainting in young adults. This can increase our understanding of the mechanisms behind fainting in order to improve the quality of life for those who experience fainting regularly, and to provide a possible explanation for young adults who experience cardiac arrests after a faint.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates
Your passion for research can suck you right in, so make sure to set up safety nets for yourself so you can give time to your other passions as well, whether that is playing sports, enjoying the outdoors, or spending time with loved ones. But above all, make sure to set aside some time for yourself, every single day :-)

What hobby have you picked up during quarantine?
I started my own clothing brand!

My name is Raffaele Massarotto, but most people call me Raffy (yes, a ninja turtle or a famous children’s entertainer – depends on the day).  I am a PhD student, currently working under the co-supervision of Dr. Anita Cote and Dr. Victoria Claydon. I grew up in Mississauga, Ontario and made the transition to the “West Coast life” in September 2020. With my brother as my co-pilot, we drove across the country in the middle of the pandemic - never thought I’d ever say something like that.

Prior to coming to SFU, I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto and my masters at Brock University, both in kinesiology. During my undergrad, I was a student researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children, working under the supervision of Dr. Jane Schneiderman, an exercise physiologist in the Respiratory Medicine and Cardiopulmonary Exercise Lab. This experience completely ignited my passion, steering me towards studies and research in paediatric exercise physiology.

What you do
My masters research focused on paediatric exercise physiology, more specifically studying potential sex-related differences in the skin blood flow responses to various vascular perturbations in pre-pubertal children.  Presently, I am striving to expand on the previous research conducted during my masters and planning to examine the cardiovascular adaptations that may occur as a result of acute and chronic physical activity in both health and disease. Exploring the possible changes in both the heart and the vasculature can highlight structural and functional differences that may occur, between individuals of different sexes, ages and fitness levels.

Any advice you would give to grad students
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who will decide where to go.” – Dr. Seuss

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
Dogs-100%. I had the opportunity to grow up with two St. Bernard dogs. You know how some owners tend to look and act like their pets - I can definitely relate. 

"Working at the Molecular Oncology lab has been very exciting and eye-opening! I've learned so much about laboratory practices and techniques especially handling and processing human blood. I've also gained experience designing and conducting my own experiments which is my favourite part since I get to utilize what I learned at SFU in a practical setting. This co-op placement really sparked my interest in cancer research and has continually inspired me to work in the same field in the future."

"Working at the Claydon Lab has been such an amazing experience and I have been able to meet such wonderful people! I've learned so much about Long QT syndrome, cardiac genes and channels, and iPSC/iPSC-CMs. I've been given the opportunity to apply what I have learned throughout my degree, gain various lab skills, and overcome hurdles that have made me a more dedicated scientist and researcher."

My name is Jaylene, I started my undergrad in Kinesiology at SFU in 2009. Although I loved learning science, two and a half years in, with graduation looming, I decided I did not want to become a physiotherapist or kinesiologist. At the time I thought these were the only future paths for a student in our department. I had heard of research, but thought it simply involved lots of spreadsheets and watching people step on targets… Instead I wanted a fun job. So I changed majors, to Theatre. Although I am quiet, I felt as if I fit in almost instantly. It was a real change to know nearly everybody in the department. I originally enrolled in the Performance stream, and concurrently attended Production (backstage) and Design classes. In my second year I realized I did not really like pretending to be somebody else, and switched completely into the Production and Design stream. I absolutely loved it. I learned so many new things, and worked alongside some of the best people I know. I was a Lighting Designer and Technical Director for theatre and dance companies around Vancouver while I was still at school, and for one year after I graduated. At the time, I was being treated for an injury by a physiotherapist who I really respect. One day he told me he was surprised I was not still in Kinesiology, as I asked him many questions about movement each time we spoke. I told this to my mum and she had the same comment. I then sat and thought on this for a few months. After I graduated, there were not as many opportunities for me to learn new things about Lighting Design. I did not have the same drive as I had while I was in school. My mum, she is an artist, and when she speaks to me about painting, her eyes light up and she can talk for hours. If I were going to be full-time lighting designer, I would need to have that same light in my eyes when I talked about my work. For me, this light appears when I am learning new and challenging things, but it was not there anymore for lighting design. I went back to SFU, thinking I was going to prepare for physiotherapy school, and taking an anatomy course to qualify for the application. I thought that was the only way I would be able to learn about Kinesiology again. After the course, I was extremely excited to learn more, and couldn’t help but enroll in exercise physiology while I waited to hear back on physiotherapy school. This was lucky for me. I chatted to Dave Clarke about my questions every week, wanting to understand as much as I could. One day we got to talking about research: how it was much different than I had originally thought, and that it allows you to continue to learn and challenge yourself your entire life. He told me I would really like it. And I just thought, wow that’s come out of nowhere! I sprinted back and forth between Nester’s Market a few times, so excited about the prospect of learning throughout my entire life. I am now pursuing my PhD, studying muscle with James Wakeling. I feel lucky to have ended up in a place where I really belong. I’m studying variability in muscle excitation patterns. In my first year with James I learned more about the process of research (and myself) than I thought possible. I’m excited to see what I get up to in the next few years. And to see what the rest of the grads here do as well.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates?
In addition to academics, take time to learn about social and mental wellbeing. There are helpful and unhelpful patterns of thinking, and you can learn to shift into more helpful ones with practice and the right resources.

