Sabhya Rana, PhD

What do you research, and what brought you to that area of study?
My research focuses on the neural control of breathing in the context of neurological injury and disease, with a particular emphasis on spinal cord injury. Specifically, I study how spinal and brainstem respiratory motor circuits are disrupted following injury and how these circuits can be re-engaged using noninvasive neuromodulation and targeted neuropharmacological strategies. My commitment to this field began during my undergraduate training at the University of California, Irvine, where I worked at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center. Founded in honor of Christopher Reeve (Superman), the center emphasized patient engagement. Direct interactions with individuals living with spinal cord injuries made it clear that long-term quality of life is shaped not only by loss of motor function, but also heavily by disruptions in essential daily functions such as breathing, bowel, and bladder control. I later trained with accomplished respiratory physiologists, which allowed me to integrate my long-standing interest in spinal cord injury with a focus on respiratory health. Together, these experiences shaped a research trajectory centered on improving quality of life through targeted, physiologically grounded interventions.

What impact do you hope your research will have?
I hope my research brings greater attention to respiratory health in people with neurological injuries and diseases. Even in individuals who are not ventilator dependent, disruption of brain and spinal circuits weakens respiratory muscles, compromises airway clearance, and increases vulnerability to serious infections such as pneumonia. By bringing these often-overlooked impairments into focus, my goal is to make respiratory health a routine and prioritized outcome in neurological care and rehabilitation. In parallel, I seek to advance combinatorial (noninvasive neuromodulation and neurorehabilitation) strategies grounded in the principle that the spinal cord, like the brain, retains the capacity for learning and plasticity.

What excites you about doing interdisciplinary research at OSU?
OSU has a strong and long-standing commitment to disease-oriented neuroscience research. I am excited to build collaborations with investigators studying diverse models of neurological injury and disease, as this environment creates natural opportunities to identify shared mechanisms and test therapeutic strategies across systems. OSU also has a highly respected pulmonary division, and I am eager to work closely with pulmonary scientists and clinicians as my program expands. Equally important is the possibility to work closely with clinical partners at the Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital. Interdisciplinary research is most powerful when it supports true bench-to-bedside translation, and I am holding on to hope that our work may someday have a tangible impact on patient health outcomes.

What is your favorite spot in Columbus?
Nothing has had a more profound impact on our quality of life than the now short 10-minute drive to Costco. We recently moved here from a college town in Florida, without a Costco. As a young family with kids, this is a religious trip I take every weekend. Many food joints in town do not disappoint either! (Joya’s, Mazah, Pitacia Vera for pastries)