All About Science, Scientists & Their Research

Kristine Deleon – Pennell, PhD

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Dr. DeLeon-Pennell was trained in cardiovascular sciences at Baylor University, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She has >10 years’ experience with all aspects of the inflammatory and fibrotic components of cardiac remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI). In particular, she has extensive training in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) biology, extracellular matrix remodeling, and cardiac aging research.

Dr. Young’s current research area is the neurobiology and biophysics of sensory systems, and particularly audition, in reptiles. Audition in this group is remarkably diverse, including: pressure-coupled tympani in some taxa; tympanic and non-tympanic ears; elaborate stapedial dampening systems; separate low-frequency and high-frequency auditory pathways; as well as integration with pressure and/or vibration detection systems. A second area of research is the neurobiology of venom secretion, storage, and activation.

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Bruce Arthur Young , PhD

Anand Narayanan , PhD

Dr. Anand Narayanan has an interdisciplinary background in engineering, biology, and physiology, with specialized training in cardiovascular sciences, in lymphatics while at Texas A&M University and in heart and blood vascular adaptations now at Florida State University, having also studied cardiovascular-coupled organ system adaptations including cerebral, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal physiology. He has more than 10 years of physiology and immunology experience, in various research areas including auto-immune conditions, old age, exercise training, etc. His current research focuses on the interaction between the immune system and how it affects cardiovascular physiology.

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Dr. Erik Blackwood is currently a researcher at the University of Arizona, in the College of Medicine. Erik earned his PhD under Dr. Chris Glembotski at the San Diego State University Heart Institute, after completing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Notre Dame.

Throughout his career, Erik’s research has focused on unlocking the therapeutic potential of various targets on pathological cardiovascular remodeling. In his current role, at the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center, Erik works closely with other scientists and physicians with an eye on discovering novel therapies for cardiovascular disease and rapidly moving them into the clinic to provide improved patient outcomes.

Erik has worked to equip the lab at the University of Arizona with innovative tools to help the team achieve their research goals. Some of this equipment, supplied by Scintica, includes simultaneous PET/MR imaging; a suite of surgical stations including surgical monitoring, anesthesia, and ventilators, as well as surgical microscopes; and finally systems to measure blood flow velocity.

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Erik Alexander Blackwood, PhD

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