What hobby have you picked up in quarantine?
Whitewater canoeing, I paddle a tandem canoe and a small slicey C1!

Title of the article:
Utility of Zebrafish Models of Acquired and Inherited Long QT Syndrome

List of authors:
Kyle E. Simpson, Ravichandra Venkateshappa, Zhao Kai Pang, Shoaib Faizi, Glen F. Tibbits, and Tom W. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
Frontiers in Physiology
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.624129

A brief summary:
Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac electrical disorder, typified by irregular heart rates and sudden death. One particular form, Long QT Syndrome Type 2 (LQTS2), is caused by dysfunction of a cardiac potassium channel called the human ether-a-go-go related gene, or hERG. hERG function is typically studied reductionist model cells, although increasingly human stem cell-derived cardiac cells can be used. However no whole animal context has been available for research until recently, when zebrafish made their entrance. With similar cardiac electrical properties to humans, and a well understood genome, they are proving a potent model for studying genetic and drug-induced LQTS2.

Hello! My name is Gaby. I’m an MSc student from the Poburko lab within the Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group (you can find us over in TASC2). My family and I immigrated from South Africa when I was 3 years old. I grew up in North Delta, where I fell in love with nature. The nature surrounding SFU was part of my motivation for transferring when I finished my ASc. at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. At SFU, I continued pursuing my passion for biological sciences. I participated in Co-op and gained invaluable research lab experience working for the Canadian Government and STEMCELL Technologies. In addition to learning lab skills, I met passionate scientists who encouraged and inspired me to push my research skills further. I finished my BSc. in 2018 and in 2019 began my MSc. here in BPK.

What you do
In general terms, I study purinergic signaling. My research focuses on a protein that is responsible for loading vesicles with ATP for subsequent exocytosis. This protein is called the vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT) and is encoded by the SLC17A9 gene. What we know about VNUT include expression in numerous tissues, transport of ATP into subcellular compartments, and requirement of an inside-positive membrane potential to function. My fascination with VNUT lies in its mysteries. Where VNUT is within a cell (ie. what subcellular compartment) is debated, the structure has not been solved, and evolutionary conservation (or lack thereof) has not been characterized. These are some of the questions I am trying to answer using cell culture, molecular techniques, fluorescent imaging, and bioinformatic analyses.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates
1. Set yourself a timeline and check in with that timeline frequently. This will help you stay on top of most of your commitments.
2. Advocate for yourself. If you need help, ask.
3. Burnout is not a badge of honour. Science will always be here, but you won’t.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
Dogs, hands down. Specifically, my dog Buffy. She is my sidekick on all my runs, hikes, and treks. Other dogs are cool and will receive scritches and snuggles but Buffy is the best :)

Hi, I’m Gary. I’m from Delta, BC. Growing up in schools close to the Surrey SFU campus helped me decide that SFU was the school for me. Nonetheless, I do prefer the Burnaby campus as most of my classes are up there and the community there is great!

Your chosen major and future career plans BPK:
Currently I’ve found a lot of passion in health research, which is why I’m planning on doing a directed studies in Fall 2021. This would, overall, contribute to my interest in science/health and hopefully help me in my journey of becoming a physician!

Why did you choose to study BPK?
Combination of passion and process of elimination honestly. I love fitness/general health so kinesiology was an option, but I also love science so mbb was an option. Hence, with process of elimination, BPK had the best of both worlds and I do not regret my choice at all.

