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Heath Gasier

Associate Professor in Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology
DUMC 3823, 40 Medicine Circle, Durham, NC 27710
Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, & Environmental Physiology, DUMC 3823 Durham, NC 27710
Office hours Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm  

Overview


Dr. Gasier is a physiologist and nutritionist. His research is focused on understanding how breathing altered PO2 impacts cell physiology in the lung, brain, and skeletal muscle. Emphasis is placed on mitochondrial quality control (dynamics, mitophagy, and biogenesis) and bioenergetics. He uses in vivo and in vitro models, and employs an array of methods (e.g., confocal and electron microscopy, Seahorse respiration, immunoblotting, RT-qPCR, ELISA’s, isotope tracers, and 10X genomics) for hypothesis testing. The goal of his research is to improve the operational capacity of divers and safety of hyperoxia in hyperbaric and critical care medicine. Dr. Gasier believes in a hands-on mentoring approach and individualized training plans based on mentee’s aspirations. He is committed to lifetime learning and contributing to knowledge advancement. 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor in Anesthesiology · 2023 - Present Anesthesiology, Clinical Science Departments
Associate Professor of Pathology · 2023 - Present Pathology, Clinical Science Departments

Recent Publications


Repeated hyperbaric oxygen exposure accelerates fatigue and impairs SR-calcium release in mice.

Journal Article J Appl Physiol (1985) · February 1, 2025 Breathing hyperoxic gas is common in diving and accelerates fatigue after prolonged and repeated exposure. The mechanism(s) remain unknown but may be related to increased oxidants that interfere with skeletal muscle calcium trafficking or impaired aerobic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Role of Paraoxonase 2 in Airway Epithelial Response to Oxidant Stress.

Journal Article Antioxidants (Basel) · October 31, 2024 Asthma is a widespread chronic lung disease characterized by airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness. This airway inflammation is classified by either the presence (T2-high) or absence (T2-low) of high levels of eosinophils. Because most therapies for ... Full text Link to item Cite

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural reduces skeletal muscle superoxide production and modifies force production in rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia.

Journal Article Physiol Rep · July 2023 Decreased blood-tissue oxygenation at high altitude (HA) increases mitochondrial oxidant production and reduces exercise capacity. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is an antioxidant that increases hemoglobin's binding affinity for oxygen. For these reasons, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Perfluoromethane as a Decompression Gas for Human Diving

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Naval Sea Systems Command · 2025 - 2030

Applied Physiology of CNS Oxygen Toxicity: Mechanisms in Humans

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Office of Naval Research · 2023 - 2026

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


Texas A&M University · 2009 Ph.D.
Case Western Reserve University · 2002 M.S.
Youngstown State University · 2000 B.S.

External Links


Gasier - PubMed