Cerebral & Cardiovascular
Physiology Laboratory
The Cerebral & Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory was founded in 2012 by Caroline Rickards, PhD in the Department of Physiology & Anatomy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC). Our research focuses on the regulation and protection of brain blood flow and oxygenation during stressors that challenge cerebral perfusion such as traumatic hemorrhage, cardiac arrest, and stroke. We also explore and develop novel therapies that can be used to protect vital organ perfusion under conditions of hypoperfusion.
News
April 4th, 2025
Lab Members Present at Local Conferences
Members of the Cerebral & Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory presented at two local conferences at HSC – Research Appreciation Day (RAD) on March 24th and the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences (CBTS) Research Day on April 4th!
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Austin presented his project, "Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy Increases Sympathetic Activity, but Does Not Change Brachial Blood Artery Flow or Vascular Transduction", as an oral presentation in RAD and as a poster in CBTS Research Day.
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Viet presented his project, "Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy at 0.1 Hz Protects Cerebral Blood Flow and Tissue Oxygenation in Humans During Simulated Hemorrhage", as an oral presentation in RAD, and as a poster and 3MT in CBTS Research Day. Viet was an organizer for CBTS Research Day, and he won 2nd Place Research Poster for Physiology & Anatomy and Winner for 3MT!
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Michael presented his project, "Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy Does Not Affect Cardiac Function During Simulated Hemorrhage in Humans", as an oral presentation in RAD and as a poster in CBTS Research Day. These were his very first research presentations as a PhD student!
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Congrats to all members of the lab for their awesome presentations!
April 2nd, 2025
Dr. Davis Defends Dissertation!
HE MADE IT!!!
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Austin Davis successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy: A Novel Approach to Improve Tissue Oxygenation and Increase Sympathetic Activity", earning his Doctorate of Philosophy in Biomedical and Translational Sciences with a concentration in Integrative Physiology!
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Austin's dissertation studies spanned four years of hard work across two experimental sites and two human experimental protocols, in which he developed the 2nd generation model of Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy utilizing intermittent inflation of thigh cuffs, demonstrating its ability to induce 0.1 Hz hemodynamic oscillations in a clinically feasible model.
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A massive congratulations to Dr. K. Austin Davis!​
March 27th, 2025
Dr. Rickards Receives Prestigious AHA Collaborative Sciences Grant!
Dr. Rickards was awarded the American Heart Association Collaborative Sciences Award. This project, entitled "Validating Non-Invasive Sensors for Compensatory Hemodynamics as Predictors of Decompensation", is in collaboration with Dr. Ken Oldham at the University of Michigan and totals $1 million over the next three years.
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A massive congratulations to Dr. Rickards!
February 25th, 2025
Austin Receives Prestigious APS Award
Austin is the recipient of the Environmental & Exercise Physiology (EEP) Section Gatorade Sport Science Institute Predoctoral Research Award through the American Physiological Society! This prestigious award recognizes a predoctoral graduate student for outstanding research in environmental, exercise, thermal, or applied physiology.
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Austin received this award for his abstract entitled "Induced 0.1 Hz Hemodynamic Oscillations Protect Peripheral Oxygenation Despite No Effect on Vascular Conductance During Simulated Hemorrhage in Humans", which he will be presenting at the 2025 APS Summit in Baltimore, MD. As part of this award, Austin will also get the exciting chance to present his work in just 2 minutes at the EEP Sprints alongside other winners of EEP awards. Check out the EEP Sprints at the PhysioHub Discovery Stage on Friday, April 25th at 3:15 PM!
December 9th, 2024
New Lab Member!
The Cerebral & Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory welcomes our newest member – Michael Eleruja, MS, MBChB! Michael received his undergraduate degree at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, where he majored in Medicine and Surgery.
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Michael's love for research prompted him to pause his clinical practice in order to obtain his master's degree at Central Washington University in Integrative Human Physiology.
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He is currently developing his PhD dissertation, which will be focused on the cardiovascular effects of Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy using a multi-model approach. Michael hopes to make an impact in the scientific world through creative and translatable research ideas.
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Outside of lab work, he enjoys having fun with friends, playing video games, and listening to music.
November 1st, 2024
13th International Meeting of the Cerebrovascular Research Network (CARNet) – Québec, Canada
The Cerebral & Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory attended the 13th International Meeting of the Cerebrovascular Research Network (CARNet), held at Université Laval in Québec, Canada! CARNet hosts an annual conference to discuss the latest and greatest of cerebrovascular research from around the world. This year, several members of our laboratory were selected for oral presentations.
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Viet Dinh presented in a Physiology session on his work assessing Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy and its protective effects on cerebral blood flow and survival following severe hemorrhage in rats. Viet was awarded 1st Place in the Oral Presentation trainee competition, as well as the Overall Winner of the trainee competition!