Where do you want to travel in the future?
Everywhere, haha. I mean literally there’s so many places that I have yet to travel to. Some that come to mind: Iceland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Australia.

My name is Milad, a PhD student in the Sensorimotor Neuroplasticity lab. I grew up in Iran, the other side of the planet. I started at SFU in the fall of 2019 and ever since I feel I have a new home with a nice family. After completing my MS in mechanical engineering in 2016, I founded a Biomedical engineering startup that developed devices to help older adults with presbyopia to see better. I learned that it is time to integrate my knowledge of engineering with human health-related research and that motivated me to continue my studies in BPK. Here at SFU, I have the chance to study the brain, and maybe help people survive strokes. Since childhood I have wanted to hook up a computer to my head and record my dreams, I am one step closer now!

What you do
My work focuses on studying the motor cortex through high resolution electrophysiological procedures. We aim to determine the role of individual differences in brains in their resilience to brain injury or stroke. This can shed light on new rehabilitation and prevention methods that could be employed to improve recovery from stroke. My research involves recording and amplifying muscle activation signals (electromyography), electrical stimulation, real-time and post-analysis using coding software, and some wet-lab procedures.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates
My advice to graduate students who are just starting in BPK is to take advantage of and learn from the multidisciplinary atmosphere in this department. Try to apply your gained knowledge to innovate and make a better and healthier life for people.

What’s your favourite movie of all time?
Any movie with planes in it is my favorite but the best of the best is 1986 “Top Gun”.

I was born and graduated high school in South Africa. After coming to Vancouver, I have did a BSc. in Biology and UBC and a Business Diploma in Hotel/Restaurant management and then opened up a travel agency with my Mom. After 7 years in travel, i decided to change careers completely and completed my Respiratory Therapy training at Thompson Rivers University. I have worked as a Respiratory Therapist at Royal Columbian Hospital since 2009 and got involved in clinical research early on. My love of research brought me to work closely with my supervisor at Royal Columbian Hospital where I got involved in a number of clinical research studies focused on ventilation management. I started helping Dr. Reynolds in his pre-clinical large animal lab work and that made me fall in love with physiology studies. This lead to my pursuing a PhD under Dr. Reynolds at SFU in BPK.

What you do
We manage critically ill patients by putting them on a ventilator (life support) in order to be able to support them while we treat their illness. However, there are side effects to being treated on a mechanical ventilator that can be long lasting and have a significant negative impact on outcomes and quality of life. I am investigating the use of new technology developed at SFU as a method to help us reduce ventilator induced lung injury and allow us to develop new ventilation methods to help improve outcomes and lesson the burden on our health care system. I work in human-sized pigs who are mechanically ventilated in a mock ICU for up to 50 hours. I have learned more about being a pig ICU doctor than I ever expected to know in my lifetime.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates
Don't feel bad that you don't know everything or that you feel like sometimes you don't know anything. You are not expected to!! You will learn everything you need to go and have faith in yourself because you really can do it! Divide everyone up into pieces and when you are overwhelmed, look at the next piece that you need to deal with, rather than all the bits sitting in front of you that can be overwhelming.

What’s your favourite quarantine snack? Sushi

What’s your favourite movie of all time? Love actually (cheesy I know :))

What’s your favourite show to binge watch? Below Deck

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Dogs

If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be? Tahiti

Title of the article:
The Effect of Multidirectional Loading on Contractions of the M. Medial Gastrocnemius

List of authors:
David S Ryan, Norman Stutzig, Andreas Helmer, Tobias Siebert, James M Wakeling

The journal in which the article is published:
Frontiers in Physiology
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.601799

A brief summary:
Muscles have a maximum force that they can produce. Previous research showed that compressing a muscle will cause a reduction in that maximum force. Our goal was to determine how muscle length and the direction of compression influence the reduction of force. We found that muscle at a shorter resting length while compressing from multiple directions does not result in any force reductions. This conflicts with previous results from studies where the resting length of the muscle was longer and shows that resting muscle length is important to how the muscle reacts to being compressed.

Title of the article:
Women in clinical autonomic research and the autonomic societies: how far have we come in thirty years?

List of authors:
Chloe E. Taylor · Amy C. Arnold · Alessandra Fanciulli · Federica Provini · Qi Fu · Vaughan G. Macefeld · Debra E. Weese-Mayer · Cyndya Shibao · Nisha Charkoudian · Victoria E. Claydon

The journal in which the article is published:
Clinical Autonomic Research
PMID: 33454833
doi: 10.1007/s10286-021-00768-8.

