Dr. Jacquie Baker

Biography

About me

I am a three-time graduate from the University of Western Ontario, where I complete my Hon. BSc, MSc and PhD in the Integrative Biosciences Kinesiology program. I moved to Calgary in 2020, where I am currently a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Cardiac Sciences in the Cumming School of Medicine.

My research

My research focuses on patients with Autonomic Failure under the combined supervision of Drs. Satish Raj and Richard Wilson. The Autonomic Nervous System regulates physiological processes that occur automatically including control of heart rate and blood pressure. Individuals with Autonomic Failure cannot regulate these processes, and as a result their blood pressure drops significantly when they stand up. During my PhD, I examined brain activity in structures that contribute to autonomic control in Autonomic Failure patients. During my fellowship I will investigate a new tool to measure autonomic activity in the brain, assess a novel technique to improve blood pressure regulation, and compare autonomic reactivity that may put women at increased cardiovascular risk.

BRAIN CREATE program aspirations

My career goal is to establish my own autonomic research facility that fosters collaborations between academics, clinicians and industry to advance autonomic research and excite a generation of researchers who are as passionate about this field of study as I am. Through the BRAIN CREATE program I hope to engage in unique expeditions, and gain experience with industry and commercialization.

Commercialization

This research will accelerate development of functional optical coherence tomography as an advanced neurotechnology for studying autonomic disease and cerebral autoregulation. Moreover, we aim to investigate a novel gas rebreathing technique that will lead to the development and commercialization of a combined rebreathing and gas-controlled device to help with blood pressure regulation and symptom relief for patients with autonomic failure.