Spinal Cord Injury Core

BREATHE is devoted to developing new therapeutics to restore breathing and airway defense, walking, and health in those living with spinal cord injuries. A particular focus is to harness spinal cord plasticity through intermittent hypoxia or spinal cord electrical stimulation to restore function.

	Researcher/Clinician Name	Title	Department	Cores	Specialties
	Prodip Bose, MD, PhD	Associate Professor & Interim Director	Department of Neurology; Brain Rehabilitation Research Center	Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Spasticity after TBI/SCI
	Erica Dale, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Physiology & Aging	Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Spinal stimulation induced phrenic motor plasticity; neurostimulation and functional recovery of breathing capacity after spinal injury
	Emily Fox, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS	Associate Professor; Director	Department of Physical Therapy; Brooks-PHHP Research Collaboration & Brooks Neuromuscular Research	Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Phrenic/diaphragm pacing as rehabilitative tool; therapeutic intermittent hypoxia and spinal injury
	David Fuller, PhD	Professor; Associate Director	Department of Physical Therapy; BREATHE Center	Basic Breathing Research Core, Airway Defense Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Spinal stimulation and recovery of breathing activity with opiate-induced respiratory depression and spinal injury; Regulation of airway muscles; hyperbaric oxygenation, intermittent hypoxia and respiratory plasticity, Pompe disease
	Elisa Gonzalez-Rothi, DPT, PhD	Research Assistant Professor	Department of Physical Therapy	Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Respiratory plasticity induced by neurostimulation and intermittent hypoxia; spinal cord injury; sleep apnea & pathogenic intermittent hypoxia after SCI
	Gordon Mitchell, PhD	Preeminence Professor; Director; Deputy Director	Department of Physical Therapy; BREATHE Center; McKnight Brain Institute	Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Intermittent hypoxia induced respiratory plasticity, therapeutic intermittent hypoxia in spinal injury and ALS
	Maria Nikodemova, MS, PhD	Research Associate Scientist	Department of Physical Therapy	Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotherapeutic Oxygen Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	microglial plasticity in healthy CNS and during neurodegeneration; APOE4 phenotype, sleep apnea; the role of microglia and neuroinflammation in regulating respiratory motor plasticity during hypoxia and after spinal cord injury
	Kevin Otto, PhD	Professor	Department of Biomedical Engineering	Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Neural interfaces, multi-channel implantable micro devices for neural stimulation, autonomic neuroengineering; neuroprosthetics; spinal/epidural stimulation
	Christine Schmidt, PhD	Distinguished Professor & Chair	Department of Biomedical Engineering	Neurological Disorders Core, Neurotechnology Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Neuroregeneration after peripheral or spinal cord injury
	Yasin B. Seven, MS, PhD	Assistant Professor	Department of Physiological Sciences	Basic Breathing Research Core, Neurotechnology Core, Neurological Disorders Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Neuroprotection in spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases, nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery
	Alicia Vose, PhD, CCC-SLP	Assistant Professor	Department of Neurology (UF Health -Jacksonville)	Basic Breathing Research Core, Airway Defense Core, Spinal Cord Injury Core	Acute intermittent hypoxia and respiratory strength training to enhance breathing and swallowing in people with chronic spinal cord injury; effects of diaphragm stimulation on respiratory neural drive and function