A brief summary:
This article was an editorial written by predominantly women leaders of the key international autonomic societies, aiming to examine the roles and representation of women in autonomic neuroscience. Our analyses highlighted that while the autonomic societies have changed from being entirely dominated by males to now achieving gender parity in membership, women remain underrepresented in leadership roles. Publications and membership of the editorial board of a leading autonomic journal were also examined, and showed fewer women represented in authorship, particularly in the leadership roles represented by first and senior author, and fewer female members of the editorial board. These data highlight that, while there have been improvements in gender equity in the field over the last 30 years, there is still much more work to be done. Consideration of equity issues should be prioritised, and focused not only on gender equity, but representation and inclusion of other underrepresented groups, to ensure a rich and diverse community of autonomic clinicians and scientists working together to address pertinent autonomic issues in their research and clinical practice.

Damon did a co-op program during his BSc degree which played a pivotal role in his career and largely led him to where he is now.

Outside work he enjoys:
Running, skiing, kayaking, and spending time with family.

Dream job outside academia:
Computer science developer/code writer.

Best advice received:
Ask for help when you need it. We can’t do everything on our own. Someone will always be there to help.

De-stress strategy:
Long-term: run/ exercise, meditate 10 mins/day, get into nature, note things that you are grateful for. In the face of panic: 5-4-3-2-1 method, breathing control/square breathing.

Advice to 20-year-old-self:
My thesis mentor once told me that “at no time in your life should be you without quality of life”. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is both simple and challenging, and now is the time to start. When you think about your future, try asking yourself, “Where do I want to be in 5, 10 and 15 year?” It can be helpful in creating concrete goals.

My name is Amanda, and I am originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. I completed my undergraduate degree with honours at the University of Johannesburg. My honours thesis focussed on cardiac risk assessment in elite athletes. Following an internship year where a qualified as a Biokineticist (i.e., physical rehabilitation specialist), I moved to the west coast of South Africa to complete a master’s degree at the University of Cape Town. My research topic focused on effects of eccentric versus concentric cycling ergometry following total-knee-replacement surgery. During this time, I also worked at Victoria General Hospital as a clinical educator for aspiring Biokineticists. We provided on-site assessment and personalized exercise prescription for post-operative patients and I was responsible for the clinical education and supervision of the Biokinetics Honours students. My interdisciplinary research background, clinical training, and personal experience as a varsity athlete inspired me to gain a better understanding of the neural control of movement. As a result, I moved to Canada with my dog, Dudley, in 2016 to pursue a PhD in Sensorimotor Neuroscience at SFU.

What you do
My chosen field of research is sensorimotor control and learning. I investigate the factors that affect how the human body adapts to our environment to gain a better understanding of how coordinated movements are learned and controlled. I study this process by systematically exposing the nervous system to perturbations that shift the visual field using prism lenses. These lenses cause a mismatch between what we see and how we move and as a result, produce errors in goal-direct movement. Over time, people adapt to this change and become more accurate. My research is focused on identifying factors that enhance how we adapt, retain, and transfer this learning with the ultimate goal of exploiting this knowledge to design safe and effective rehabilitation programs.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates
Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. Everyone’s journey is unique and at the end of the day, we’re all here to learn. So, be kind to yourself.

Which do you prefer - dogs or cats?
For those who know me, this is pretty obvious. Dogs—without exception.

Title of the article:
Longitudinal Assessment of Autonomic Function during the Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury: Use of Low-Frequency Blood Pressure Variability as a Quantitative Measure of Autonomic Function.

List of authors:
Vera-Ellen M. Lucci, Jessica A. Inskip, Maureen S. McGrath, Ian Ruiz, Rebekah Lee, Brian K. Kwon, and Victoria E. Claydon.

The journal in which the article is published:
Journal of Neurotrauma
doi: 10.1089/neu.2020.7286. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 32940126

Brief summary: 
In addition to causing paralysis and loss of sensation, spinal cord injury (SCI) can also damage nerves in the spinal cord (called autonomic nerves) that control subconscious body functions, like the heartbeat and the blood pressure. We used a new approach to quantify the severity and evolution of injury to these autonomic nerves after SCI. This approach was able to identify people with severe autonomic injury and was related to the symptoms of cardiovascular disease that they experienced. This technique can be used to identify those individuals at SCI who are most at risk of cardiovascular problems, and to track changes in function in response to treatment interventions.

