UNF professor receives NASA grant to study cardiovascular health during simulated spaceflight
The University of North Florida has been awarded 
a $200,000 federal grant from the NASA Human Research Program to support Dr. Candice Tahimic, assistant professor of physiology, in a two-year innovative research project to monitor cardiovascular health in spaceflight.
Tahimic and her team will study cardiovascular health during and after simulated microgravity and space radiation exposure in a rodent model. Findings from the study can inform the development of targeted interventions to preserve human health during and after spaceflight missions.
“Cardiovascular changes from spaceflight resemble aspects of human aging and disease on Earth,” said Dr. Tahimic. “By studying cardiovascular tissue responses to spaceflight and its simulations, we also can gain insight on biological mechanisms that underlie aging and disease on Earth, which in turn can be harnessed for broader therapeutic applications.”
Before joining the UNF faculty in 2020, Tahimic was a researcher at the Space Biosciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center.