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We are based in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Virginia. We study the neural systems that control the cardiovascular and respiratory system.

Cardio-respiratory function is precisely tuned to ensure the delivery of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide across a range of physiological states. The brain controls lung ventilation through breathing and blood supply through autonomic modulation of the circulatory system in order to maintain cardiorespiratory homeostasis. Breakdown of this system is the cause and symptom of cardiovascular and human disease, such as neurogenic hypertension and heart failure.

Our goal is to identify the neural networks required for the reflex-control of cardiovascular and respiratory function, and to determine the role of these systems in cardiorespiratory function in natural contexts (arousal state changes, stress, exercise) and animal models of cardiovascular disease (neurogenic hypertension, acute intermittent hypoxia, diet induced obesity).