School can be overwhelming at times, and Covid definitely adds to the equation. One thing that helped me, and a piece of advice I would provide to others that are feeling overwhelmed, is to use your student society to your advantage. The BPK department is very lucky to have such a strong and engaged community with members who really want to help others if they can. Take advantage of this, talk to your peers, attend socials (even if they are virtual), get to know the individuals in your department. My lab members really helped me get through the tough first month, the comradery from everyone, listening to their experiences, the challenges they faced, how the overcame them, just talking to them in general really helped reduce the feelings of isolation. Your peers are probably feeling overwhelmed to, so talk to them, and together it will make things easier for everyone.

Farhaan Kahn – Undergraduate Student

My name is Kyle, and I’m a PhD student in the Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group (MCPG), specifically in Tom Claydon’s lab. I was born and raised in East Vancouver and have basically been in school (mostly SFU) my entire life. I spent my first few years at Langara College, and then transferred to SFU’s Biological Sciences department for my upper division. I only got involved in research during my final year of undergrad but fell in love with it. After a year of undergrad research, I started my master’s degree in the same lab before eventually switching into BPK in Tom’s lab. Here I work on using genetic engineering techniques to help elucidate ion channel function with respect to cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart rate). My entire academic career has been focussed on cell biology and genetics, and the opportunity to use these amazing tools to modify the fundamental building blocks of life and what we are is incredibly exciting.

What you do

Our lab studies a particular potassium channel’s role in Long-QT syndrome, a prolongation of the cardiac action potential that can result in irregular heart rates and sudden cardiac death. The channel is called hERG (human ether-a-go-go related gene, story behind that name isn’t quite as interesting as it sounds), and my job is to develop an animal model to study this. I use genome engineering techniques such as CRISPR to create mutations in zebrafish that have been found clinically in humans with Long-QT Syndrome. My plan is to use these fish’s hearts in conjunction with electrophysiological techniques to examine the effect of these mutations and test potential drugs to reverse the negative effects.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates

While your research and degree are important, none of that matters if mentally you are not in the right headspace. Mental health is one of the most ignored but also prevalent issues facing graduate students, so make sure you take breaks, talk to people, meet other grad students from around the department, and ensure that when you are working you’re in the headspace to make it productive rather than hitting your head against the wall.

Which do you prefer - dogs or cats?

Dogs, and I’m only using this question as an excuse to show off a pic of my favourite dog ever, my uncle’s old dog Connor (Irish Wolfhound/Rottweiler mix)

I’m Vera-Ellen (or rather, just Vera), a PhD Candidate in Victoria Claydon’s lab. Although I currently do not hold any positions within the department, I have a long history of GSA involvement including a 3-year stint as President, a more-recent term as GPC Rep, as well as helping to organise BPK Research Day from 2017-2020.

I grew up just outside of Hamilton, Ontario. I completed my kinesiology degree at McMaster in 2015, where I worked in a vascular dynamics lab and volunteered in a spinal cord injury rehab/fitness centre. My experiences here had me interested in pursuing graduate studies in the field. Luckily, all these interests all collided when I discovered Vic’s work and that is how my science career began! My PhD investigates the consequences a spinal cord injury has on the autonomic nervous system, and more specifically, on autonomic cardiovascular control. I am really interested in how the effects of these injuries evolve over time and what we can do to improve cardiovascular control and quality of life for individuals living with a spinal cord injury.

My biggest advice would be to explore all your options and take advantage of all the opportunities graduate life affords you including diversifying your projects, collaborating, getting involved in student life, and having the flexibility to explore your outside interests. The bigger skill here is learning how to balance everything you want to do with everything you need to do. Often, I have found, the wants and the needs fuel each other and symbiotically add to your overall success

Prior to travel restrictions I had some lofty post-PhD travel goals including scotch drinking my way through Scotland, climbing in Wadi Rum, Jordan, and paddling the Great Bear Rainforest. I really can’t pick which one I rather do right now so instead I will keep adding to the travel fund and dreaming of a time when all this will be possible again.

Keep on keeping on, my friends.

