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:

• Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
• Canadian Foundation for Innovation
• British Columbia Lung Association
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research

People

Selected Recent Publications

* Indicates current or former student from the HIP lab

Niazi H*, Benbaruj J*, Sheel AW and MacNutt MJ. Exercise physiology trails the field in sex and gender equity: a call for faster progress, higher standards, and stronger science. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (in press)

Sheel AW and Angus SA. Breathing during exercise: respiratory and circulatory interactions. Physiology (in press)

Mitchell RA, Ferguson ON, Hind AS, Flynn M, Arnold JI, Schaeffer MR, Dhillon SS, Eves ND, Sheel AW and Guenette JA. Manipulating the ventilatory response to exercise using dead space loading: sex differences in the perception dyspnoea. Journal of Physiology 604(1):605-635, 2026.

Alanis GA, Williams AM, Hayes B, Gee DM, Erskine E, Fossey M, Poormasjedi-Meibod MS, Sheel AW, Phillips AA and West CR. Ventricular-arterial coupling in community-dwelling individuals and athletes with cervical spinal cord injury. Journal of Applied Physiology (in press)

Mitchell RA, Hind A, Ferguson ON, Flynn M, Arnold J, Dhillon S, Eves ND, Sheel AW and Guenette JA. Multidimensional assessment of exertional dyspnea in young healthy males and females that select unsatisfied inspiration at peak exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology 138(1):73-88, 2025.

Leahy MG*, Kipp S* and Sheel AW. The effect of waistbands on intra-abdominal pressure and respiratory mechanics during bodyweight exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 38(12):2047-2054, 2024.

Stothers B, Hung A, Gonçalves PEO, Harris OD, Pei LX, Arnold JA, van de Kerkhof T, Borduas-Dedekind N, Sheel AW and Koehle MS. Examining the effect of salbutamol use in ozone air pollution by people with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Physiological Reports 12(21):E70117, p.1-11, 2024.

Payne OT*, Leahy MG*, Burr JF, Road JD, McKenzie DC and Sheel AW. The effect of aerobic fitness on exercise-induced diaphragmatic fatigue in females. Journal of Applied Physiology 137(5):1145-1157, 2024.

Angus SA, Taylor JL*, Mann LM, Williams AM, Stöhr EJ, Au JS, Sheel AW and Dominelli PB. A case report of eliminating respiratory pressure generation via mechanical ventilation in a conscious human during exercise: effect on cardiac function. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 49(10):1436-1440, 2024.

Benbaruj JM*, Leahy MG*, Jackman R*, Rae T,* Boushel R, Foster GE and Sheel AW. Sex-baseddiferences in the muscle metaboreflex are consistent between limb and respiratory muscle. Journal ofApplied Physiology 137(5):1220-1230, 2024.

Leahy MG*, Busch SA*, Thrall SF, Hillen SJ, Sheel AW and Foster GE. Reflex sympathetic activation to inspiratory muscle loading is attenuated in females relative to males. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology 327(1)H:28-37, 2024.

Harris OD, Gonçalves PEO, Hung A, Stothers B, Bougault V, Sheel AW and Koehle MS. Ozone exposure limits cardiorespiratory function during maximal cycling exercise in endurance athletes. Journal of Applied Physiology 136(6):1507-1515, 2024.

Kipp S*, Leahy MG* and Sheel AW. Sports bra restriction on respiratory mechanics during exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 56(6):1168-1176, 2024.

Molgat-Seon Y, Sawatzky MAT, Dominelli PB, Kirby M, Guenette JA, Bourbeau J, Tan WC and Sheel AW on behalf of the CanCOLD collaborative research group. Airway size and its association with exertional dyspnea in healthy males and females. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 149(2):223-235, 2024.

Dominelli PB and Sheel AW. The pulmonary response to exercise. Advances in Physiology Education48(2):238-251, 2024.

Kipp S*, Arn SR,* Leahy MG*, Guenette JA and Sheel AW. The metabolic cost of breathing duringexercise: effects of age and sex. Journal of Applied Physiology 137(2):329-342, 2024.

Leahy MG*, Benbaruj JM*, Payne OT*, Foster GE and Sheel AW. The human muscle metaboreflexcontribution to cardiorespiratory control in males and females. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 49(4):414-525, 2024.

Shiffman VJ*, Tang R, Cotterell K*, Eschelmuller G, Sheel AW and Rose P. Serratus anterior plane nerve block on pulmonary function in healthy young males: an observational study. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia (in press)

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).

Phone: 604 822 4459
bill.sheel@ubc.ca