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Story contact: Rachel Becker, CVMMarCom@missouri.edu
Researchers from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine have been recognized with the American Heart Association Career Development Award, underscoring the college’s strength in cardiovascular and translational science.
Sandy Saunders, PhD, and Yoko Wang, PhD, now research track assistant professors, received the award during their postdoctoral training. Each earned a nationally competitive grant supporting the transition to independent research careers.
Under the mentorship of Carie Boychuk, PhD, both researchers have focused on understanding how the brain regulates critical bodily functions.
Saunders’ work examines how stress interacts with epilepsy to disrupt heart and lung function, contributing to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). She plans to expand this research by investigating how the brain controls breathing.
Wang’s research explores how dietary factors influence the brain’s regulation of heart rate, with future work aimed at understanding how the body senses food intake and communicates that information to brain regions that control cardiovascular function.
“It is an incredible achievement for a college to get even one of these in a single cycle, but to have two young scientists capable of this achievement is truly outstanding,” Boychuk said. “The work they’ve already accomplished, as well as what they’ve proposed, is genuinely impressive. As their independent programs grow, I have no doubt they’ll contribute a wealth of exciting insights to the scientific community.”