Dr. Park joined the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) School of Health & Kinesiology in 2017 after completing his post-doctoral research fellowship in the department of cardiology at Boston University School of Medicine. He also has been jointly appointed as courtesy associate professor at the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at University of Nebraska Medical Center. He earned his PhD in integrative physiology from the University of Utah in 2015. Dr. Park's research uses both in-vivo and in-vitro techniques to examine the impact of aging and disease on vascular function and blood pressure regulation. He is specifically interested in the complex interactions of endothelial function, oxidative stress, and vascular function in terms of blood pressure regulation in diseased populations, such as peripheral artery disease, heart failure, and hypertension. He is also interested in cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and wheelchair sport athletes, most specifically the relationship between cardiovascular and skeletal muscle fitness level and the cardiovascular/skeletal muscle disease development and quality of life.

View complete list of published work here. 

Michael graduated with a BS in exercise science and a minor in biomechanics from UNO in August 2020. He is currently a 2nd-year master's student and graduate research and teaching assistant. His research interests include the impacts of prolonged sitting on vascular function, peripheral artery disease, and diabetes. He received an internal research grant for this thesis project, which will investigate impacts of prolonged sitting on vascular function in a mild hypercapnic environment in sedentary middle-aged populations. Michael was also honored with receiving 3rd place for his oral presentation at the UNO Research and Creative Activity Fair in March 2021.

Cody graduated with a BS in exercise science and a minor in biomechanics in May 2021. He did his undergraduate internship with the UNO Vascular Research Lab in the summer of 2020 and worked to understand compensatory mechanisms within the microcirculation of pathophysiological conditions, specifically chronic ischemia. He is currently a first-year PhD student, and his research interests include processing near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) data to understand the behavioral aspects of the microcirculation in health and disease. He also has experience with passive-dynamic ankle exoskeletons and musculoskeletal modeling in patients with peripheral artery disease. Cody received the top undergraduate-level oral presentation award at the 2020 Midlands Society for Physiological Sciences meeting, and he received the NASA Nebraska Space Grant Fellowship and the UNO GRACA Grant in 2021.

Dong gun graduated from Dong-Eui University with a BS in the Department of Physical Education in February 2022. He joined the University of Nebraska at Omaha Vascular Research Lab in spring semester of 2022. He is currently a first-year master’s student and teaching assistant. His research interests include peripheral artery disease, hypertension, and CVD. When Dong gun was an undergraduate student in Korea, he received the Excellent Student Award in the 2nd semester of 2020, a Scholarship for University Innovation Support Project in the 2nd semester of 2019, and more.

Andres graduated with a BS in Kinesiology from UNO in August 2022. He did his undergraduate internship with the UNO Vascular Research Lab in the summer of 2022. He is currently a 1st year master’s student and graduate research and teaching assistant. His research interests include peripheral artery disease, hypertension, and cardiovascular fitness. His internship project was titled Impact of sex on arterial stiffness responses to prolonged sitting in a mild hypercapnic environment, which was presented at the 2022 Nebraska Academy of Sciences Meeting. 

Kollyn Jallen graduated with a BS in biology and a minor in Classical or Near Eastern Studies from Creighton University in May 2022. She is currently a first year master's student and teaching assistant for undergraduate courses. Her research interests include peripheral artery disease an dhow varying genetic disorders affect vascular function. She has presented her undergraduate research at several conferences in Omaha.