Ryan Miller

Biography

About me

I was born and raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta but have lived in Calgary for nearly a decade to study at the University of Calgary. I graduated with a specialization in Sensorimotor Neuroscience (MSc) from the University of Calgary in 2021. Here, I studied how the nervous system adapts to unpredictable stimuli using robotics, augmented reality, and electrophysiological recordings. I am currently a Biomedical Engineering student (PhD) studying blood pressure responses following spinal cord injury.

My research

Individuals living with spinal cord injury often live with unstable blood pressure which negatively impacts their quality of life. Spinal cord injury causes a disconnect between the brain and the spinal nerves that control blood pressure responses. With the support of my supervisor Dr. Aaron Phillips, I am running both pre-clinical and clinical studies where the end goal is to bridge this disconnect to restore healthy blood pressure responses following spinal cord injury.

BRAIN CREATE program aspirations

I am excited to be a part of the BRAIN CREATE program. The BRAIN CREATE program offers diverse support that will help commercialize the neurotechnologies I develop as a PhD student. As a BRAIN CREATE scholar, I am especially excited for networking events, specialized training, and international academic exchanges.

Commercialization

The knowledge generated from my research will inform the design of new hardware that controls blood pressure following spinal cord injury. Aspects of this therapy are already progressing to market through industry-supported clinical trials. Over the long-term this research will help restore healthy blood pressure responses in individuals living with spinal cord injury.

Publications

[3] Miller, R. MSc; Cluff, T., PhD (2019). Abstract Publication: Upregulation of Spinal Stretch Reflexes during Upper-limb Posture Control Task.  Affiliations: Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada. Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada.  Published in: Alberta Academic Review, Vol 2 (3) 1 CASCH Special Issue. DOI:10.29173/aar89.

[2] Miller, R. MSc; Cluff, T., PhD (2019). Abstract Publication: Upregulation of Spinal Stretch Reflexes during Upper-limb Posture Control Task.  Affiliations: Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada. Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada. Published Online: http://www.casch.ca/2019-abstracts.html

[1] Cashaback, J. PhD; Miller, R. MSc; Asmussen, M. PhD; Crevecoeur, F. PhD, Cluff, T. PhD (2019) Abstract Publication. Robust Control Strategies in the Presence of Uncertain Load Environments. Affiliations: Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Institute of ICTEAM, Institute of Neuroscience, Universite catholique de Louvain, Belgium (UCLouvain). Published online: https://ncm-society.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NCM-Poster-Abstract-Book.pdf

Awards

Graduate Awards:

Spinal Cord, Nerve Injury & Pain Graduate Scholarship (SCNIP) $15,000 - 2021

National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) National Funding $17,500 - 2020

Faculty of Graduate Studies Master’s Research Scholarship University of Calgary (FGS-m) $18,000 - 2020

Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES) $11,000 - 2019

Outstanding Presenter Award University of Calgary $1,000 - 2019

Presentation Award University of Calgary $1,000 - 2019