Kapinga Ngalula, PhD, MPH

My research interests are focused on understanding the cerebral changes occurring after TBI and interventions to mitigate the changes. I work with both blast induced and controlled cortical injury (CCI) animal models of TBI. In CCI model, we used a complex polytrauma model with hemorrhagic shock and simulated aeromedical evacuation to understand the peripheral gene expression changes, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation in the acute phase of TBI. In blast induced TBI, we focused on treatment strategies to reduce the deleterious effect of blast using an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drugs to improve brain oxygenation. Currently, I am focusing on understanding the changes occurring in cerebral vasculature through intravital microscopy (IVM) and their short- and long-term effects on brain health.