Thank you for attending the 2020 BUILD EXITO Kickoff Event!

For those who weren't able to attend, don't worry! We recorded the event that can be viewed below or on our Youtube Channel. If you have any questions or would like to connect with any of the speakers, reach out to us at EXITO@pdx.edu!

Welcome to Kickoff!
Dr. Carlos Crespo

Keynote Speaker
Dr. Leslie Palacios

Alumni Speaker
Sabrina Shofner

Alumni Speaker
Elizabeth Perez

Scholar Speaker
Ruben Vila

Some Words from
PSU Interim VP of Research & Graduate Studies
Dr. Jason Podrabsky

Closing Comments
Dr. Tom Keller

Introducing 2020-2021 EXITO GRAs

After-EXITO
Becky Miller & Maria Dizon

Kickoff Agenda for November 10, 2020

3:50-4 p.m. Reception & Trivia: While we wait for everyone to arrive we will be doing some fun trivia

4-4:05 p.m. Welcome, Dr. Carlos Crespo, EXITO PI

4:05-4:20 p.m. Keynote Address, Dr. Leslie Palacios

4:20-4:25 p.m. Alumni Speaker, Sabrina Shofner, Masters in Nursing at Johns Hopkins University

4:25-4:35 p.m. PSU Interim Vice President—Research & Graduate Studies, Dr. Jason Podrabsky

4:35-4:40 p.m. Alumni Speaker, Elizabeth Perez, Biomedical and Biological Sciences PhD Candidate, Harvard University

4:40-4:45 p.m. Current Scholar Speaker, Ruben Vila, BUILD EXITO Cohort 4

4:45-4:50 p.m. After-EXITO, Becky Miller (Project Coordinator) & Maria Dizon (EXITO GRA)

4:50-4:55 p.m. Introducing 2020-2021 EXITO GRAs

4:55-5 p.m. Closing Comments, Dr. Tom Keller, EXITO PI

Learn about the speakers here!

Dr. Leslie Palacios

Dr. Leslie Palacios is a native Chamorro first generation college student from Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands who is an alumnus of Northern Marianas College, completed her Bachelor studies at Gonzaga University in Biology and philosophy, spent several years in basic science research before attending medical school at University of Colorado, completed residency in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and University of California San Francisco, and who is currently a 1st year Fellow in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Legacy Health System in Portland, Oregon. She is particularly passionate about supporting and recruiting indigenous and URM students to STEM and medical fields.

Sabrina Shofner

My name is Sabrina Shofner, I am from Kaua'i, Hawai'i. I am an EXITO alumnus who graduated in 2019 double majoring in Community Health & Social Work. I am currently in a master's program at Johns Hopkins University studying Nursing.

Jason Podrabsky

Jason Podrabsky is a Professor of Biology and the interim Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. He is an active RLC participant in the EXITO program and has mentored EXITO scholars past and present. His research focuses on how environmental stress affects embryonic development and how dormancy is regulated in animals.

Elizabeth Perez

Elizabeth is a first generation college student originally from Detroit, MI. Elizabeth transferred from Portland Community College (PCC), then completed a BS in biochemistry from PSU in 2019. She spent undergrad working in her research community, learning computational biology with plants in Mitchell Cruzan's lab. She is a Ronald McNair scholar alum, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute exceptional research opportunity program alum, an EXITO alum, and a former member of PSU Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in STEM (LSAMP). She was an EXITO peer mentor after EXITO, as she has a passion for mentoring. She is currently in the second year of her PhD in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences program at Harvard. Her research interest is in genetics and computational biology, especially in research questions relating to human health. She's currently rotating in a gut microbiome lab under Seth Rakoff-Nahoum. In her spare time, she volunteers for her graduate student workers union, mentors, sings out loud, spends too much time on science twitter, babies her house plants, and makes vegan food.

Ruben Vila

My name is Ruben Vila and I am current senior at Portland State University. I am Biology major and Pre-med. I am currently applying to medical school so feel free to ask me any questions about the process! I am a cohort 4 scholar and have my RLC at the ONPRC, where I conduct research on women’s health. I love the outdoors and exploring all of what Oregon has to offer.

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