Brenda Schoffstall, PhD (Florida State University).  Dr. Schoffstall’s doctoral dissertation topic was “Modulators of myosin activity and actomyosin interaction:  potential for deoxy-ATP as a positive inotrope in cardiac muscle”.  She comes to Barry with post-doctoral experience at FSU in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee.

She is a molecular biophysicist who studies cellular and molecular mechanics of cardiac and skeletal muscle.  Her research focuses on the molecular interactions between the major muscle proteins (myosin, actin, troponin, and tropomyosin) that bring about muscle contraction, and the role of Ca2+-activation in cardiac muscle contraction.