Matthew Barberio, PhD
President
Matthew Barberio is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at George Washington University. He joined APS in 2009 as a graduate student in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University where he earned his Ph.D. 2013. He was a NRSA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at CNMC in the Genomics of Skeletal Muscle training program using transcriptomics and epigenomics to study molecular modifications of adipose and skeletal muscle tissue during disease and lifestyle interventions. He was also funded by the American Heart Association studying the epigenetics of macrophage cholesterol homeostasis in youths with obesity. Matt became involved in the Greater Washington DC Area Physiological Society in 2016, served as the Annual Meeting Program Chair in 2017, and Vice President 2018-2019. He looks forward to help diversify the physiology topics at the dmvCAPS Annual Meeting, and increasing the opportunity for new and young investigators to highlight their work.
Email me: mbarberio@gwu.edu
Jeremy Smyth, PhD
Vice President
Jeremy Smyth an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. His research seeks to understand the role of intracellular calcium physiology in human health and disease, and his lab uses a variety of approaches including mammalian cell culture and Drosophila genetics. Dr. Smyth has been involved with dmvCAPS since 2018, and, as Vice President, will be working to plan engaging meetings with opportunities for trainees to present and network.
Email me: jeremy.smyth@usuhs.edu
Danielle Kirkman, PhD
Secretary
Danielle Kirkman is an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. She earned her PhD in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Bangor University in Wales, UK and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Delaware. Her research is focused on integrative physiology at the nexus of cardiovascular and renal health. Specifically, her work investigates the underlying physiological mechanisms involved cardiorenal syndrome. She aims to identify novel treatment targets and implement interventions that may have a direct clinical impact (through improving exercise tolerance and quality of life) and a disease modifying impact (by way of preventing or slowing the progression of cardiovascular and/or renal disease).
Email me: dlkirkman@vcu.edu
Thomas Flagg, PhD
Treasurer
Thomas Flagg has been a member of the APS off & on since 1996 when he was a graduate student in the Department of Physiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. While there, he completed his thesis project in the lab of Dr. Paul A. Welling, where he characterized the effects of Bartter’s disease-associated mutations on the function of the ROMK1 (Kir1.1a) inward rectifying potassium channel. He went on to postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Colin G. Nichols at Washington University in St. Louis. It was here that he developed his interest in cardiomyocyte physiology, metabolism and the structure and function of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP). In 2008, he joined the faculty at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. Current work in his lab is focused on studying epigenetic mechanisms that determine when and where KATP subunits are expressed in the heart. He is also actively involved in helping to develop and advance medical physiology education in an integrated curriculum with a particular focus on developing laboratory exercises and interactive learning tools for students.
Email me: thomas.flagg@usuhs.edu
Courtney Petersen
Graduate Student Representative
Courtney Petersen is a fifth year student in the Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) program at Uniformed Services University (USU), studying calcium dynamics in Drosophila heart physiology. At USU, she has served as the MCB program representative on the graduate student council and the founder of the Biomedical Educators student interest group. She has participated in dmvCAPS meetings since 2017, looks forward to participating as a member of the Executive Committee.
Email me: courtney.petersen.ctr@usuhs.edu
Greater Washington DC Area Physiological Society 