Dr. Thessa Hilgenkamp

Dr. Thessa Hilgenkamp is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she is also heading the Cardiovascular Research and Exercise Laboratory (CARE-Lab). Her research aims to better understand the physiological contributions to physical inactivity for individuals with Down syndrome. By understanding the cause of fatigue and exercise intolerance, we can better address their needs and support an active and healthy lifestyle. Dr. Thessa Hilgenkamp earned her bachelor and master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands during 2005. She completed her Ph.D. at the Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 2012. She received a Marie Curie Sklodowska Postdoctoral Fellowship of the European Union during 2014 to investigate the topic. The fellowship enabled her to complete a postdoc at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was mentored by Dr. Bo Fernhall in the Integrative Physiology Laboratory. In 2017, she received a 5-year NIH K99/R00 Career Development Award focused on the regulation of blood flow among individuals with Down syndrome. Thessa Hilgenkamp has published 92 peer-reviewed articles and has presented her work at national and international conferences in over 90 oral or poster presentations.