Oregon Health & Science University
OFFICER BOARD
It is an honor and a pleasure to serve you as your BMES Student Chapter Officers. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Hillary Le
President
Hillary was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon and got her B.S in Biology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. She then worked as a Research Assistant at Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center for 2 years before joining the BME PhD program. Her PI is Dr. Monica Hinds and her research interest include elucidating the effects of maternal THC (cannabis) use on fetal cardiovascular health. Her role as President of BMES is to establish a sense of community within the OHSU BME program. Outside of the lab, Hillary can be found at a food cart pod, hiking with her dog, or watching Netflix and crocheting!
Reach Hillary here at lehi@ohsu.edu.
Vaibhav Murthy
Vice President - External
Vaibhav (‘V’) is a 4th year Ph.D. student in Dr. Alexander Davies’ lab. Prior to transferring to OHSU, V started his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. His work focuses on understanding how the tumor microenvironment affects cancer cell signaling dynamics. In his free time, V enjoys playing sports including kickball, dodgeball and tennis. He also enjoys watching movies, shopping and cross-stitching.
Reach Vaibhav here at murthyv@ohsu.edu.
Emma Wolcott
Secretary
Emma Wolcott is a second year PhD student working on cancer early detection at CEDAR. She is originally from Virginia and graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. As secretary of the OHSU chapter of BMES, Emma is responsible for documenting meetings and events and running elections. In her free time, Emma enjoys running, hiking, cooking, and reading.
Reach Emma here at wolcotte@ohsu.edu.
Kira Lynch
Vice President - Internal
Kira is a 2nd year PhD student under the mentorship of
Dr. Carolyn Schutt Ibsen and Dr. Monica Hinds. Her research is focused on 3D bioprinting a vascularized breast cancer model. Kira received their BS in biomedical engineering from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. As Internal Vice President, Kira’s role is to support peers in the BME OHSU program by establishing a sense of community. In her free time, Kira enjoys rock climbing, reading, and exploring Portland.
Reach Kira here at lynchki@ohsu.edu.
Jason Ware
Treasurer
Jason is a third year student working under the mentorship of Dr. Stuart Ibsen. His work is focused on harnessing electrokinetics, electrochemistry, and nanofabrication techniques to improve diagnostic technologies for the early detection of cancer. He earned his bachelors in biochemistry at the University of Portland in 2021 where he synthesized novel organometallic catalysts for energy storage. He enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors and taking his cat Henry on a walk.
Reach Jason here at warej@ohsu.edu.
.jpg)
Holly Day
Communications Director
Holly is a third year student under the mentorship of Dr. Carolyn Schutt Ibsen. Her work is focused on the development of early breast cancer models utilizing tissue engineering, drug delivery, and ultrasound physics methodologies. She earned her bachelors in biotechnology at California State University, San Marcos. At CSUSM, she utilized 3D printing techniques to study cellular interactions. In her free time, Holly enjoys swimming, gaming, and watching movies.
Reach Holly here at: dayhol@ohsu.edu
Leadership Alumni
2022-2023: Sofia Vignolo, Hillary Le, Rowan Callahan, Haylie Helms, Krista Habing, Nikita Sehgal
2021-2022: Tia Kohs, Brian Karlberg, Bipasa Bose, Benjamin Weeder, Mary McDonnell, Gavin Young
2020-2021: Nick Calistri, Kylene Lowrey, Austin Nguyen, Brian Karlberg, Meghan Fallon, Tia Kohs, Mary McDonnell
2019-2020: Novella Bates, Kyle Gustafson, Jenny Eng, Zeynep Sayar, Hari Sudhan