Schrage Lab - About - Kinesiology

William Schrage PhD

I received my PhD in physiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2001. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in integrative cardiovascular physiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, I established my laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology at UW–Madison. My scientific interests have evolved from vascular adaptations to exercise training in animal models, to animal models of prolonged bedrest, to impacts of aging in humans, to today where our focus is primarily on vascular function in obesity-related conditions. This focus has also evolved to study adolescents as well.
I am married with two daughters, who talked me into two dogs and two cats. In my free time, I am paddler, a runner, biker and telemark skier serving as a member of the National Ski Patrol at local ski hill.

Graduate Students

	Shawn Bolin, MS Study Coordinator I received my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and my master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 1999, I have been working in academic research in a variety of roles and research areas, but I have always, in some way, been involved with human subject research. I started as the manager for a Human Perception and Performance psychology lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After moving to California, I worked as the manager for a Human Memory research lab at the University of California-Davis. Then after a move back to the Midwest and a master’s degree, I spent 9 years working as a neuropsychometrist for the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP), where I was involved with longitudinal research on Alzheimer’s Disease. I also spent one-year functioning as the program manager for this same Alzheimer’s study. In October of 2018, I became the lab study coordinator for the Schrage lab at the department of Kinesiology. I love being involved with all the different parts of a research study, from recruitment to study completion. I love working with research participants and being a member of a team that makes academic research successful. In my personal life, I am married to my beautiful wife Jen. We have 3 children together, Joshua (9), Cayden (7) and Sophie (2). Our favorite thing to do as a family is Tae Kwon Do. It is how my wife and I met and how we keep active as a family.
	Aaron T. Ward, MS Doctoral Student I am an Ohio native having migrated to Wisconsin after completing my BS and MS degrees at the University of Toledo. I have interests in many aspects of exercise science and physiology, with my primary focus being vascular function and blood flow regulation during rest and exercise. Additionally, I am interested in how this normal functioning is impaired in disease and sub-clinical disease states, such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, and how this affects many facets of life including physical exertion and cognitive abilities. Outside of the lab, I like to spend time with my wife and my dogs, cooking, and perusing Madison for the best burgers.
	Jessica Muer, MS Doctoral Student I was born and raised in the great state of Minnesota. I began my educational journey at the University of Minnesota Duluth, then started my master’s degree at the College of St. Scholastica and completed my capstone project in the department of Integrative Cardiovascular Physiology at Mayo Clinic. After which I moved to Madison and began my doctoral work in kinesiology. I absolutely love the beauty and intricacy of all of physiology, however, I am particularly interested in sex differences in the cardiovascular system and hormonal influences on blood flow regulation. Fun facts: I absolutely love Duluth (and all of Minnesota), I apparently have a low tolerance for spice, I love spending time with my husband, not following recipes while cooking, taking long naps, playing mostly any sport and going on outdoor adventures.
	Katrina J Carter Doctoral Student I grew up in Washington and received my bachelor’s degree in physiology from the University of Washington in 2015. I then moved to Wisconsin and joined the Schrage Lab to start my doctoral work. My current research focuses on how metabolic disease states alter signaling pathways involved in vascular regulation. I am passionate about anything space-related and my dream is to work with NASA on advancing human spaceflight. In my free time I enjoy rowing, hiking, and participating in Extra Life. I love the winter in Wisconsin, and I live with my furry cat companions OJ and Hercules.
	Justin Brubaker Master’s Degree Student I am a native of Michigan and earned my bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Eastern Michigan University in 2009. Upon graduation from college, I commissioned into the United States Air Force as an Aerospace Physiologist. After 10 years of operational assignments, the Air Force sent me back to school, I am now pursuing a master’s degree in physiology and conducting research with the Schrage Lab. My scientific interests encompass brain blood flow and how it is influenced by different environments and conditions, specifically those that might affect aircrew and their performance at high-altitudes. In my free time I enjoy camping in the summer and skiing in the winter with my wife and two dogs.

