Collaboration drives innovation at the 11th annual WesternU Oregon Research Symposium
From interdisciplinary partnerships to emerging discoveries, collaboration took center stage at the 11th annual Western University of Health Sciences Oregon Research Symposium. The event, held Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, included more than 45 poster presentations and five oral presentations.
The Research Symposium featured two keynote addresses: Oregon Health and Sciences University Professor David Farrell, PhD, FAHA, who delivered “The Road to a Research Career is Non-Linear,” and University of Oregon Associate Professor Ian Greenhouse, PhD, who presented “Why Study Motor Control?” Both speakers encouraged students to pursue research topics that genuinely interest them and emphasized that nontraditional or winding career paths are a natural part of the research journey.
Prior to the research presentations, Cascades West Innovation Hub sponsored a biotech mixer designed to foster networking and interprofessional teamwork. Local entrepreneurs and businesses working in biotechnology connected with students and faculty to discuss current advancements in technology and to explore opportunities for future partnerships.
“The mission of the Innovation Hub is to support the launch and scaling of innovation-driven companies in the Cascades West region. We want to support any entrepreneurs whose company has the potential to grow exponentially, bring in jobs and revenue to the region, and really reach beyond Oregon and bring innovation to places all around the country and the globe,” said Innovation Hub Director Rachel Jagoda Brunette. “I think research institutions play an enormous role in supporting innovation. Having an opportunity to see what students are working on and learn about their research could impact what any of these companies are doing and could create some opportunities for collaboration.”
Following the mixer, students from the College of Health Sciences-Northwest, and the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest, which is in the process of transitioning to its new name, the Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine, presented their research to fellow students, faculty, and other event attendees.
Second-year COMP-Northwest student Mariah Carlson experienced first-hand the importance of collaboration in research.
“My project was part of the One Health program and it’s in collaboration with Oregon State University, so we have an interdisciplinary team of DO students, OSU veterinary medicine students, some PhD candidates in the environmental science realm, and some advanced undergraduates. We’re working together to figure out and answer questions about One Health, which is the interdisciplinary relationship between the planet, our environment as well as animal and human health,” said Carlson. “It was really cool to work with people whose brains were so specialized in different areas. I think it’s easy, especially in medical school, to get only into the medical spheres, so it was refreshing and eye opening to get those different perspectives.”
For some students, research feels personal. Third-year CHS-Northwest student Mya Lopez drew from her own experiences as a soccer player recovering from multiple ACL injuries to explore a more holistic approach to injury rehabilitation.
“I suffered three ACL tears, and I understand the psychological aspects of it and how it can impact you physically,” shared Lopez. “In research there is a big gap in the mental aspects of an athlete’s rehabilitation, and we really focus on numbers. We wanted to do a study that would look at both the mental and physical experience.”
Lopez worked under the mentorship of CHS-Northwest Associate Professor Christina Gomez, PT, DPT, PhD, who helped her translate personal experience into a structured research project and introduced her to pathways in research she had not previously considered.
“Dr. G has been my mentor, really from the start, because I also want to be a sport PT, and she works at a residency. Dr. G is absolutely amazing. She is a perfectionist, but I love it because she has really pushed me a lot further than I thought I could have gone,” said Lopez.
Lopez’s research, “Relationship Between Peak Landing Impulse and Psychological Readiness After ACL Reconstruction: A Retrospective Study,” received first place in the oral presentation category.
This event was organized by WesternU Oregon Research Club Co-Presidents Kristen Mittl and Myles Nelson and sponsored by Cascades West Innovation Hub, the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of Oregon (OPSO) and WesternU Office of Research and Biotechnology.
WesternU Oregon celebrated outstanding work across several award categories. The winners are listed below.
Health Equity & Population Health:
First Place: Lucas Tang, Democratizing Disability Studies: Disabled Voices as Ends not Means
Second Place: Cecelia Mans, Mapping Vitamin D Deficiency and Social Determinants of Health in Oregon: A GIS-Based Proposal for Statewide Health Equity Analysis
Innovation & Technology in Healthcare:
First Place: Jack Benninger, Novel GAX-Specimens with Innovative BriteVu Contrast Provides Lifelike Movement, Cross-Sectional and POCUS Imaging for Medical Training
Second Place: Alexandra Wimberly, Telerehabilitation to Improve Outcomes in Frail and Pre-Frail Adults: A Systematic Review
Function, Performance & Rehabilitation:
First Place: Joshua Clark, Prevalence and Risk of Falls in Rural Oregon Communities
Second Place: Ethan Smith, Preliminary Review of The Inferior Iliopsoas Attachment to Aid in Management of Lower Extremity Pathologies: A Dissection Study
Translational & Precision Medicine:
First Place: Elena Chavez, Layer-by-Layer Assembly of AMP–Enzyme Hybrid Coatings for Preventing Catheter-Associated UTIs
Second Place: Elissa Lyn Apiag, Unfused Transverse Foramina Creating High C4 Vertebral Artery Entry Identified During Cadaveric Dissection
Patient-Centered Care & Quality Outcomes:
First Place: Clarissa Hand, Clinical and Education Importance of Renal Vascular Patterns
Education, Training & Workforce Development:
First Place: Tiana Hess, Advancing Evidence-Based Practice: Outcome measure summaries for Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Rehabilitation Measure Database
Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle Medicine:
First Place: Rocio Medina-Ovando, Mental Health, Somatic Symptoms, and Perceived Support at an Osteopathic Medical School
Mechanisms of Disease & Recovery:
First Place: Jeremy Chu, Rehabilitating the Post-COVID Heart: A Synthesis of Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Evidence-Based Interventions
Second place: Kristina Wahagheghe, Severe Cardiomegaly with Superior Displacement of Left Lung: Anatomical Case Study
Oral Presentation Award Recipients:
First Place: Mya Lopez, Relationship Between Peak Landing Impulse and Psychological Readiness After ACL Reconstruction: A Retrospective Study
Second Place: Erich Araujo, Evaluating an Amphipathic Cyclic Peptide [W4R5] for Antischistosomal Activity Against Schistosoma Mansoni
Third Place: Camryn Long, Nicklas Oberg, Princess Jhoy Bonilla, Clinical Assessment of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in a Rat Model of Grade II Muscle Injury
More photos from the event are available on Instagram.
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