V

Title of the article:
Drug screening platform using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes and optical mapping

List of authors:
Marvin G. Gunawan*, Sarabjit S. Sangha*, Sanam Shafaattalab*, Eric Lin, Danielle A. Heims-Waldron, Vassilios J. Bezzerides, Zachary Laksman, Glen F. Tibbits

The journal in which the article is published:
Stem Cells Translational Medicine
doi: 10.1002/sctm.19-0440. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 32927497

A brief summary:
Our study aimed to overcome the difficulty of translating findings from the lab to the patients of atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder affecting the upper chambers of the heart. In this work, we developed a cell-based drug screening platform by using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial heart cells and optical mapping, a unique image analysis technique. The generated atrial heart cells have responses to drugs that are specific to the atria, and molecular profiles and key functional signatures reflecting human biology. This platform can be readily applied as a relevant tool in drug development efforts of potential atrial fibrillation therapies.

Title of the article:
Cannabidiol protects against high glucose‐induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in cardiac voltage‐gated sodium channels

List of authors:
Mohamed A. Fouda, Mohammad‐Reza Ghovanloo and Peter C. Ruben
Journal in which the article is published:
British Journal of Pharmacology doi: 10.1111/bph.15020. Epub 2020 Mar 10.PMID: 32077098

Paper summary:
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, especially cardiac arrhythmias. One of the proteins affected by hyperglycemia is the voltage-gated sodium channel, also called Nav1.5, which—along with other ion channels—is responsible for the electrical signal leading to the heartbeat. We found that that high glucose caused Nav1.5 to function abnormally, and that cannabidiol, the main non-psychotropic component of Cannabis, rescued normal Nav1.5 function both by directly affecting Nav1.5 and through its antioxidant properties. Notably, cannabidiol is approved for treating a seizure disorder caused by the same abnormal sodium channel function in the brain.

Nadine’s interest in biology solidified in high school; she gravitated towards physiology during her B.Sc. (MBB@SFU). She took the scenic route through undergrad: bartending, travelling, finding her passions, and she didn’t always get it right on the first try! She finished her M.Sc. (MBB@SFU) and then spent four years in New England for her Ph.D. before circling back to UBC and BPK@SFU. She is married and lives on the North Shore with her spouse, daughter, and their puppy.

Outside work she enjoys:
Travel, dining and sports: playing fastpitch, hiking, surfing, skiing and watching hockey, football, basketball. Go Canucks 😊 Go Chiefs 😊

De-stress strategies: 
Family time. Nature. Exercise. Diversity. Cooking. Making crosswords. Breaks from social media. Zoom dates with family and friends.

Her tips for students:
I didn’t have a 4.33 as an undergrad and you probably don’t either. Figure out what you want to do and do it: don’t let perceived limitations constrain you. Find, make and pursue opportunities. Work hard, find your passion, and do what you want to do, rather than what someone else wants you to do!

One of the most valuable things I’ve learned in university is how to bounce back stronger after a disappointing result. It’s difficult to keep your head up and not get discouraged after a tough midterm! We have all been there. When things don’t go the way I want, I focus on what I can control- meeting with the prof to go over the midterm and studying harder for the next one- and moving on! A bad grade does not define your academic success, the way you react and prepare for the next challenge is.

Undergraduate- Charlotte Mackenzie

My name is Sneha, and I am a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Angela Brooks-Wilson's lab. I was born and raised in Vashi, a town in the suburbs of Mumbai, India. As many of us do in school, I picked a career based on the subject that interests me the most. For me, it was Biotechnology. During my undergrad, one of the lab experiments that intrigued me was G-banding (method of staining chromosomes). While analysing my slide, I was fascinated by the tiny chromosomes and wanted to explore the field of cytogenetics. Around that time, I started looking for an internship to gain experience and fulfill my graduation requirement. I worked at the National Institute of Immunohematology, Mumbai, on promoter p15 and p16 methylation in myelodysplastic syndrome. My work in the lab was focused on hypermethylation of the p15 and p16 promoters and the correlation of methylation status with cytogenetic and immunologic features. It was here that I came across patients and saw firsthand how cancer impacted them and their families, a sobering experience for me. At this stage, I decided to switch gears into another aspect of research.

I worked in Intellectual Property (IP) Rights for three years as an IP Engineer that combined my passion for technology and research. My role was to analyse patents in the biomedical space. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the product research and development cycle, where I filed my first patent. This inspired me to transition from a professional to a research student at SFU. My journey at Simon Fraser University started in the fall of 2017. I started as a master's student in BPK; my fascination with lymphoid cancer complexity led me to transition into a Ph.D. program. Here at SFU, I work on disease-gene detection in lymphoid cancer families at Brooks-Wilsons lab. What I love about my research it that I work across two disciplines - (1) genetics and (2) bioinformatics approaches to understand the disease.