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Austin Davis presented in a Measurement & Modeling session on his work assessing dynamic cerebral autoregulation via inflatable thigh cuff compressions at 0.1 Hz, and won the inaugural CARNet Bingo!
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Former lab member Dr. Justin Sprick was also invited as a Rising Star Speaker in the Clinical section, where he presented his own research on cerebrovascular regulation in chronic kidney disease.
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Last but certainly not least, none of this would have been possible without Dr. Caroline Rickards, who took on a leading role with the organization and delivery of the meeting in her role as Chair of CARNet.
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Congratulations to all members of the lab, past and present! We certainly look forward to attending CARNet 2025!
October 31st, 2024
Halloween Costume Contest
We still have to represent even if we're out of town!
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For the annual Department of Physiology & Anatomy Halloween Costume Contest, we decided to go for an Olympics theme. Viet was Dr. Rachael "Raygun" Gunn, the (in)famous Australian breakdancer. Austin was Yusuf Dikeç, the silver-winning Turkish shooter. Michael was Kim Yeji, the South Korean shooter straight out of a James Bond movie.
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Viet and Austin became the PHAN department's first ever out-of-town winners, bringing home the gold and claiming 1st place in the 2024 PHAN Costume Contest!
October 14th, 2024
1st Year PhD Student Rotation
Welcome to Michael Eleruja, a 1st year PhD student at UNTHSC, who has joined the laboratory as a rotating student this semester! Michael received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.Ch.B) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, before obtaining his MS in Integrative Human Physiology from Central Washington University.
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Michael will be spending the next eight weeks in the Cerebral & Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory to learn about the skills, techniques, and physiological concepts employed in our lab.
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October 3rd, 2024
NIH T32 Predoctoral Fellowship
Congratulations to Viet Dinh for receiving a NIH T32 Predoctoral Fellowship!
Viet is one of ten T32 fellows in the NIH Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (NBAAD) Training Program at UNTHSC. This predoctoral fellowship will help support Viet's project on Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy (PPT) and its potential protection of cerebral blood flow and tissue oxygenation following severe acute ischemia. These studies will set the ground work for future investigations of PPT as a treatment for vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
September 19th, 2024
New Publication!
(Davis et al., 2024)
Congratulations to Austin Davis on the publication of the first manuscript from his PhD dissertation!
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The 1st first–author publication for Austin's PhD, "Induced Blood Flow Oscillations at 0.1 Hz Protects Oxygenation of Severely Ischemic Tissue in Humans", features his work investigating our new thigh-cuff approach for Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy, with a focus on the protection of tissue oxygenation in a unique ischemic limb model that Austin developed for this project. This publication is a big step not only for Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy, but also for Austin's doctoral dissertation!
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When asked about the most fulfilling aspect in the process of publishing this paper, Austin said that being able to facilitate each step of this project from its design to its publication was very validating, with his goal of a career in biomedical research.
September 4th, 2024
AHA Fellowship Application Submissions
Lab members Viet Dinh and Austin Davis submitted their applications for American Heart Association fellowships today! Viet is applying for a AHA Predoctoral Fellowship for his project on Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy and its protective effects following severe hemorrhage. Austin is applying for a AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project on the Brain-Heart Connection in PTSD (with Dr. Michael Nelson at UT Arlington).
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Keep your fingers crossed for Viet & Austin!
July 13th, 2024
Robert J. Hardin Translational Cardiovascular Research Symposium
The Cerebral & Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory attended the inaugural Robert J. Hardin Translational Cardiovascular Research Symposium. Hosted by the Department of Physiology and Anatomy and School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Health Science Center at Fort Worth, this symposium showcased engaging talks from leading scientists on emerging trends in cardiovascular research and health.
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Our very own Lindsey Hudson was the MS recipient of the Robert J. Hardin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational Cardiovascular Research, and had the opportunity to present her Master's thesis research in an oral presentation at the symposium. Austin and Viet were also given the opportunity to present their research in the poster session.
July 11th, 2024
Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program
Ayrion Moody (University of North Texas) spent the past ten weeks in the laboratory as part of the UNTHSC Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program (SRIP)! For his summer project, Ayrion investigated the protective effects of PPT on cerebral tissue oxygenation during simulated hemorrhage in humans.
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Ayrion gave his very first poster presentation at the SRIP Research Appreciation Day - congratulations Ayrion! This Fall he will be taking the skills he learned from us, and putting them to good use as a new undergraduate member of Justin Sprick's laboratory at UNT Denton.
Contact Us
Interested in joining the lab?
Email Dr. Caroline Rickards for information about PhD, MS, and postdoctoral fellowship opportunities
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Interested in being a research participant?