Sabhya Rana, Ph.D.

Sabhya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and the Belford Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Ohio State University. She received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine and worked at the Reeve Irvine Research Center. She then completed her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, under the mentorship of Dr. Carlos B. Mantilla and Dr. Gary C. Sieck. Her doctoral work focused on pre- and post-synaptic mechanisms of neuroplasticity in phrenic motor neurons. Sabhya trained in the lab of Dr. David Fuller (Breathing Research and Therapeutics Center (BREATHE)) at the University of Florida, where she investigated the impact of AMPA receptor allosteric modulators (Ampakines) to enhance motor function (respiratory and bladder) in pre-clinical models of spinal cord injury. 

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Sabhya’s current research program is dedicated to elucidating the pathophysiology of spinal injuries, with a particular focus on spinal motor control mechanisms. Given that respiratory failure is the leading cause of mortality following traumatic spinal cord injuries, she is motivated to develop innovative strategies to preserve and restore independent breathing. Funded by a K99/R00 mechanism through NINDS, Sabhya is currently exploring pharmacological and non-invasive neuromodulation approaches to achieve these objectives.

Sabhya is also deeply committed to supporting conversations between the spinal cord injury community and researchers in order to make meaningful strides toward a cure (read more: SHARP, I-OSCIRS).