What you do
My Ph.D. work aims to identify susceptibility genes in families affected with lymphoid cancers (begins in the immune cells), including lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma, using next generation sequencing methods. The rationale of my work comes from the fact that lymphoid cases in a family often develop different subtypes of lymphoid cancer rather than developing precisely the same disease. I analyse germline exome sequenced data generated from these families. Here, I am developing a novel method that can prioritize variants and genes by combining large and small lymphoid cancer families as pre-existing methods fail to gain insights from small families.

Although the method will rank variants and genes in lymphoid cancer families, it can be fine-tuned and applied to other familial complex disorders. Apart from the method development, I am also interested in combining both the somatic and germline exome data to detect disease-genes in families affected with a subtype of lymphoid cancer, Follicular lymphoma. Identification of such shared susceptibility genetic factors will aid in understanding hereditary lymphoid cancers.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates?
Keep your eyes and mind open to new experiences. You are extremely fortunate to be in a country that embraces people from different cultures, embody this value broaden your world view. Always remember that it is better to try, fail and learn from it than to have never tried at all.

What is your favourite quarantine snack?
Roasted seaweed snack

Hi! I’m Rachel, I’m from Singapore and I moved to Vancouver 2.5 years ago in my Grade 12 year. I decided to come to SFU as I wanted to stay closer to my family where I still have younger siblings. I love any asian food and unpopular opinion, but I hate burritos. I could eat noodles for every meal. I’m a dancer and currently teach at my local studio.

Your chosen major and future career plans
I’m majoring in Behavioural Neuroscience and hope to create a form of dance therapy in the future in hopes of using it to increase awareness of the body and mind to aid mental health :)

Why did you choose to study BPK?
I chose to study BPK because I have a medical condition that affects my nervous system and that definitely sparked an interest in me to learn more about it.

Favourite Show To Binge Watch?
It has to be dance moms. It’s a blessing of a show.

My name is Betty and I am a Masters’ student in the SFU ImageTech Lab under the supervision of Dr. Xiaowei Song. I am originally from Nigeria, a diverse and multicultural country in West Africa. I have been blessed to call British Columbia home since 2013.

My journey to SFU started in Summer 2014 when I transferred from Fraser International College (FIC) after completing a 1 year University Transfer Program. My interest in the human brain was piqued in my first psychology class in 2013 and this led me to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Behavioural Neuroscience at SFU which I completed in 2017. However, I had no interest in research until I took BPK 448 in my 3rd year of undergrad – which opened my eyes to the world of research and current rehabilitation efforts being made for neurological disorders. Since then, I have gone on to volunteer with recovering Stroke patients as well as several neurological research projects with my current supervisor, ultimately culminating in my graduate school pursuit.

What you do
My research focuses on the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to study brain pathologies. fMRI allows us to directly view the brain and its activity when performing a specific task, allowing us to temporally and spatially isolate cerebral recruitment. Specifically, I am interested in the use of fMRI to detect cognitive recovery in patients with carotid stenosis after undergoing revascularization by stenting. Patients with flow-limiting carotid stenosis are at increased risk of cognitive decline in addition to increased risks of stroke. The effects of revascularization therapies on cognition is not well understood. It is my interest to see how imaging technologies like fMRI can help us understand this problem and by extension other brain pathologies where cognition is impaired such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

Any advice you would give to starting graduates?
LOVE your research topic/area and have a genuine passion and interest for what you do. That will take you through the long nights and keep you going when you are tempted to give up.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?
NONE – Hahahaha. In Nigeria, dogs are usually very large, fearsome, used for security purposes and would often bark and bite – it was a huge culture shock coming to Canada and seeing people have them as pets. I have never gotten over it!

“I think its really important for students to allow themselves breaks from studying, especially at the moment when classes are online. Not only do I find my mental health benefits from taking regular breaks, but I am also more productive! Scheduling in regular breaks allows you to do things that make you feel happy without feeling guilty that you aren’t studying. During my breaks, I like to exercise, bake and cook, and chat with friends. I also think its really important to remember that getting a bad mark does not define who you are, or even what kind of student you are. Everyone gets marks they wish were higher, so try to not be too hard on yourself and focus on what you can control in the future rather than a mark you got in the past."

