Biography and education
Dr. Samora earned her Ph.D. in Physical Education with a focus on exercise physiology from the University of Brasília in Brazil, where she studied sex differences in blood pressure regulation during exercise in healthy individuals. Additionally, she taught undergraduate courses as an adjunct professor. Before joining TXST, she completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Texas at Austin, where she investigated the mechanisms underlying the exaggerated exercise pressor reflex in type 2 diabetic rats. Drawing on her expertise in both human and animal research, Dr. Samora is committed to advancing our understanding of the neural control of circulation during exercise in both healthy and disease-related conditions.
Google Scholar: http://bit.ly/3Oqr4Hz
Google Scholar: http://bit.ly/3Oqr4Hz
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Samora, Milena (Principal), McAllister, Matthew J (Co-Principal). The Mechanical Component of the Arterial Baroreflex in Type 2 Diabetes: The Role of Oxidative Stress, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $16000. (Funded: February 2025 - May 2026). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Samora, M. (2025). Rerouting blood flow during exercise: the emerging role of 5-HT7 receptors. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, 85(6), 384–386. https://doi.org/10.1097/FJC.0000000000001693
- Samora, M., Huo, Y., Stanhope, K. L., Havel, P. J., Kaufman, M. P., Harrison, M. L., & Stone, A. J. (2024). Cyclooxygenase products contribute to the exaggerated exercise pressor reflex evoked by static muscle contraction in male UCD-type 2 diabetes mellitus rats. Journal of Applied Physiology, 136(5), 1226–1237. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00879.2023
- Samora, M., Huo, Y., McCuller, R. K., Chidurala, S., Stanhope, K. L., Havel, P. J., … Harrison, M. L. (2023). Spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity is attenuated in male UCD-type 2 diabetes mellitus rats: A link between metabolic and autonomic dysfunction. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical, 249, 103117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2023.103117
- Samora, M., Grotle, A.-K., & Stone, A. J. (2023). Altered Cardiovascular Responses to Exercise in Type 1 Diabetes. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 51(2), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1249/jes.0000000000000314
- Samora, M., Incognito, A. V., & Vianna, L. C. (2019). Sex differences in blood pressure regulation during ischemic isometric exercise: the role of the β-adrenergic receptors. Journal of Applied Physiology, 127(2), 408–414. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00270.2019
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: John F. Perkins Jr. Research Career Enhancement Award, American Physiological Society. 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: CAPES Thesis Award 2021 Edition, CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel). 2021
- Award / Honor Recipient: NCAR Research Recognition Award, American Physiological Society. 2020
- Award / Honor Recipient: International Early Career Physiologist Travel Award, American Physiological Society. 2019
- Award / Honor Recipient: Pan-American Congress Travel Award, American Physiological Society. 2019
Featured service activities
- Member
Scholar's day Committee
- Reviewer / Referee
Experimental Physiology
- Member
ESS Graduate Program Admissions Committee
- Reviewer / Referee
The Journal of Physiology
- Reviewer / Referee
American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology
- Reviewer / Referee
American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology