Our Team

Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Shannon leads programmatic oversight of the Knight Scholars Program across OHSU programs and statewide partnership sites is a population scientist. She is a Professor in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health who specializes in population science. Her research begins with consideration of the distribution and determinants of disease at the population level.  She is also the Associate Director at OCTRI, Director of the OCTRI Community Engagement and Collaboration Core, and Associate Director of Knight Cancer Institute Community Outreach and Engagement.  Learn more about Jackie Shannon.

Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Druker is the Director of the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU. He is a Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, and the JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research. His research revolutionized the treatment of cancer, resulting in the first drug to target the molecular defect of a cancer while leaving healthy cells unharmed – marketed as Gleevec®. Druker now is applying key principles of precision medicine to early detection. Earlier detection of lethal cancers represents the greatest opportunity to increase cancer survival rates. Learn more about Brian Druker.

Co-Investigator; Assistant Vice Provost for Education Outreach and Collaboration at OHSU and Director of Science Education Opportunities

Dr. Shugerman oversees summer research experiences at OHSU by providing central coordination for K-12 science education efforts. She works with faculty, students and staff to provide direct services to classroom teachers and students, develop OHSU faculty, students and staff to be better teachers, mentors, and translators of science, provide general scientific education to the public and develop OHSU's infrastructure to support science education.  Dr. Shugerman supports partnerships and collaborations for this project.

Amanda is the Knight Scholars Program Manager. She coordinates the overall program operations and oversees training and mentoring. Amanda has over 20 years of experience in undergraduate laboratory science training.  She joined the program in March 2022.

Lynda is the Community Research Liaison for Klamath and Lake Counties. She supports the Knight Scholars Program and the students from this area with recruitment, mentoring, and shadowing placements throughout the program. She also works with the Inter-Professional Experience students through Campus for Rural Health, collaborates with partners in community health improvement projects, and assists with the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence (NNACOE) Native Pathways curriculum.

Azalea is the Community Liaison for the Woodburn region students. She supports the Knight Scholars Program and the students from this area with recruitment, mentoring, and shadowing placements throughout the program. She also works as a Community Liaison with the On Track OHSU! program in Woodburn working with middle and high schools to increase the number of students from underrepresented minority backgrounds in the health sciences and in Oregon's biomedical workforce. She mentors students interested in health and science careers.  

Kaitlin is the Community Research Liaison for Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties. She supports Knight Scholars from the Central Oregon region with recruitment, mentoring, and shadowing placements to enhance their research training experience and demonstrate how a research career can be applied in their own communities. As part of the OHSU Community Outreach, Research, and Engagement team, Kaitlin works with community partners to identify opportunities for community-engaged research and research technical support to improve health and well-being in the region through data-informed decision-making. 

Sadie McIver is the Community Research Liaison for the Eastern Oregon region. She serves Baker, Union, Umatilla, and Wallowa counties. Sadie also works with the Knight Scholar Program, supporting the Eastern Oregon students involved in this program by helping find shadowing placements, providing mentoring opportunities, and increasing students’ understanding of careers within the medical field. 

Sadie is currently supporting her community in their concerns of the growing fentanyl crisis in Eastern Oregon. She has been attending community meetings and has joined several committees and coalitions which are focused on bettering the health of their community using research, grant funding, and programs to raise awareness of this issue. 

Administrative Coordinator/Community Health Educator

Derrik is a Community Health Educator in support of the NIH National Outreach Network priorities and provides administrative support to both the Knight Scholars and Ted R. Lilley Cancer CURE internship programs. He also serves on the leadership team for the Knight Diversity & Inclusion Committee and works as part of the U01 database development team.

Raul lives and works in Portland.  He joined the team in April 2022 and coordinates shadowing placements for our scholars in the Portland region.

Arcelia is the Program Manager of Knight Scholars and the Community Liaison for Portland students; she supports the students from this area with recruitment, mentoring, and shadowing placements throughout the program. She oversees programmatic details. Arcelia has over 20 years of experience in bilingual teaching (Spanish and English language development), after-school education, and nonprofit administration. 

Liaison for Central Oregon region

Sara is the Community Liaison for students from Central Oregon. She supports the Knight Scholars Program and the students from this area with recruitment, mentoring, and shadowing placements throughout the program. As part of a larger team building capacity for community engaged research across the state of Oregon, Sara builds relationships and identifies opportunities for collaboration to support her community partners and her research community at OHSU. She lives and works side by side with community leaders and health and wellness stakeholders to improve health in Central Oregon.

Project Coordinator

Jonna is the Project Coordinator for the Education & Training and Community Outreach & Engagement teams at the Knight Cancer Institute. She assists with the programmatic details of the Knight Scholars Program.

Major: Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Japanese

Expected Graduation Date: June 2023

Bio: Sebastian Benitez is a student at Portland State University (PSU) majoring in Biology following the Pre-Medicine track. He is currently a BUILD EXITO scholar and a mentor for the Knight Scholars program. Sebastian is pursuing a career in research, specifically in the field of life longevity through the lens of genetic engineering. His overall goal is to cure all age-related diseases and end biological aging. He plans to earn his PhD in Biology, then attend medical school.

Major: Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Chemistry

Graduation Date: June 2021

Bio: Toni Brooks is a first-generation college student and recent graduate of Portland State University. Toni is on the Pre-Medicine track with hopes of going into pediatric neurosurgery. She is currently taking a gap year to travel, work, and apply to medical school. She was formally a BUILD EXITO scholar and is currently an EXITO PLUS scholar in addition to being a peer-mentor in the Knight Scholars Program. Toni's EXITO experience included work in Dr. Mankowski’s research lab studying men and masculinity and is currently leading her own project examining the media’s portrayal of victims of intimate partner homicides. 

