Titles and Education
- B.S. in Human Biology, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2013
- Ph.D. in Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2019
- Ph.D. in Clinical and Translational Science, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2019
- Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurophysiology, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 2019-2024
Research
Opioids stand as the leading cause of death from drug overdoses, with the national opioid crisis escalating to epidemic proportions due to its profound physical and financial toll. In Wisconsin alone, deaths from potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl surged by 97% from 2019 to 2021 and continue to rise at an alarming rate. This crisis extends beyond human medicine; most veterinary practices regularly prescribe opioids, yet lack sufficient clinical data to ensure safe and effective dosing. The primary cause of death from opioid overdose is opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). During OIRD, the neural mechanisms that typically signal us to breathe become impaired, causing airways to close off and a loss of proper signal to take a breath. This dual threat results in inadequate respiratory signals and ineffective airflow during the few remaining breaths. To combat these devastating outcomes, it is imperative to 1) understand the neural pathways affected by opioids like fentanyl and 2) develop novel therapeutic strategies that enable opioid use without compromising respiration. In our lab, we employ cutting-edge neurophysiological techniques to unravel the integrated pathways controlling our respiratory system. Our goal is to decipher how opioids lead to their detrimental effects and to pioneer new therapeutic approaches that ensure safe opioid administration. Using advanced methods such as optogenetics and high-density neuronal recordings, we are gaining insights into how brain regions governing respiration integrate within the complex framework of translational whole-animal models. Combining these techniques with single-cell resolution analyses, we are uncovering novel molecular targets of opioids throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems, paving the way for comprehensive and innovative therapeutic solutions.
Responsibilities
- Veterinary Physiology A