Dr. Cheri McGowan

Dr. Cheri McGowan

E-mail :mcgowanc@uwindsor.ca
Phone : (519) 253 - 3000 ext: 2451
Office: H.K. Building, Room 133

PACR laboratory

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory, Division of Cardiology, University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital, 2008

Ph.D., McMaster University, Human BioDynamics (Cardiovascular Physiology and Exercise Rehabilitation), 2006

M.Sc., McMaster University, Human BioDynamics (Health Psychology and Cardiac Rehabilitation), 2001

B.Sc., University of Waterloo, 1999

Bio:
Dr. McGowan joined the faculty in January, 2009. Her teaching interests include exercise physiology, the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and exercise rehabilitation. Dr. McGowan’s overall goal as a researcher is to improve quality of life in humans by reducing disease-related morbidity and mortality. Using direct and indirect measures of autonomic activity and ultrasound imaging, she aims to increase our understanding of the mechanisms involved in cardiovascular regulation in health and disease, and of how these mechanisms are altered with exercise and/or psychological interventions. Dr. McGowan was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada for her doctoral and postdoctoral work.

Key Scholarly Activities:

1. Stiller-Moldovan, C., Kenno, K., McGowan, C.L. Effects of isometric handgrip training on bloodpressure (resting and 24-hour ambulatory) and heart rate variability in medicated hypertensive. Blood Pressure Monitoring. 2012; 17:55-61.
2. McGowan, C.L., Notarius, C, F., Morris, B, L., McReynolds, A., Kimmerly, D.S., Picton, P.E., Floras, J.S. Effect of angiotension type 1 (AT1) receptor blockade on muscle sympathetic responses to hand grip exercise in healthy men. American Journal of Hypertension. 2011; 24: 537-543.
3. McGowan, C.L., Levy, A.S., McCartney, N., MacDonald, M.J. Isometric handgrip training does not improve flow-mediated dilation in subjects with normal blood pressure. Clinical Science. 2007; 112:403-409.
4. McGowan, C.L., Levy, A.S, Millar, P.J., Guzman, J.C., Morillo, C.A., McCartney, N., MacDonald, M.J. Acute vascular responses to isometric handgrip exercise and the effects of training in persons medicated for hypertension. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2006; 291:H1797-H1802.
5. McGowan, C.L., Visocchi, A., Faulkner, M., Verduyn, R., Rakobowchuk, M., Levy, A.S., McCartney, N., MacDonald, M.J. Isometric handgrip training improves local flow-mediated dilation in medicated hypertensives. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2006; 98:355-362.

Research Interests

• Mechanisms that alter autonomic function and/or augment sympathetic nervous system activity in persons with cardiovascular disease and related disorders using:
• Intraneural recordings of sympathetic outflow to muscle (MSNA; microneurography),
• MSNA variability and reflex modulation (power spectral transfer function),
• Heart rate in the time and frequency domains,
• Blood markers of sympathetic nervous system activity, and
• Associated stimuli (cold pressor test, handgrip test, apnea test)Vascular health
• Doppler ultrasound applied for the purpose of assessing endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation (conduit artery and resistance vessel function)
• Reactive hyperemia ,Resting brachial, femoral, popliteal and carotid artery diameters Venous occlusion plethysmography, and Blood markers of vascular function
• Blood pressure (resting and ambulatory)
• Neurovascular interactions at rest, and the response to acute and chronic exercise in both healthy and diseased populations
• Interventions that target the pathological mechanisms of autonomic and vascular dysfunction in cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors

Current Target Study Populations:

1. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
2. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
3. Post-menopausal Women with elevated blood pressure

Current Graduate Students:

Josh Seifarth
Andrew Friesen
Sarah Hanik
Adam McMahon
Yasina Somani

Current Undergraduate Students:

Shane Freeman (Research Assistant; Human Kinetics)
Amanda Malandruccalo (Volunteer; Biological Sciences)
Franklyn Bartol (Volunteer; Biological Sciences)
Shannon Thompson (Honours Thesis; Biological Sciences)
Chelsea Wade (Independent Study; Human Kinetics)
Tyler Pratt (Independent Study; Human Kinetics)
Kristy Martin (Volunteer; Human Kinetics)
David Paquin (Volunteer; Human Kinetics)