Alumni

⦁ Jacqueline K. Limberg, PhD, 2012. Postdoctoral fellow at Mayo Clinic, followed by Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2017
⦁ Rebecca E. Johansson, MS, 2013. Doctoral student at University of Cape Town, South Africa, 2015-2019. Postdoctoral fellow at University of North Carolina
⦁ John W. Harrell, PhD 2014, Research Physiologist, US Navy, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
⦁ Garrett L. Peltonen, PhD, 2017. Assistant professor, Department of Western New Mexico University, Silverton, NM
⦁ J. Mikhail Kellawan, PhD, 2017. Assistant professor, Department of Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma.

Key Collaborators at UW–Madison

⦁ Marlowe W Eldridge, MD, Department of Critical Care. UW School of Medicine and Public Health, (UWSMPH). Marlowe provides unparalleled medical oversight.
⦁ Aaron Carrel, MD, Department of Pediatrics. Collaborates on our adolescent studies
⦁ Awni Al Subu, MD, Department of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology
⦁ Jeffrey Lee, MD, Department of Anesthesiology
⦁ Scott Hagen, MD, Department of Critical Care
⦁ Benjamin J Walker, MD, Department of Anesthesiology
⦁ Ron Serlin, PhD, Biostatistician in UW Educational Psychology
⦁ Dawn B Davis, MD, PhD, Department of Endocrinology
⦁ Oliver Wieben, PhD, Depts of Radiology and Medical Physics

University Affiliations

⦁ UW Cardiovascular Research Center
⦁ Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR)

⦁ Aaron Ward received an American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship, for his work on insulin resistance and brain blood flow. Congratulations, Aaron!⦁ Katrina Carter won a UW Rankin/Skatrud Travel award, and will present a poster and oral presentation at Experimental Biology in San Diego, CA April 2020. Way to go, Katrina!

⦁ Jessica Muer joined the lab for her PhD fall 2019, coming in with a 4-year fellowship focused on optimizing teaching preparation and mentorship. Welcome Jess!

⦁ Justin Brubaker received special funding from the US Air Force to continue his education by earning a MS in exercise physiology in our lab. Welcome Justin!

⦁ The lab was awarded and NIH grant (R21) to study brain blood flow responses in adolescents. Fun times for the lab and new collaborations.

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduates play an vital role in our research and gain valuable perspectives and skills that are unobtainable through university courses alone. We like to expose fresh enthusiastic minds to what human research is all about. To really get the most from your research experience, we require a serious investment in safety and ethics training prior to interacting with subjects, plus digging into past and current literature. Thus, we look for longer-term relationships with undergraduates that last at least two semesters.

Requirements for undergraduate students who want to participate in research in our laboratory are:
⦁ Health sciences or biomedical sciences major
⦁ Demonstrate independence, enthusiasm and professionalism
⦁ Participate in journal club at least 1x/month, which may require reading outside of time in the lab
⦁ Willingness to participate and develop laboratory skills in the following areas: 1) set-up for laboratory procedures; 2) processing human blood samples; 3) measuring vital signs and anthropometrics; 4) telephone screens; 5) assistance with in-person screens and 6) working with data collection and data analysis software.
⦁ Please submit a resume, transcript, and statement of interest (less than 1 page) to Dr. Schrage.
⦁ Upon acceptance, must complete all human subjects research training.
⦁ All accepted undergraduates will undergo a 2-4 month trial period prior to becoming an undergraduate research assistant

Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

If interested in joining the Schrage lab, please first contact Dr. Schrage directly to talk about your research interests.
Also, review the requirements for our doctoral program in the department: education.wisc.edu/kinesiology/graduate/

Students will have exceptional resources to facilitate their research including access to the UW Cardiovascular Research Center, world-class imaging facilities, collegial experts in complimentary areas, and other opportunities in a rich research environment.
Graduate students and fellows will be involved in experimental design; collection, analysis and interpretation of data; preparation of oral and written scientific reports, composition of scientific manuscripts for submission to journals and writing personal (fellowship) and lab grant applications.

Medical Students

Medical Students should connect with Dr. Schrage in relation to the Shapiro Summer Research Program offered at the end of 1^st year of medical school.