Major: Bachelor of Science in Science and minor in Chemistry

Expected Graduation Date: June 2022

Bio:  Randa is a senior at Portland State University majoring in science on the Pre-Medicine track. Randa is an NIH BUILD EXITO scholar and is currently working in the SCAN (stress, cognition, affect, and neuroimaging) lab at OHSU with Dr. Mackiewicz-Seghete. Recently, she started working on a project that is looking at pregnancy and pandemic-related stress. Randa’s goals include being the first in her family to graduate college as well as earn a doctoral degree, an MD or MD/PhD. She wants to further her education and help everyone, especially those in underserved communities, receive quality care. 

Major: Bachelor of Science in Speech and Language Services, minor in Spanish

Expected Graduation Date: June 2023

Bio: Cielo is currently a sophomore at Portland State University, majoring in speech and language sciences with a minor in Spanish. She is a first-generation college student focused on helping others from her community and from diverse backgrounds. As part of her BUILD EXITO experience, Cielo will be in a lab related to bilingual deficiencies in speech. She looks forward to continuing her research in health, speech and science. Cielo plans to become a speech and language therapist with a focus on working with bilingual kids.

Major: Bachelor of Science in Public Health Studies

Expected Graduation Date: June 2023

Bio: Alex Vazquez-Cortes is a first-generation college student studying at Portland State University. He is majoring in Public Health Studies and following the Pre-Medicine track. Alex is currently a BUILD EXITO scholar and aspires to get involved in research within the biomedical/clinical/community health fields. He graduated from Gresham High School and soon thereafter became a medical scribe at a pediatrics clinic. Alex hopes to use that experience to help students understand the responsibilities and discipline that come with working in a clinical setting.

Major: Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences

Expected Graduation Date: June 2021

Bio: Judit Marquez is a first generation college student at Portland State University majoring in Public Health: Health Sciences with a minor in Psychology. She is on the pre-nursing track and pursuing a career as a nurse practitioner with a pediatric psychiatry focus. Judit is a BUILD EXITO scholar, peer mentor for first generation college students, and previous orientation leader at Portland State University. She worked as a certified nurse assistant (CNA) in Beaverton, OR and as a research assistant at the Oregon Health and Science University studying social determinants of health and the challenges that caregivers faced during pediatric hospitalization. Judit is now a research assistant in Dr. Marriott’s Lab interning with the Knight Scholars Program.  Judit would like to use her experience as a CNA and aspiring Nurse Practitioner (NP) to help young students expand their knowledge on the roles and responsibilities that nurses/nurse practitioners have in cancer research, treatment, and prevention. 

Major: Bachelor of Science in Public Health Studies

Expected graduation date: June 2021

Bio: Harold Omotoy is an Asian-Pacific Islander who grew up in the Philippines. He is majoring in Public Health Studies with a concentration in Community Health Promotion. He is a senior undergraduate student and a BUILD EXITO scholar at Portland State University. Before PSU, he spent two years studying computer engineering at Mapua University in the Philippines. He then moved to Saipan to obtain his associate's degree in computer applications at Northern Marianas College. Following that, he had an internship as a systems specialist and junior programmer. He was a research assistant at the Agile and Adaptive Robotics Lab where he worked on muscle placements for bipedal robots and characterizing braided pneumatic actuators.  Harold is currently working in Dr. Marriott’s lab and interning with the Knight Scholars Program.  He aims to be in the field of public health informatics to contribute his skills in information technology to public health practice, research, and learning.

Major: Health Studies, Pre-clinical Sciences

Expected Graduation Date: June 2021

Bio:  My name is Kelsey P. and I am a senior at Portland State. I am majoring in health sciences with a pre-clinical studies focus and minor in Biology. I am pursuing the pre-Physician Assistant track at Portland State University following the prerequisites for the Physician Assistant program at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and Pacific University. I am fortunate to be a part of the NIH-funded BUILD EXITO Research Pathway program that allowed me to be an undergraduate researcher in the Epilepsy and Seizure lab at OHSU for the past two years. I have started a new research position in Dr. Marriott’s lab with a public health studies focus partnered with OHSU. My research interests stem from the experiences and knowledge I have obtained with a special interest in neurological diseases as well as public health advocacy. In connection from the career pathway of a physician assistant to cancer research, the need for a provider with medical education within different specialties that forms a bridge of connection between primary care and other medical specialties (such as medical research) would be of great benefit to the community. As a physician assistant, it would allow preventative medicine to be connected with a specialty practice for the community.

Major: Psychology 

Expected Graduation Date: June 2021

Bio:  Favio Estrada-Sanchez is a first-generation college student at Portland State University (PSU) majoring in Psychology with a minor in Chicano/Latino Studies. He is a BUILD EXITO scholar and a McNair scholar. His first research project was at the Developmental Cognition and Neuroimaging Lab at the Oregon Health & Science University. Favio was born and raised in Southeast Portland and is very proud of his hometown. He graduated from David Douglas High School in 2017.  His goals are to further his education through research or clinical practice to help the Latinx community in Oregon. Favio is active on campus with many organizations and enjoys building a community with his peers. He serves as a lead mentor for first-generation college students in the GANAS program at PSU. In the future, he would like to obtain a Ph.D. or PsyD to continue his educational journey and be the first one in his family to receive a doctoral degree. Favio is now a research assistant in Dr. Marriott’s Lab interning with the Knight Scholars Program.