Professor Janice Marshall PhD DSc, FMedSci, FHEA, FRBS, Hon FBPS

• RSB qualified accreditation assessor 2012
• Honorary Fellow, British Pharmacological Society (HonBPhS) 2011
• Fellow Higher Education Academy (FHEA) 2001
• Fellow, Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) 1999
• Fellow Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) 1995
• DSc in Cardiovascular Physiology 1993 (Birmingham)
• PhD in Physiology 1973 (Birmingham)
• BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences 1970 (Birmingham)

Prizes

• University of Birmingham and Guild of Students Outstanding Teaching Award, nominee, 2017
• MBChB students’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2010
• Michael de Burgh Daly Prize Lecture, 2002 (awarded by The Physiological Society)
• Joan Mott Prize Lecture, 1998 (awarded by The Physiological Society)

Janice studied for her PhD with Professor Sidney Hilton, an international figure in cardiovascular control.  She made the first observations by intravital microscopy of responses evoked in skeletal muscle and mesenteric microcirculation by sympathetic stimulation and factors implicated in exercise hyperaemia. In her first post-doctoral post, she made the novel finding that sensory fibre activation induces vasodilatation in limb muscle which is partially attributable to prostaglandins.  This led to work with Priscilla Piper, Royal College of Surgeons, using a cascade bioassay system to identify prostaglandins. Janice then joined the MRC Programme group on Central Nervous Control of the Cardiovascular System, led by Hilton and KM (Mike) Spyer.  She gained experience of using stereotactic approaches to activate brainstem defence regions which integrate the “alerting” pattern of cardiovascular response to novel, environmental stimuli and showed that peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation can evoke this response.  She also contributed to work demonstrating that the pathway from the defence regions synapses in rostral-ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) - now recognised as crucial in regulating arterial pressure.

Following appointment as Lecturer, Janice built her research group, initially focussed on systemic hypoxia. They unravelled the contributions of chemoreceptors, baroreceptors, respiratory reflexes, hormones and local mediators to responses evoked by acute hypoxia in cerebral and muscle vasculature, renal function, and then, to chronic hypoxia in utero and post-natally. A major finding was that the local dilator effect of systemic hypoxia is nitric oxide (NO)-dependent such that adenosine and prostaglandins are released from endothelium and act interdependently.  These same mediators are implicated in exercise hyperaemia, but Janice’s group recently demonstrated that in exercising muscle, the local fall in tissue O₂ releases prostaglandins from endothelium and muscle fibres, which then induce vasodilatation.  

Janice’s parallel work on mechanisms underlying cutaneous vascular responses led to fruitful collaborations with Paul Bacon, Professor of Rheumatology and Professor Graham Serjeant, Sickle Cell Unit, West Indies.  Their findings indicated that exaggerated sympathetic vasoconstriction and release of endothelial vasoconstrictors during mild cooling and alerting responses to environmental stimuli may trigger the digital vasospasm and devasting painful crises of bone necrosis which characterise Primary Raynaud’s and Sickle Cell Disease.

Against this background, Janice’s group currently focusses on mechanisms underlying blunted endothelium-dependent dilatation and exaggerated vasoconstriction to environmental stressors in young adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease, including those with hypertensive parents, of South Asian or Black African ethnicity.  They are investigating whether dietary or exercise interventions are beneficial.

Janice has supervised >30 PhD students.  She enjoys teaching, led cardiovascular modules and pre-clinical Medicine and Dentistry over many years, introducing several innovations to encourage student engagement.  She has held several senior leadership positions including Head of Division, College Director of Education, Career Development Lead. She served on Equality & Diversity Committees at College and University levels and is Chair of AWERB. She is also University “Champion” for the AMS Springboard Fellowship scheme.

Janice has served on many Editorial Boards, committees of professional societies, as External Examiner across UK and European Universities and on working groups to develop professional training programmes. 

