Sara Oikawa PhD
Associate Principal Scientist
Responsibilities:
Lead of GSSI Claims Program and Support of the GSSI External Clinical Research Program
GSSI Teammate Since:
2020
Area of Expertise:
Protein metabolism, exercise physiology, resistance exercise
Education:
BSc. McMaster University (Kinesiology), MSc. McMaster University (Kinesiology- Exercise physiology), Ph.D. McMaster University (Kinesiology- Muscle protein turnover and physical activity)
Athletic Background:
Sara’s passions are cycling and weight lifting. In her leisure time she enjoys softball, tennis, and skiing.
SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND
Sara is an Associate Principal Scientist at the GSSI satellite lab at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Sara earned her Honours Bachelor of Science Kinesiology, Masters of Science in Kinesiology, and her Ph.D. in Kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. Sara’s Masters focused on resistance training-load mediated muscle hypertrophy in trained young adults. Her Ph.D. work focused on dietary protein quality and alterations in protein metabolism, specifically muscle protein synthesis, in both inactivity and resistance training models. In her spare time, Sara enjoys travelling, hiking, cooking, and watching Toronto based sports teams.