KIP graduate student Matthew Kilgas successfully defended his PhD in Integrative Physiology on November 26th, 2018. At Commencement on Saturday, December 15th the Graduate School will confer to Matthew Kilgas the first Doctor of Philosophy degree in Integrative Physiology from Michigan Tech.
The department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) began offering a PhD in Integrative Physiology in the 2017-18 academic year. Dr. Kilgas was one of two PhD students at Michigan Tech who transferred into the program in its inaugural year (the other student, Kevin Phillips, is scheduled to defend this Spring).
“Matt’s graduation marks a major milestone for the KIP department,” Dr. Carter explains.
Integrative physiology can be defined as the study of organisms as functioning systems of molecules, cells, tissues and organs. Application of these concepts and experimental approaches are used to understand human health, disease and performance.
The Integrative Physiology PhD program was started under the leadership of Dr. Jason Carter, founding Chair of the department (Dr. Carter now serves as Associate Vice President for Research Development for Michigan Tech’s Vice President for Research Office), and Dr. Steven Elmer, Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director for KIP. Dr. Carter was a founding member of the KIP department in 2006 and still serves as a Professor with active NIH-sponsored research under KIP.
“We envisioned a highly research-active department that would ultimately be capped off with a strong doctorate degree.” -Dr. Jason Carter, Associate Vice President for Research Development and KIP founding Chair
“Matt’s graduation marks a major milestone for the KIP department,” Dr. Carter explains. “When we established the department thirteen years ago, we envisioned a highly research-active department that would ultimately be capped off with a strong doctorate degree. Our faculty and staff, along with a supportive administration over the past decade, deserve the credit for their persistence and steadfast commitment to that goal.”
Dr. Kilgas completed his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering here at Michigan Tech, and then went on to complete his M.S. in Exercise Science at Northern Michigan University. He returned to Tech in 2015 to begin working on his PhD.
“I would really like to thank the department for all their help in getting me this far,” Kilgas says. “Specifically Dr. Elmer for pushing me, I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Dr. Kilgas defended his thesis on “Acute and Chronic Responses to Exercise with Blood Flow Restriction” under the advisory of Dr. Elmer. For his research he used a variety of experimental techniques to investigate how partial restriction of blood flow to exercising muscles can improve health and enhance performance.
“Matt has already begun a tenure-track faculty position in the School of Health and Human Performance at Northern Michigan University earlier this Fall,” explains Dr. Elmer. “We wish him the very best with his career in academia.”
s recently named a recipient of the American Autonomic Society Lundbeck Research Fellowship for his post-doctoral research proposal entitled “Targeting cardiac sympathetic and renin-angiotensin systems with Ang-(1-7) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.” 