Health and Integrative Physiology (HIP) Laboratory

The focus of the Health and Integrative Physiology (HIP) laboratory is to understand how the respiratory and cardiovascular systems interact, respond and adapt to physiological stressors such as exercise, disease, and hypoxia. The interactions between the heart, vasculature, lungs, and muscles of respiration are complex with many unanswered questions remaining. Moreover, the importance of biological sex is rarely considered when exploring the complexities of cardio-respiratory interactions. A number of ongoing research studies have been designed to blend these themes. An important aim of ongoing work is to provide significant training opportunities for highly-qualified trainees ranging from undergraduates to post doctoral fellows.

The HIP lab is located in the Chan Gunn Pavilion on the campus of UBC. It is equipped with techniques and equipment necessary to study the respiratory and cardiovascular systems in humans at rest and during exercise. We use Doppler ultrasound to measure blood flow to limbs. We make continuous beat-by-beat measurements of arterial blood pressure. We have recently begun to record muscle sympathetic nerve activity. Techniques to measure ventilatory responsiveness to chemical stimuli (oxygen, carbon dioxide) are in place. Data collection/analysis hardware & software are available (PowerLab and LabView). The above methods permit simultaneous measures of blood flow, vascular resistance, autonomic activity, and the quantification of the temporal alignment between the neural, ventilatory and hemodynamic responses to physiological perturbations. In addition, standard exercise physiology equipment is housed within the lab.

Research in the HIP lab is supported by the following granting agencies:

People

View Dr. Sheel's profile page.

  • Joshua Taylor, BSc, University of Leeds; MSc Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  • Stephen Busch, BKIN, University of British Columbia – Okanagan; MSc, University of Alberta
  • Viviana Shiffman, BSc, Western University; MSc University of British Columbia
  • Sierra Arn, BKIN, University of British Columbia
  • Owen Payne, BSc, Queen’s University
  • Rachel Jackman, BA, St. Olaf College
  • Chloe Matthews, BKIN, University of British Columbia
  • Eva Fleming, BSc, University of Alberta
  • Katelyn Cotterell, BKIN
  • Hira Niazi, BKIN
  • Jake Hannah, BKIN
  • Max Geise, BKIN
  • Tian Rabbani, BKIN
  • Hannah Folkmann, BKIN
  • Malcolm MacDonald, BKIN
  • Caitlin Geary, BKIN
  • Hanna Parmar, BSc
  • McKenzie Summers, BKIN
  • Eric Smith, BKIN
  • Grayson Allen, BKIN
  • Jasmine Sears, BKIN
  • Cara McCulloch, BKIN
  • Laura McCracken, BKIN
  • Jacqueline Render, BKIN
  • Nathan Hers, BKIN
  • Ryan Koo, BKIN
  • Jordon Lui, BKIN
  • Thora Rae, BKIN
  • Emily Gerson, MSc
  • Paige Reinhard, MSc
  • Carli Peters, MSc, PhD
  • Bruno Archiza, Post-Doctoral Fellow
  • Kathryn Duff, PhD
  • Zoe Fetting-Winn, MKIN
  • Joseph Welch, PhD
  • Yannick Molgat-Seon, PhD
  • Joshua Bovard, MSc
  • Paolo Dominelli, BKIN, MSc, PhD
  • William Henderson, MD, PhD
  • Sabrina Wilkie, MSc
  • Glen Foster, Post-Doctoral Fellow
  • Josh McKay, MSc
  • Jordan Querido, MSc, PhD, MD
  • Meaghan MacNutt, PhD
  • Jordan Guenette, MSc, PhD
  • Simone Tomczak, MSc
  • Jill Kennedy, MSc
  • Megan Sherman, MSc
  • Jonathan Witt, MSc
  • Sara Jane Lusina, MSc
  • Jennifer Richards, MSc
  • Mick Leahy, PhD
  • Shalaya Kipp, MSc, PhD
  • Jenna Benbaruj, MSc
  • Nikol Grishin, MSc

Note: See a list of publications on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine – search Sheel AW.

Selected Recent Publications

* Indicates current or former student from the HIP lab

Shiffman VJ*, Rose P, Hughes B, Koehle MS, McKinney J, McKenzie DC, Leahy MG*, Kipp S*, Peters CM* and Sheel AW. Exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia in female masters athletes. Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology (In Press)

Peters CM*, Dempsey JA, Hopkins SR and Sheel AW. Is the lung built for exercise? Advances and unresolved questions. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (In press)

Ramsook AH, Schaeffer MR, Mitchell RA, Dhillon SS, Milne KM, Ferguson O, Puyat J, Koehle MS, Sheel AW and Guenette JA. Voluntary activation of the diaphragm after inspiratory pressure threshold loading. Physiological Reports 11(2):e15575, p.1-16, 2023.

