Meet Elisa Cardenas

“OHSU has programs that reach out to other ethnic groups and allow me to meet many people outside of my field. I am able to talk, share ideas and learn a lot from these people that are not in my area of study. This allows me to bring even more information and knowledge to my research and studies which is very beneficial for me and my work.”

Elisa Cardenas
Graduate Student
School of Medicine
Molecular Microbiology & Immunology

Elisa grew up in Albuquerque, NM. Before obtaining her B.S. in Biology from the University of New Mexico, she moved to New York where she studied acting and dancing and appeared in some theater productions, television shows and movies. After college, Elisa began working as a research technician, and her interest in research science led her to pursue her Ph.D. at OHSU.

For her thesis research, Elisa is studying cancer therapies that involve working with the immune system. She is working closely with cancer patients in her research. Her favorite aspects of studying at OHSU are the fact that it has numerous labs conducting a wide variety of research from basic science to translational, and that labs are positioned on and off campus to accommodate a variety of model systems. In addition to the variety of labs, Elisa also appreciates the variety of people at OHSU, saying, “One benefit of working and studying in a diverse environment is to learn about so many different cultures. These differences are brought into the research which allows for a broader view and sometimes a ‘new eye’ when looking and trying to solve problems both in my studies and research.”