Meet the Physiologists-in-Residence

Ms. Mathis, a native of Baton Rouge, LA, is currently in her third year of the Ph.D. program in the Department of Physiology at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSU HSC) in New Orleans, LA. She received a B.S. in Physics from Southern University and A&M College, an M.S. in Applied Physics from Purdue University, and an M.S in Physiology from LSU HSC.

Keisa conducts her dissertation research in Dr. Patricia Molina’s laboratory at LSU-HSC. Their laboratory focuses on the cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune impact of alcohol on the outcome from trauma and hemorrhagic shock. Acute alcohol intoxication is frequently associated with traumatic incidents such as vehicle accidents, falls, burns, and suicides. She is particularly interested in how acute alcohol intoxication may alter the hemodynamic counter-regulatory response to hemorrhage via neural, physical or humoral mechanisms. Her current project focuses on the use of central cholinergic drugs to improve the outcome from hemorrhage in alcohol-treated rodents.

In the 10th grade, Keisa took an introductory biology course that got her interested in genetics and the human body. While working on her master’s in physics, she took an undergraduate biology course that made her realize that physiology was the study of the human body. She wanted to understand the human body, so she thought getting a graduate degree in physiology would be best. Keisa was thrilled that it involved research and teaching, because those were, and still are, her career goals.

Outside of research, Keisa spends time with her husband and family. She also volunteers as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority by tutoring, mentoring, and raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of using a seat belt. Keisa has also volunteered through a joint program with LSU Health Sciences Center and the New Orleans Recovery School District which allows her to go into 4th grade classrooms to teach and lead experiments in science that will help the students prepare for the LEAP exam, one of Louisiana’s mandatory standardized tests.

Dr. Gwathmey, a native of rural King William County, VA, is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She earned a B.S. in Molecular Biology from Hampton University, an M.S. in Endocrinology & Reproductive Biology from the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and a Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology from Cornell University.

TanYa’s research examines the effects of synthetic steroids administered during prenatal development on kidney function and regulation of blood pressure as the children become adults. When pregnant women are at risk for premature delivery of their baby, they are typically administered synthetic steroids to induce lung maturation of the fetus. Several studies have shown that these children are likely to develop hypertension in adulthood. Dr. Gwathmey conducts research to understand the mechanisms by which hypertension develops in hopes of devising a means by which to prevent the development of hypertension, as well as creating treatments for therapy. This level of research is essential because it creates the foundation by which physicians are able to treat illnesses.

From the time TanYa was a little girl, she often spent hours sitting in her uncle’s auto repair shop and she became fascinated with mechanics. As her interests in science grew, she began to make the analogy of the human body behaving as a well-oiled machine. This stimulated her desire to understand the physiology behind the various processes that the body carries out. TanYa supposes that she has always been one of the little children that always ask, “Why?”

Most of TanYa’s time spent away from the laboratory is dedicated to working in her neighborhood outreach program, helping youth to develop goals and a plan to achieve them, as well as teaching life-skills to adults. She also enjoys driving through neighborhoods looking at the architecture and landscaping of homes. She is interested in Interior Design and can become entangled in intricate design details for hours on end.

Dr. Schmidt has been a faculty member in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Iowa since 1983, and has served as Director of Graduate Studies in that department for the past 20 years. In 2007 he was appointed Assistant Dean in the Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum in the Carver College of Medicine. A native of Haddonfield, New Jersey, Tom holds a Bachelor’s Degree in biological sciences from the University of Delaware, and M.A. and Ph.D. Degrees in physiology from Cornell University. He conducted postdoctoral research in endocrinology at both the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD and Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia, PA.

Tom’s research interests focus on the cellular and molecular mechanism(s) of steroid hormone action. He is particularly interested in how glucocorticoid hormones, such as cortisol, and mineralocorticoid hormones, such as aldosterone, interact with their intracellular receptors and how these hormone-receptor complexes regulate gene expression in cancer cells as well as normal target cells. He is a former Scholar of the Leukemia Society of America. He has authored, or co-authored, numerous peer- reviewed research papers, reviews and book chapters on these and related topics in endocrinology. He has also been a major contributor to several editions of the Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations, which is used by medical students worldwide. Tom enjoys teaching graduate students as well as medical students and has been the recipient of several prestigious teaching awards at Iowa. He is honored to hold the Harold A. Myers Distinguished Professorship in Medical Education. He currently serves as a co-course director for Human Organ Systems, which is a first year medical school course that integrates function (physiology) with structure (histology).

Dr. Schmidt is an active member of the International Association of Medical Science Educators and the APS, where he has served on both the Education Committee and the Careers in Physiology Committee. He has also been invited to serve as a faculty member for The Harvard Macy Institute in their “Program for Leading Innovations in Health Care and Education.”

Tom enjoys photography, gardening, travel and volunteer work and since he is a loyal Iowa Hawkeye fan, he bleeds Black and Gold.