Overview
Geoff is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science and a member of the Institute for Applied Human Physiology. He recently joined Bangor University in 2024 after completing postgraduate training in environmental physiology and two postdoctoral fellowships studying the regulation of cerebral blood flow and neuroimaging. Geoff has had the opportunity to practice these areas of expertise around the world (e.g., Peru, Croatia) working with unique populations in various extreme environments (indigenous high altitude populations, free divers). Overall, these experiences have broadened Geoff’s scientific approach where he employs a diverse array of physiological research techniques (transcranial Doppler ultrasound, MRI, thermometry, etc.).
The successful coordination between cardiovascular, respiratory, autonomic, and thermoregulatory systems is essential to physiological homeostasis, particularly in environmentally or physiologically compromised scenarios. Natural (aging) and human-made (climate change) processes can increase the risk of serious health conditions such as heat stroke or cognitive impairment. Geoff’s research program examines the integrative cardiorespiratory aspects of human health and performance. His specific research interests include human health throughout the lifespan and how the environment influences that process – specifically, the human health impacts of climate change as well as the benefits of physical activity on cardiovascular health during the aging process.
Qualifications
- Postdoctoral Fellowship
McMaster University, 2022–2024 - Postdoctoral Fellowship
Western University, Ontario, 2020–2022 - PhD
University of British Columbia, Okanagan, 2016–2020 - MSc
University of Ottawa, 2013–2016 - BSc
University of Ottawa, 2009–2013
Research Interests
Areas of research: 1) cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses to extreme environments (heat, cold, diving), and 2) cerebrovascular regulation in health and aging. Both themes require an integrative approach assessing multiple organ systems that function to support to regulate thermal and cardiorespiratory homeostasis during combined environmental stressors (e.g., exercise, heat, and pollution), or to maintain cerebral oxygen delivery and therefore neural processes.
Postgraduate Project Opportunities
Publications
2024
- E-pub ahead of printAcute isometric and dynamic exercise do not alter cerebral sympathetic nerve activity in healthy humans
Tymko, M. M., Drapeau, A., Vieira-Coelho, M. A., Labrecque, L., Imhoff, S., Coombs, G. B., Langevin, S., Fortin, M., Châteauvert, N., Ainslie, P. N. & Brassard, P., 13 Apr 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. 12 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedStanding middle cerebral artery velocity predicts cognitive function and gait speed in older adults with cognitive impairment, and is impacted by sex differences
Fitzgibbon-Collins, L. K., Coombs, G. B., Noguchi, M., Parihar, S., Hughson, R. L., Borrie, M., Peters, S., Shoemaker, J. K. & Bhangu, J., Jan 2024, In: Cerebral circulation - cognition and behavior. 6, p. 100198
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2023
- PublishedAge- and sex-related differences in sympathetic vascular transduction and neurohemodynamic balance in humans
D'Souza, A. W., Hissen, S. L., Manabe, K., Takeda, R., Washio, T., Coombs, G. B., Sanchez, B., Fu, Q. & Shoemaker, J. K., 1 Oct 2023, In: American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 325, 4, p. H917-H932
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedHemoglobin and cerebral hypoxic vasodilation in humans: Evidence for nitric oxide-dependent and S-nitrosothiol mediated signal transduction
Hoiland, R. L., MacLeod, D. B., Stacey, B. S., Caldwell, H. G., Howe, C. A., Nowak-Flück, D., Carr, J. M., Tymko, M. M., Coombs, G. B., Patrician, A., Tremblay, J. C., Van Mierlo, M., Gasho, C., Stembridge, M., Sekhon, M. S., Bailey, D. M. & Ainslie, P. N., Sept 2023, In: Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. 43, 9, p. 1519-1531 13 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedImpact of ischemic heart disease and cardiac rehabilitation on cerebrovascular compliance
Coombs, G. B., Al-Khazraji, B. K., Suskin, N. & Shoemaker, J. K., 1 Oct 2023, In: Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 135, 4, p. 753-762 10 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2021
- PublishedThe 2018 Global Research Expedition on Altitude-related Chronic Health (REACH) to Cerro de Pasco, Peru: An Experimental Overview
Tymko, M. M., Hoiland, R. L., Tremblay, J. C., Stembridge, M., Dawkins, T. G., Coombs, G. B., Patrician, A., Howe, C. A., Gibbons, T. D., Moore, J. P., Simpson, L. L., Steinback, C. D., Meah, V. L., Stacey, B. S., Bailey, D. M., MacLeod, D. B., Gasho, C., Anholm, J. D., Bain, A. R., Lawley, J. S., Villafuerte, F. C., Vizcardo-Galindo, G. & Ainslie, P. N., Jan 2021, In: Experimental Physiology. 106, 1, p. 86-103 18 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2017
- PublishedAlarming blood pressure changes during routine bladder emptying in a woman with cervical spinal cord injury
Lee, A. H. X., Phillips, A. A., Squair, J. W., Barak, O. F., Coombs, G. B., Ainslie, P. N., Sarafis, Z. K., Mijacika, T., Vucina, D., Dujic, Z. & Krassioukov, A. V., 28 Dec 2017, In: Spinal cord series and cases. 3, 17101.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2016
- PublishedIce Slurry Ingestion Leads to a Lower Net Heat Loss during Exercise in the Heat
Morris, N. B., Coombs, G. & Jay, O., Jan 2016, In: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 48, 1, p. 114-22 9 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2015
- PublishedAcute acetaminophen ingestion does not alter core temperature or sweating during exercise in hot-humid conditions
Coombs, G. B., Cramer, M. N., Ravanelli, N. M., Morris, N. B. & Jay, O., Jun 2015, In: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 25 Suppl 1, p. 96-103 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedIsolating the independent influence of body fat on thermoregulatory responses to exercise
Coombs, G. B., Stamatakis, E. & Jay, O., Jul 2015, In: European Journal of Applied Physiology. 115, 7, p. 1601-2 2 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article