Biography
Jodi Schilz is a New Mexico native and alumni of UNM. She received a bachelor?s degree in Foreign Languages in 1999 and a bachelor?s in Microbiology/Chemistry in 2000 from UNM. She is a AmeriCorps (Colorado conservation Corps 2001) and Peace Corps (Tanzania, 2005-2007) alumni. She has a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences/Neuroscience from Colorado State University in 2005 and competed her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Wyoming (2015). Dr. Schilz teaches evidence-based practice, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. She is the Director of Admissions for the Division of Physical Therapy and is pursuing research interests in gait abnormalities and alterations to immune cell function after exposure to metal contaminants.
Personal Statement
My interest in pathological changes due to environmental contaminants began with my research assessing the toxicity of mixed contaminants in smoking condensate. Biological changes caused by contaminants differ by dose, route and length of exposure and there are increased complications when assessing the interaction of multiple contaminants simultaneously. It was my research with the contaminants produced during uranium extraction during my PhD, which peaked my interest the field of environmental science. My educational background in Biomedical Sciences combined with my past experience working directly with industry on mitigation strategies for metal contaminants provides me a unique perspective on environmental health research. I was hired as an assistant professor in the University of New Mexico (UNM) Physical Therapy division to teach, based on my expertise in pathology and pharmacology, and to support the Division?s research agenda while further developing my own research interests.
Areas of Specialty
Specialization #1 Evidence Based Teaching
Specialization #2 Pathophysiology
Specialization #3 Toxicology
Specialization #4 Gait Analysis
Achievements & Awards
Teaching Fellows Award UNM Center for Teaching Excellence, 2015
Key Publications
Journal Article
Schilz, Jodi, Dashner-Titus, E, J Luo, Li, Simmons, K, A MacKenzie, D, A Hudson, L, G 2021 Co-exposure of sodium arsenite and uranyl acetate differentially alters gene expression in CD3/CD28 activated CD4+ T-cells. Toxicology reports, vol. 8
Journal Article
Schilz, Jodi, Dashner-Titus, E, J Simmons, K, A Erdei, E, Bolt, A, M MacKenzie, D, A Hudson, L, G 2022 The immunotoxicity of natural and depleted uranium: From cells to people. Toxicology and applied pharmacology, vol. 454
Journal Article
McConville, Margaret, Q. Schilz, Jodi, Doerfler, Deborah, Andrews, Ron, L 2019 A Review of Literature on the Diagnosis, Clinical Implications, and Treatment of Diastasis Recti in Older Males.
Languages
- English
Courses Taught
My teaching interests focus on promoting life-long learners who seek the most current evidenced based material to incorporate into their clinical reasoning and problem solving methods. As a facilitator, I strive to establish a trusting, risk-free learning environment where students are treated with respect, challenged to think and motivated to learn. Embracing multiple perspectives and experiences of a diverse classroom and encouraging collaboration emphasizes each other?s strengths and facilitates integrating conceptual and procedural knowledge into relevant circumstances making a personal connection between knowledge and practice. Learning is a constructive process where the more we ask students to compare and contrast, explain relationships and look for patterns, the more they will be able to develop deeper learning and advanced understanding. Facilitating learning involves making connections to prior knowledge and experiences, addressing misconceptions and developing critical thinking skills. By encouraging the students to identify with an abstract physiological process and relate its function to how they feel and what their body is trying to accomplish, a personal connection is formed.
Research and Scholarship
Chronic mixed metal exposure from numerous unremediated abandoned uranium mines pose unknown health risks to populations living in the proximity to mining and milling sites and waste piles. These metal mixtures can enter the body through inhalation of dust, contact with skin and/or consumption of contaminated food and water and are associated with increased incidence of chronic disease and immune dysregulation. Rarely do environmental contaminants exist as single metal exposures, thus there is a need to investigate the biological impacts of environmentally-relevant mixed metal combinations, including arsenic and uranium. Literature and preliminary data from our laboratory suggests that metal exposure impacts immune function. My research currently focuses on the antagonistic and synergistic interactions of mixed metal contaminants found in the environment on T-cells which are key components of the adaptive immune response. My research supports the goals of the UNM Metals Superfund Center and the UNM Environmental Health Signature Program.
?Dashner-Titus, E.J., Schilz, J.R., Simmons, K.A., Duncan, T.R., Alvarez, S.C. and Hudson, L.G., 2020. Differential response of human T-lymphocytes to arsenic and uranium. Toxicology Letters. doi.org/10.1016/j.toxlet.2020.08.013
?Schilz, J. R.*, Reddy, K. J., Nair, S., Johnson, T. E., Tjalkens, R. B., Krueger, K. P., et al. Removal of Trace Elements by Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles from Uranium In Situ Recovery Bleed Water and Its Effect on Cell Viability. J. Vis. Exp. (2015) (100), e52715, doi: 10.3791/52715.
?Johnson, M.*, Schilz, J.* Djordjevic, M., Rice, J.M. Evaluation of In vitro Assays for Assessing the Toxicity of Cigarette Smoke and Smokeless Tobacco. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009; 18(12):3263?304 PMID: 19959677
As the director of student research and through my work in the Motion Analysis Laboratory, my research with the Division of Physical Therapy focuses on supporting student writing of clinical topic reviews and changes in gait.
?A Review of Literature on the Diagnosis, Clinical Implications, and Treatment of Diastasis Recti in Older Males. McConville, Margaret Q. DPT; Schilz, Jodi PhD; Doerfler, Deborah PT, DPT, PhD; Andrews, Ronald PT, PhD. Journal of Women?s Health Physical Therapy (2019). doi: 10.1097/JWH.0000000000000150
?Wells, Samuel N.; Schilz, Jodi R.; Uhl, Timothy L.; and Gurney, A. Burke, "A Literature Review of Studies Evaluating Rotator Cuff Activation during Early Rehabilitation Exercises for Post-Op Rotator Cuff Repair" (2016). Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications. 59. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/rehabsci_facpub/59
?Barkocy, M., Heimerl, S., Valdez, M., Ariano, M., Redmond, K. and Schilz, J. The Effectiveness of Serial Casting and Ankle Foot Orthoses in Treating Toe walking in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. [Submitted Journal of Pediatric Physical Therapy, 2020]