Home / Person
Michael Hedrick portrait

Michael S. Hedrick, PhD, FAPS

California State University, East Bay

Michael S. Hedrick, PhD, FAPS, is a professor in the department of biological sciences at California State University, East Bay. He’s been an APS member since 1991.

APS members are doing amazing things. We asked Michael S. Hedrick, PhD, FAPS—one of our esteemed member-researchers—to tell us about his research and its implications on our understanding of life and health. We also found out that he’s a rock star at heart.

Describe your research.

In general, I am interested in how the physiology of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems has changed over the course of evolution by examining these systems in fishes, amphibians and reptiles. My colleagues and I are currently working on a project that examines the role of low oxygen levels (hypoxia) during incubation in American alligators and how that impacts the cardiovascular system over a long time period (1–2 years). The role of environmental influences on the embryo and its consequences for long-term cardiovascular adjustments has not been examined before in non-mammalian animals.

Give it context.

We are discovering that incubation of alligator eggs in hypoxia reveals long-term changes to the cardiovascular system that are manifested at all levels of organization, from the genome to the whole animal. There is a rich literature on this topic in mammals which is termed 'fetal programming.' The finding that alligators, and presumably other animals, exhibit cardiovascular 'plasticity' in response to an ecologically relevant stimulus (hypoxia) is the basis of evolutionary change in vertebrate animals.

If you could do anything else, what would it be?

I would be a musician! I started playing the bass guitar about 3 years ago and playing has become a consuming passion for me. I started a band with some science colleagues—'The Third Reviewers.' Unfortunately, we are only able to play together once a year at the Experimental Biology conference, but we have a great time! Nothing makes me happier these days than to pick up my bass and learn a new song!