Heath Gasier
Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology

I was born and raised in Northeastern OH, and enlisted in the US Navy after graduating from Jefferson Area High School, OH in 1991. From 1991-1995 I served onboard the USS Denver (LPD-9) as a trained Operations Specialist and completed one Westpac Cruise in support of Operation Restore Hope/Battle of Mogadishu. In 1996 I transferred to the Ohio Army National Guard and served as a Heavy Constructions Equipment Repairer until 2002. During this time I completed a BSAS in Food & Nutrition-Dietetics from Youngstown State University, OH, a dietetic internship from University Hospitals of Cleveland, OH, and a MS in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University, OH. In 2002 I was commissioned in the US Air Force and served as a registered dietitian at Wilford Hall Medical Center, TX. In 2005 I was awarded a US Navy Health Services Collegiate Program Scholarship to complete a PhD in Exercise Physiology at Texas A&M University, TX, under the direction of Drs. James Fluckey, Steven Riechman and Stephen Previs. After graduation I was commissioned as a US Naval Medical Service Corps Officer, Research Physiologist. From 2009-2013 I was assigned to the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, CT, whereby I established a biochemistry core laboratory, and served as a PI/Co-I on several research projects examining submariner and diver health and performance, and nutrition performance at high altitude. In addition, I served as Deputy Department Head, Deputy of Scientific Review, and Scientific Research Ethics Officer, and completed the following courses: Navy Scuba Diver, Cold Weather Medicine, Radiation Health and Department Head Leadership. From 2013-2015 I completed a Fellowship in Hyperbaric Physiology at the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology, NC. Under the direction of Drs. Claude Piantadosi and Ivan Demchenko, I received specialized training on the use of various physiological and biochemical approaches to study redox balance in hyperbaric hyperoxia. In 2015 I was assigned to the Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, MD. Over four years I served as a Course Director of Medical Field Practicum 101 and Warfighter and the Environment, overseeing the education and training of 180 medical students annually. In addition, I established an animal exercise and metabolic core laboratory and served as a PI on several research projects examining nutrient induced changes in skeletal muscle mitochondrial dynamics and function, vitamin D and immune function during military recruit basic training, and iron deficiency and bone health. In August of 2019 I joined the faculty within the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology.   

Current Research Interests

I joined the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology in August 2019 after retiring from the US Navy. While my educational background is nutrition and exercise physiology, navy directed training and mission requirements resulted in conducting research in the following areas: bone health in submariners and obesity, performance nutrition for high altitude, mitochondrial physiology in heat stress and obesity, and diving safety. From these topics, I have gained an appreciation for the biological limitations imposed by exposure to increased or decreased ambient pressure, and the metabolic stress caused by nutrient excess. My new role within the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology has afforded me the great opportunity to pursue more focused research questions with the overall goal of improving human health, performance and safety during exposure to hyper- and hypobaric environments.      

Office Hours

Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Contact Information

  • Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, & Environmental Physiology, Dumc 3823 Durham, NC 27710
  • DUMC 3823, 40 Medicine Circle, Durham, NC 27710
  • uri icon Gasier - PubMed

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