My name is Amanda Hayek. I am from Dayton, Ohio originally, but I have worked in this
research lab for almost two years now under Dr. Dupont and that’s whose lab we’re
in right now. Right now, I’m actually honored to be an American Physiological Society Stride
Fellow. This summer I was employed and came here every day – worked full time – and
during the school year, I’m doing an independent study and actually working as well as going
to school and it’s been really fun. I like it. So both of my parents are in the science
fields. My mom is an occupational therapist, which is how I got on the track of potentially
wanting to be a physical therapist, and then my father does nutrition research with animals.
I actually came to UK originally as a voice major. I graduated high school with a Conservatory
of the Arts. I had done theater all my life and I was convinced I was going to be going
to Broadway. I definitely became a love for science as I got more involved in, did a one-eighty
and switched my major freshman year once I got involved with the sciences. So I am a
Human Health Science major, which was new my freshman year. On the physical therapy
track, I also am planning on getting a minor in health advocacy certificate in clinical
management as well as a certificate in research. I think the most driving force of especially
going into physical therapy is an international service opportunity I had two years ago where
I went down to Cusco, Peru and worked in a disabled orphanage with children. And while
I was there, I experienced something I’ve never done before and I got to see the impact
I was having in a helping way with the physical therapy with the children. And to this day,
I used that as my inspiration to get through all the hard sciences and it reminds me that
I’m not doing this for a grade, I’m doing it for the people that I’m going to be helping.
My P.I. Dr. Dupont, she has done amazing things to further my education as well as appreciation
for science and especially in the research field, and she has given me amazing opportunities
such as the one to be a Stride Fellow through the APS, and as well as many different opportunities
that I would never have known if I didn’t have such a great mentor as Dr. Dupont. So
I am looking at the mechanical effects of massage on atrophied muscles – specifically
the gastrocnemius – and what I’m looking at is the self-proliferation of satellite
cells, endothelia cells, macrophages – specifically ED2’s – as well as fibroblast. We have
actually seen an increase in DNA synthesis with massage, but what we are identifying
is if the muscle is actually damaged with massage as well as which of those cells were
involved in that DNA synthesis. Basically, we’re just trying to figure out what massage
is doing to the muscle. Is it aiding? Or is it depleting or diminishing? What it is doing
when we massage the muscle? And basically what we’re finding is, maybe with massaging
for ICU patients, it could actually prevent atrophy from happening. There isn’t a whole
lot that we know mechanically behind massage and that’s actually why I find it really
cool is cause, who doesn’t love a massage? And it’s really cool to see what it’s
actually doing on a physiological standing. The most exciting aspect of my research is
seeing how it applies to clinical settings and being able to see how what I’m doing
here will in fact, benefit the other fields and what I want to do in the future. So the
most challenging part is I actually have a lot of health issues. I have quite an extensive
medical health record. Right now, I am dealing with a hemiplegic migraine or complex migraine,
which mimics stroke-like conditions. So I am on medication so that I can feel the right
side of my body, so I can talk to you and it’s been rather difficult. I’ve been
going to many different doctors for it. The lab here – the people I work with – are
really understanding and they’ve been able to help me deal with these issues and I wouldn’t
have been able to do what I do if it wasn’t for the people that I have in my life that
are a supporting system, and I know what it is like in certain situations to go through
some pretty serious medical conditions, but still come out okay on top of it. Research
is always asking why things occur and I get to look at why I have the symptoms that I
have and it’s really interesting. And obviously I’m no doctor, I have no experience in really
diagnosing, but it helps me understand what’s going on with me and it’s not as difficult
to deal with it when you understand what’s going on.