Biomedical Science BSc

• 1^st year Cardiovascular & Respiratory Science (SGTs)
• 2^nd year CardioRespiratory Physiology & Pharmacology (Lectures & SGTs)
• 3^rd year Cardiovascular Science (Integrated Regulation)

Janice is the coordinator of the 3^rd year Cardiovascular Science module and regularly supervises final year research projects.  She is also a Personal tutor on the Biomedical Sciences programme.

Medicine and Surgery MBChB

• 2^nd year Cardiovascular Science (Lectures & SGTs)
• 2^nd year Renal Science  (SGTs)
• 2^nd year Reproduction, Endocrinology & Development (Lectures)

Dental Surgery BDS

• 1^st year Body Systems: Cardiovascular Physiology (Lectures, SGTs, Demonstrations)

Pharmacy MPharm

• 2^nd year Cardiovascular Physiology (Lectures, Demonstrations).
• Cardiovascular Sciences MRes
• Lecture & Practical Skills Toolkit

Janice currently supervises PhD and MSc by Research students on the following projects

• Can cocoa flavanols improve vasodilator responses in young South Asian and White European women?
• Early markers of hypertension in young adults with family history of hypertension: could slow breathing exert beneficial effects?
• Is evidence of cardiovascular and respiratory disease already present in young healthy South Asians and White Europeans: can this be modified by respiratory training?
• Assessment of a Mediterranean-diet intervention on endothelium-dependent dilatation in young healthy women.

Mechanisms of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in White European and South Asian women: possible relationships to cardiovascular disease.

Research interests

Based on the recent findings of Janice’s research group and on current public health concerns, her current interests lie in the early markers of future cardiovascular disease, which are evident in young adults, especially in ethnicity- and sex-related differences in these markers.  She is particularly keen to investigate whether the blunted endothelium-dependent dilatation which is evident during non-invasive testing of cutaneous vascular responses, but also during responses evoked in limb muscle during exercise and during the alerting response evoked by environmental and mental stressors such as sudden sound, or mental arithmetic, can be improved by lifestyle interventions.  These include trialling a healthier diet including anti-oxidants, increasing daily levels of physical activity, regular handgrip training and respiratory training (slow breathing or inspiratory muscle training). 

Current projects

• Investigation of the potential beneficial effects of dietary flavanols on endothelial dilator function in young adult South Asians and White Europeans
• Investigation of whether a Mediterranean-style dietary intervention can improve endothelium-dependent dilatation in young healthy women.
• Can a modest improvement in daily physical activity achieve improvements in endothelial function and blood pressure regulation in young adults who are relatively sedentary?

Academy of Medical Sciences

• 2015 -  University Champion, Springboard Fellowship Awards
• 2016-17 & 2009-12: Section 2 Nominations panel

The Physiological Society.

• 2012- Chief Ethics Editor for Society’s journals
• 1990-1996: Main Committee:
• 1992-1996: Animal Welfare Sub-Committee (Chair)
• 1986-1996: Education Sub-Committee

British Microcirculation Society.

• 1992-1999: Treasurer and Committee

British Heart Foundation

• 2002-2004: Fellowships Grant Committee
• 1997-2000: Projects Grant Committee

Animal Welfare; HO Animals (Scientific Procedures Act) 1986

• 1992-1998 UK Universities Accreditation & Audit Panel for HO Licence Training Courses
• 1990-1996 Council:  Research Defence Society (now Understanding Animal Research).

Royal Society of Biology

• 2013- : Accreditation Assessor for the Royal Society of Biology
• 2011-2013: Working group on Accreditation of undergraduate programmes

Modernising Scientific Careers Programme

• 2010-11: Working group which standardised education and training pathways for UK clinical Scientists

Editorial Boards

• 2021-23 Physiological Reports
• 2018- Frontiers in Neuroscience (Autonomic)
• 2001-19 Clinical Science
• 2001-18 Journal of Vascular Research
• 2000-14 European Journal of Applied Physiology
• 1997- 2003 Clinical Autonomic Research
• 1993-98 British Journal of Pharmacology

1991-98 Journal of Physiology

1989-1991 Cardiovascular Research