Mon, 25 May 2020
555: Investigating How Disruptions in the Gut Microbiome Impact Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Lead to Disease - Dr. Mariana Byndloss
Dr. Mariana Byndloss is Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Research in Mariana’s lab investigates how the bacteria that live inside our gut can affect our health. She is interested in how things like diet, antibiotics, or infection may change how our body behaves. This, in turn, can change how the bacteria in our gut behave and lead to disease. Mariana loves animals, and she spends a lot of her free time with her dog and new puppy. They are both German Shorthair Pointers, and she trains them to hunt and to participate in American Kennel Club competitions. Mariana also enjoys quality time with her husband and son, listening to live music, and exploring all the great restaurants in Nashville. Mariana earned her DVM, MSc in veterinary pathology, and PhD in veterinary pathology from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil. She was awarded the Brazilian National Prize for best PhD thesis in Veterinary Medicine. Afterwards, Mariana conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In our interview, Mariana will tell us more about her life and science. |
Mon, 18 May 2020
554: Using Rehabilitation Robotics and Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to Promote Recovery After Brain Injury - Dr. Dylan Edwards
Dr. Dylan Edwards is Director of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute as well as an Institute Scientist and Director of the Human Motor Recovery Laboratory there. In addition, he is Professor of Neuroscience at Edith Cowan University in Australia, and Faculty at Harvard Medical Schools Continuing medical education program in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. In his research, Dylan studies the recovery of movement following damage to the nervous system that may occur after stroke or spinal cord injury. He and his team use rehabilitation robots to assess and train motor function. They also apply noninvasive stimulation to test the circuitry of the nervous system and as an experimental treatment to augment function. When he’s not at work, you can find Dylan hanging out with his family, enjoying fantastic food, playing the guitar, observing nature, traveling, and thinking about the future of technology and human civilization. He stays active through running and hitting the waves at his favorite surfing destinations around the world. Dylan received a B.App.Sci. degree with a focus in exercise physiology from Edith Cowan University in Australia and a B.S. degree in Physical Therapy from Curtin University of Technology in Australia. He was awarded his PhD in clinical neurophysiology at the Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders at the University of Western Australia (now the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Sciences), and he conducted postdoctoral research there afterwards. Prior to joining the team at MRRI, Dylan served as Director of the Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Laboratory at Burke Neurological Institute, and was Associate Professor of Clinical Neurophysiology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. |
Mon, 11 May 2020
Dr. Ada Tang is a physical therapist, an Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, and a Clinician-Scientist with the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation. We know that exercise is an important part of healthy living for everyone, but it can be more difficult for people with stroke to exercise as a result of mobility problems and other factors. Unfortunately, exercise is typically not a strong focus in stroke rehabilitation. Ada and her research team are assessing the impacts of exercise on the cardiovascular health of people with stroke, as well as other populations, and they are working to develop safe and effective exercise programs for people with stroke. Sport and exercise have always been important in Ada’s life. In addition to studying exercise in the lab, Ada loves being active outdoors. She spends her free time hiking, enjoying nature, and traveling. Ada is also an avid sports fan, and she enjoys watching sporting events, particularly basketball games with the Toronto Raptors. Ada completed her BSc in Physical Therapy, MSc in Rehabilitation Science, and PhD in Medical Science from the University of Toronto. Afterwards, she was awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia before joining the faculty at McMaster University. In our interview, Ada shares more about her life and science. |
Mon, 4 May 2020
552: Making a Mechatronic Tremor Suppression Glove for People with Parkinson’s Disease - Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos
Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Biomedical Engineering at Western University in Canada. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute. Ana Luisa’s research is in the area of mechatronic systems engineering. This field combines mechanical, electrical, computer, and software engineering to develop smart machines that can perceive what is happening in the environment and react intelligently. In particular, she is designing wearable mechatronic technologies that can help people recover from mobility problems due to a musculoskeletal injury or a movement disorder like Parkinson’s disease. Her goal is to make these technology solutions more comfortable for users and to restore mobility and quality of life for people with upper body movement impairments. When she’s not at work, Ana Luisa enjoys hanging out with her family, reading, putting together jigsaw puzzles, hiking, swimming, running, and renovating her house. Ana Luisa was awarded her B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Costa Rica and her M.A.Sc. in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia. She worked as an Applications Engineer for Progressive Moulded Products in Ontario from 2000-2003. She then joined the team at Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics at Western University as a research engineer. Ana Luisa later attended graduate school at Western University where she was awarded her Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering in 2012. Ana Luisa has been awarded the IEEE London Section Outstanding Women in Engineering Award and the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Canada District Volunteer Appreciation Award. In our interview, Ana Luisa shares more about her life and research. |