Assistant Professor
Dr. Boerma’s research is to elucidate biological mechanisms of cardiovascular injury from exposure to ionizing radiation and to identify potential methods for intervention. Her work focuses on radiation-induced heart disease as a side effect of radiation therapy to the chest and cardiovascular effects of exposure to space radiation. Her laboratory utilizes animal models of whole-body irradiation and image-guided localized irradiation combined with in vivo non-invasive echocardiography, ex vivo cardiac function measurements, and histological and molecular analyses.