– Jenissa Flood, undergrad student

Who you are:

My name is Thiago Bassi. I am a Ph.D. candidate at BPK, and my supervisor is Dr. Steve Reynolds. I am a neurosurgeon from Brazil. I have arrived in Vancouver in 2016 to study English and I fell in love with the city. After that, I got accepted at BPK to do my Master’s degree in 2017. However, in 2018 I have transferred from the Master’s program to a Ph.D. program due to the complexity of my project.

What do you do?

Currently, I am researching ventilation-induced brain injury (VIBI) which is a novel and exciting topic. Our lab is focused on translational research in intensive care units (ICUs), meaning that our lab investigates and validates strategies preclinically before designing clinical studies. Any advice you would give to starting graduates Firstly, be patient, Ph.D. is a long-term commitment. Secondly, read a lot of papers from your field and from outside your field to give you a broad perspective of what is going on in the scientific community now. Thirdly, be optimistic, either Master’s or Ph.D. programs will require optimism and positivity (a lot of it!!! So, start to train your mindset now). And finally, find joy in everything you do, all the time. Even when you get emails saying that your manuscript was rejected, by the way, this is part of the research life. Get over it! Try to address all the reviewer’s feedback, which most of the time will improve your manuscript, and keep resubmitting!!!

What is your favorite quarantine snack?

Coconut cake is my favorite snack during the quarantine.

What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Star Wars. Sorry to say that but I am a Darth Vader’s fan.

What’s your favorite show to binge-watch?

I love watching Japanese anime. My favorite is one called Black Clover.

Which do you prefer – dogs or cats?

I like both dogs and cats. Having said that, I have two cats, Kylie and Cookie.

If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be?

I would like to visit Italy because I love Italian food and my family came to Brazil originally from Italy (Mantova and Treviso). 

Who you are:

Mariel here! I'm in my second year, and in my downtime I enjoy playing the guitar. You can also catch me in @sfuco's virtual ensembles or volunteering as a Health Peer for @sfuhcs!

Your chosen major and future career plans:

Behavioral Neuroscience, looking towards an MD or counselling!

Why did you choose to study BPK?

I Googled SFU's programs in elementary school and saw the BNS page with all the fancy EEG electrodes and was pretty much sold on it since then LOL

Any hidden talents?

I can cook Japanese curry from scratch (which may or may not contain a banana)

Title of the article:

Neuromagnetic activation and oscillatory dynamics of stimulus-locked processing during naturalistic viewing

List of authors:

Nunes, Adonay S.; Kozhemiako, Nataliia; Moiseev, Alexander; Seymour, Robert A.; Cheung, Teresa P.L.; Ribary, Urs; Doesburg, Sam M.

Published in:

Neuroimage
doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116414. Epub 2019 Nov 30.
PMID: 31794854

Brief summary of the paper:

Instead of using a traditional paradigm where stimuli are presented repetitively to extract reliable brain activity, in this study we used a more ecologically valid approach. A 10 minute movie was shown during a Magnetoencephalography recording and we were able to extract rich temporal activation and brain connectivity dynamics. Visual (faces and hands) and auditory (words and non-words) stimuli were timelocked to their onset and used to map brain activation associated with the stimuli and synchronization over time. Our results demonstrated that during the movie, the three main face processing areas were synchronously activated. When participants observed hand manipulations, beta band desynchronization in motor-related areas was observed, supporting previous literature on mental projections and theory of mind. Overall, this study provides novel evidence of the rich spatial and spectral brain information that can be extracted during a naturalistic paradigm and opens the door to new studies and techniques that can exploit the benefits of this paradigm. 

ABOUT HIM:

For the first two years of his life, Dylan lived in a cabin built by his parents in the woods of Vermont with no electricity or flush toilets. When he was five, his family moved to a 200-year-old house in a small New Hampshire town.

OUTSIDE OF WORK, HE ENJOYS:

Hiking, downhill and crosscountry skiing, photography, reading, playing games with his family.

DE-STRESS STRATEGY:

Spending time with his family and friends takes his mind off of work and being with his kids helps him put life in perspective. He also finds manual labour relaxing, especially working in the garden. 

BEST ADVICE HE RECEIVED:

Learn from regrets, then forget about them.

ADVICE TO HIS 20-YEAR-OLD SELF:

Have a career plan but know that it is likely to change.