HHP Undergraduate Research Spotlight - Alyssa Cadavid

Alyssa Cadavid

Major: Exercise Physiology with a double minor in Leadership Studies and Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chris Mizelle

Describe your current research project:

Currently Dr.Mizelle and I are in the process of developing a research project by utilizing virtual reality technology as therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.

Why did you choose this particular project?

With technology changing so rapidly we want to explore different ways to help treat neurodegenerative diseases.

What outcomes or impact do you hope your research will accomplish?

We hope that through our research we are able to gain insight on how advances in technology, such as virtual reality, help patients with neurodegenerative diseases have a better quality of life.

Do you feel that participating in such research will impact your job placement after graduation? If so, how?

Absolutely, I am extremely grateful to Dr.Mizelle for allowing me to become apart of his research team. As an aspiring Physician Assistant, the hands-on experience is extremely valuable.

What has been your favorite part of your research?

I love being exposed to the different types of technology we use in the lab such as an electroencephalography (EEG) cap and a virtual reality head set. It is also exciting when we bring volunteers into the lab and watch the experiment unfold before our eyes.