Nov. 5, 2018

The Research Leadership Scholars program provides School of Medicine graduate students with opportunities to develop leadership skills by participating in OHSU research planning and discussion.

Scholars participate in monthly OHSU Research Roundtable (formerly Collaborative Research Leadership Group) meetings with faculty and research leaders and share their important perspectives as future biomedical scientists.

Two 2018-2019 scholars have been selected from a competitive pool of applicants. Congratulations to these recipients:

Kylie McPherson, Neuroscience Graduate Program

McPherson is a native Oregonian, having grown up in Portland and Hood River. She completed her bachelor of art degree in biochemistry at Occidental College, a small liberal arts college in Los Angeles. After graduating, she went on to complete a post-baccalaureate research fellowship (IRTA) through the National Institute of Health in a behavioral neuroscience lab at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In summer 2016, she joined the Neuroscience Graduate Program. McPherson is currently a third-year Ph.D. candidate working in Dr. Susan Ingram's lab, in the Department of Neurological Surgery, studying how neural circuitry is altered by inflammatory pain. In addition to her academic pursuits, she has advocated for an NGP Twitter account that she will be running to better promote student success and opportunities associated with the NGP, such as the new neuroscience post-baccalaureate initiative.

Daelyn Richards, Program for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences

Richards is a distinguished doctoral candidate working in the lab of Dr. Cary Harding, Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics. Her research addresses the limitations of PKU gene addition therapy by harnessing the revolutionary CRISPR/Cas9 technology to achieve a longer-lasting effect. She has traveled the country sharing her research, interacting with the PKU community, promoting public policy reform and has raised over $380,000 dedicated to PKU research. Her research is funded by the National PKU Alliance. Richards serves as a Graduate Student Liaison to the NPKUA Research Committee and is driven to promote international collaborations among PKU research laboratories. Richards is also involved in fundraising efforts as a joint-member of the Alliance for Visible Diversity in Science and Women in Science to promote racial and gender equality in the sciences. 

Pictured above, left to right: Daelyn Richards, Kylie McPherson