Leitão Filho FS, Peters CM*, Sheel AW, Yang J, Nislow C, Lam S, Leung JM and Sin DD. Characterization of the lower airways and oral microbiota in healthy young persons in the community. Biomedicines 11(3):841, p.1-17, 2023.

Leahy MG*, Kipp S* and Sheel AW. The respiratory physiology of exercise: age and sex considerations. Current Opinion in Physiology 33:100652, p.1-7, 2023.

Shafer BM, Nardone M, Incognito AV, Vermeulen TD, Teixeira AL, Millar PH, Sheel AW, West C, Ayas N and Foster GE*. Acute hypoxia elicits lasting reductions in the sympathetic action potential transduction of arterial blood pressure. Journal of Physiology 601(3):669-687, 2023.

Leahy MG*, Kipp S*, Benbaruj JM*, Charkoudian N, Foster GE*, Koehle MS and Sheel AW. Effects of sex and age on the respiratory muscle metaboreflex. Journal of Physiology 601(3):689-702, 2023.

Gerson EAM*, Dominelli PB*, Leahy MG*, Kipp S*, Guenette, Archiza B* and Sheel AW. The effect of proportional assist ventilation on the electrical activity of the human diaphragm during exercise. Experimental Physiology 108(2):296-306, 2023.

Reinhard PA*, Archiza B*, Welch JF*, Benbaruj J*, Guenette JA, Koehle MS and Sheel AW. Effects of hypoxia on exercise-induced diaphragm fatigue in healthy males and females. Physiological Reports 11(2):e15589, p.1-13, 2023.

Kipp S*, Leahy MG*, Hanna JA* and Sheel AW. Perceived exertion and dyspnea while cycling during a hypoxic and hyperoxic placebo. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 47(12):1134-1142, 2022.

Barha CK, Falck RS, Best JR, Nagamatsu LS, Hsiung GYR, Sheel AW, Hsu CL, Kramer AF, Voss MW, Kerickson KI, Davis JC, Shoemaker JK, Boyd L, Crockett RA, ten Brinkle L, Bherer L, Singer J, Bullock A, Grant S and Liu-Ambrose T. Reshaping the path of mild cognitive impairment by refining exercise prescription: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial to understand the “what”, “for whom”, and “how” of exercise to promote cognitive function. Trials 23(1):766, 2022.

Gee CM, Williams AM, Peters CM*, Eves ND, Sheel AW and West CR. Influence of respiratory loading on left-ventricular function in cervical spinal cord injury. Journal of Physiology 600(18):4105-4118, 2022.

Molgat-Seon Y*, Dominelli PB*, Peters CM*, Kipp S*, Welch JF*, Parmar HR*, Rabanni T*, Mann LM, Sawatzky MAT, Guenette JA and Sheel AW. Predictors of expiratory flow limitation during exercise in healthy men and women. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 54(9):1428-1436, 2022.

Ramsook AH, Schaeffer MR, Mitchell RA, Dhillon SS, Milne KM, Hutchinson O, Puyat JH, Koehle MS, Sheel AW and Guenette JA. Sex differences in diaphragm voluntary activation after exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 54(7):1167-1175, 2022.

Peters CM*, Peters RC, Lee RD, Lam S, Sin DD, McKenzie DC and Sheel AW. Software development to optimize the minimal detectable difference in human airway images captured using optical coherence tomography. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging 42(5):308-319, 2022.

Angus SA, Henderson WR*, Banoei MM, Molgat-Seon Y*, Peters CM*, Parmar HR*, Griesdale DEG, Shekhon M, Sheel AW, Winston BW and Dominelli PB*. Therapeutic hypothermia attenuates physiologic, histologic and metabolomic markers of injury in a porcine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Physiological Reports 10(9):e15286, p.1-17, 2022.

Potential Students:

Students interested in pursuing a graduate degree or a post doctoral fellowship are encouraged to contact Dr. Sheel directly (bill.sheel@ubc.ca).

William Sheel, PhD
School of Kinesiology
The University of British Columbia
Vancouver Campus, 2553 Wesbrook Mall | Vancouver BC | V6T 1Z3 Canada

604 822 4459
bill.sheel@ubc.ca