Former paramedic finds success as graduate student

Shaun Ranada is a master’s student in the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences program at the University of Calgary studying under the supervision of Drs. Satish Raj and Robert Sheldon.

Born and raised in Calgary, Ranada served as a local paramedic for several years before pursuing his undergrad degree in Biological Sciences. While still working as a casual paramedic, Ranada is working towards his goal of attending medical school with the goal of being a clinician-researcher.

Ranada is a high achieving student who has received numerous awards and scholarships including a Brain CREATE scholarship and an AbSPORU Patient-Oriented Graduate Studentship for $30,000. The funds help support his research project, which looks at the role of carbon dioxide (CO2) in heart rate and symptoms in individuals with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

POTS is an autonomic disorder that causes a rapid heartbeat upon standing in individuals with the condition. It can be quite debilitating, as it causes symptoms like lightheadness and nausea.

Researchers know that when POTS patients stand up, they have mild hyperventilation, which causes them to expel more CO2 than normal. Ranada’s project is investigating whether these lower CO2 levels are connected to the increase in heart rate and symptoms. His goal is to see if CO2 can be used to improve symptoms and lower heart rate in individuals with POTS.

“Finding a possible novel intervention is an exciting area of research,” says Ranada.  

Raj agrees.

“Shaun’s work is really exciting,” he says. “He is helping us to understand the role of hypocarbia in causing tachycardia. This insight could lead to novel treatments for this debilitating disorder.”