Presenting Author
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario
My name is Nadia Haghbin and I am a doctoral candidate at University of Western
Ontario. I started my academic life here as a masters student in the Physiology and
Pharmacology department of the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. During
my masters program, I was offered a direct Ph.D. position from the department.
This has allowed me to continue my masters research project under the supervision
of Dr. Donald Welsh in Robarts Research Institute.
The main focus of my research project issmooth muscle cells’ contractile pathways.
Specifically, I am investigating the order of activation and voltage dependency of
G-protein coupled receptors’ underlying signaling. Isolated arteries are used to
myographically measure the diameter and membrane potential in response to
pharmacological agents. This work is supplemented with assessments of protein
phosphorylation involved in smooth muscle cells contraction. This research will
enhance our knowledge of hierarchical arrangement of contractile mechanisms,
furthering our understanding of vascular complications such as subarachnoid
hemorrhages and cerebral vasospasms.