Super exciting to learn about all the Down syndrome research going on at the Annual NIH #INCLUDE Workshop today! I am beyond honoured to have had the opportunity to present and really appreciated the questions/feedback from the audience! Felt like I was back at my comp. exams!

Just as suspected! Pre-menopausal women tend to display attenuated increases in sympathetic vasomotor outflow compared to age-matched men. Or, if you’re Sydney R. DeJonge, M.S. , you remain unfazed by several quick sympathetic stimuli. Loved learning more about MSNA from IPL alum Kanokwan (Mandy) Bunsawat, PhD

A little late, but happy World Down syndrome day! Celebrated the day by collecting vascular data during exercise on individuals with DS & the evening helping to prepare my team for the Disabilities Festival tournament next wknd in STL! Go Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey! 🟡🔵

Great, great news from one of our senior PhD students, Brooks Hibner, in officially accepting the position as Clinical Asst Prof in my former Dept at UIC, and becoming the inaugural Director of the Clinical Ex Phys concentration I helped “design & install”!! So excited for him!

Had such a great time at the #APSSummit23 and completely fired up for my LAST DATA COLLECTION OF MY DISSERTATION today!! Wouldn’t have been possible without Tracy Baynard, PhD and the IPL tribe behind me! 🎉

Barbie is for everyone! 💛💙

That’s a wrap! 100 study visits, ~4 hours each, 48 subjects (24 with Down syndrome) in SEVEN (7!) months! This project, while exhausting at times, has been so fulfilling and something I am so proud of. Now to analyse the blood flow files! Stay tuned for exciting data ahead! #IPL

Received some great news this afternoon! I received the Deans Scholar Fellowship for the Life Sciences division of the graduate college and I will no longer be teaching at the University of Illinois Chicago. It’s been a sweet ride, but I’m ready to focus on the good stuff! 🎉📚📝

Fantastic talk today from Ances BioImaging Laboratory summarising the Alzheimer Biomarkers Consortium — Down Syndrome data among other exciting connections between Down syndrome and Alzheimers. My favourite part was the end where he highlighted the community involvement down in St. Louis (my hometown!) with the DS community!

This week in my journey of learning more about basic (“bench”) science, Dr. Natalia Do Couto of the Levitan/Phillips lab at UIC, is walking me through the basics of immunostaining! If bench science were an elementary school program, it would for sure be art class!! 🧫🧪🔬

It’s always nice to talk science with fellow lovers of vascular function at North American Artery #NAA2023. Bo (fasho) & I were excited to present some of the data we’ve been working on in the IPL for 3 years now re: altered blood flow control in individuals with MS! North American Artery Society

Really interesting presentation by Dr. Zhen Yan of Virginia Tech today titled “Exercise is Better than Medicine” discussing AMPKs role in exercise-induced mitophogy (AMPK really is the 🐐). If you haven’t gotten your steps today, now is a good reminder to do so! 🤓💪🏼 Zhen Yan

this hits so hard! ❤️‍🔥

Let’s go Sara R. Sherman, PhD!!! De-Fense! De-Fense! De-Fense! #phdchat #uicahs #womeninSTEM

A lot going on the last 1.5 months: presented my dissertation data for the first time at American Physiological Society Summit, defended my dissertation (& passed!), turned 33, graduated, escaped prison w/ Tracy Baynard, PhD , & in true ex phys style, finally beat my high school mile time (5:45!!)!

Today at the Trisomy 21 Conference in Rome, Italy, a student approached one of my mentors, Dr. Bo Fernhall, and asked … for his autograph. I remember being just as aw-struck meeting him 7 years ago now. Thats the sign of a good mentor. Tracy Baynard, PhD you’re not so bad either 😅!

If you’re at the Trisomy 21 Research Society conference tomorrow, you should come by the 11-12:30 talk titled “Physiological Mechanisms of Exercise Intolerance in Adults with Down syndrome”! I am excited to present the 2nd aim of my dissertation (BF reg) alongside some amazing colleagues & friends!🙌🏼

The last 11mo, I have been working on murine handling skills in a small project w/ @deruislr . Had a nightmare last night that I combined a cage of rats, male WT & female Ts65Dn. Woke up bc my watch alerted me I wasn’t breathing. Conclusion: mental hazing, bench science style. 😵‍💫