Dr Erin Boland
- Research Associate (Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health)
email:
Erin.Boland@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns:
She/her/hers
Rm 422 Sir James Black Building, Gilmorehill Campus, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ
Biography
Research Theme: Cardiac
I have been a member of the University of Glasgow since my undergraduate degree and completed degrees in Anatomy (BSc Hons), Cardiovascular Sciences (MSc MedSci) and my PhD in Cardiovascular Sciences in 2023. I am now currently working as a Research Associate within SCMH, and I am passionate about employing a multi-disciplinary approach to research to further translational developments in heart failure. During my PhD I have explored the role of the basement membrane, an extracellular matrix structure, in the development of heart disease due to mutations in COL4A1/2. My post-doctoral research experience has been within the field of cardiac conduction velocity and electrophysiology following myocardial infarction and the influence of adrenergic signaling. I also have gained extensive experience in the use of in vivo preparations such as Langendorff perfused hearts, optical electrophysiology recordings, and surgical techniques i.e. percutaneous MI induction. I am now working on a project which focusses on modulating NXC1 activity within the heart and establishing the effect of inhibition on cardiac contractility and electrophysiology.
Research interests
My research experience thus far has developed a keen personal interest in cardiac physiology and adverse remodelling in cardiovascular disease. I am particularly interested in the pathophysiological changes and the interaction between extracellular and intracellular mechanisms that leads to perturbed cardiac function and how this influences cardiomyocyte behaviour and cardiac structural changes.
Teaching
I am accredited with Associate Fellowship of Recognising Excellence in Teaching following completion of the Developing as a Teacher in Higher Education (DATHE) course in 2024. I also contribute to Undergraduate teaching activities within Anatomy, Human Biology and Physiology degree groups (Levels 3 & 4) and deliver sessions on molecular and electrophysiology research techniques in cardiovascular research, experimental design, microscopy and histological approaches, and optical imaging techniques in cardiovascular research. I have also hosted mock grant writing and clinical case studies with undergraduate students.