Dennis Muñoz Vergara, DVM, MS, MPH is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and a mind-body movement therapies (MBMT) researcher. He is also a yoga instructor, a practice he has cultivated since he was pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree specializing in Animal Pathology in southern Chile. In 2016, he pursued a postdoctoral opportunity at Harvard Medical School (HMS), within the Osher Center’s Connective Tissue Laboratory. His research focuses on the effect of body stretching in acute and chronic myofascial inflammation. In 2017, he successfully applied to the NCCIH-funded T32 program (HMS Research Fellowship in Integrative Medicine). During this fellowship, he completed a program in Clinical Effectiveness and obtained an MPH degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His current research involves a translational pilot RCT examining the systemic inflammatory impact of a single bout of yogic exercise among yoga-naïve and sedentary adults. His long-term goal is to develop a clinical model for studying the intersection between the immune and myofascial systems and the benefits of yoga for health and disease. He loves to cook and dance with his husband, family, and friends. He also cultivates his writings of poetry and short stories with a group of Chilean writers and associates.
