Suhail Akram was born and raised in the valley of Kashmir. He obtained his B.A. in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience from Lewis & Clark College in 2024. Soon after graduating, he joined the Monk Lab at the Vollum Institute and became a PROPEL scholar in September 2025. As a PROPEL scholar, Suhail studies the tiling behavior of astrocytes in zebrafish, with the goal of capturing the developmental sequence in vivo for how astrocytes establish their territories. Through PROPEL, he hopes to deepen his training in experimental design and advanced imaging approaches, while also building skills in scientific communication and networking within the research community. Looking ahead, Suhail plans to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience, with the long-term goal of combating addiction in conflict zones. Outside of the lab, he enjoys landscape photography and road trips.

Alberto Arce grew up in Mexicali, Baja California, México. He graduated from California State University Fullerton in the Spring of 2025, obtaining his B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in molecular biology and biotechnology, and a minor in chemistry. A U-RISE alumni, he joined PROPEL at OHSU to continue growing as a scientist, share his work with his community, expand his network, and prepare for admission to a PhD program in molecular and cell biology. He is new to Portland and enjoys exploring its green landscapes and walkable neighborhoods. He likes spending his free time talking with friends, going on walks, visiting museums, watching movies, and creating sculptures.

Jane Arterberry graduated from Portland State University Honors College with her B.S. in Biology and minor in Chemistry in 2024. As an undergraduate, she joined the eXtreme Virus Lab at PSU, investigating the structural proteins of the hyperthermophile-infecting virus SSV1, and worked as a research intern in the Moran Lab at OHSU, researching cofactors of the androgen receptor in T cells. Her passions include cancer biology, immunology, and science communication. She joined OHSU PROPEL in order to strengthen her research and communication skills and prepare to start a biomedical science graduate program. As a research assistant and PROPEL Scholar in the Schedin Lab, she investigates the tumor microenvironment in postpartum breast cancer and involution-associated liver metastasis. She hopes to pursue a career in cancer research, improve accessibility and equity in biomedical research for underrepresented groups, and target health disparities in her work. 

Roxanne Bahn-Bales graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering in 2024. In the year following, she received her Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering certificate from NCEES. PROPEL is an exciting opportunity for her, and she wants to develop the skills to be both successful as a Research Assistant and a PhD student. Hoping to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering, she is passionate about patient care and aims to collaborate with practitioners during her PhD and throughout her career. Her long-term goal is to research tissue engineering and work on developing gender affirming care for transgender patients.

Originally from the Bay Area, Lily Schainker is a recent graduate of Lewis & Clark College, where she double majored in Biology and Psychology. She obtained honors for her senior research thesis titled “Multiple Mechanisms Affect α-Synuclein Aggregation in Lewy body Disorders” using in vivo Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) in zebrafish. To continue to expand her research experience in the field of neuroscience, Lily joined Dr. Rose Hill’s ION lab at OHSU as a research assistant, studying the role of sensory innervation of the mouse kidney. She became an OHSU PROPEL scholar, inspired by a community of peers who hope to contribute meaningfully to the pursuit of knowledge through graduate school. Lily also enjoys outdoor adventures with friends and family, such as hiking, diving, and snowboarding.

Bhaavyaa Shah graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2025 with a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience. With a background in substance use research and neuroimaging, she joined OHSU's PROPEL program to gain guidance on navigating graduate school and prepare to enter a neuroscience PhD program. Bhaavyaa hopes to find the neuroscience graduate program of her dreams and create a strong candidate application with help of her PROPEL mentors. Following her postbac experience, Bhaavyaa plans to study translational neuroscience with an emphasis on substance use while exploring her interests in biomedical research. Outside of the lab, she enjoys all things baking, painting, and traveling---particularly to warmer coastal cities!

Carly Sprague graduated from the University of Washington with bachelor’s degrees in Cellular Biology and French. After graduating, she worked as a research technician in the T cell Endpoints team within the HIV Vaccine Trials Network lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She received her master’s in Immunology from Sorbonne Université interning in the Lab of Adaptive Immunity (Prague) and the Innate Lymphoid Cell Development & Inflammation Group (Paris). Now, as a Senior Research Assistant in the Burger Lab at OHSU, her current research uses a mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma to study the effects of anti-tumor neoantigen vaccination on CD8 T cell immunity. In the OHSU PROPEL program, she hopes to hone her research skills in her research project and to put her best foot forward applying to PhD applications in immunology and cell biology. She hopes to one day become a research scientist in basic immunology research on lymphocytes in the context of cancer and disease.

Imtiyaz Wise is a graduate from Lewis & Clark College located in Portland, OR. Imtiyaz joined the Martin Lab at OHSU the summer before his senior year and had been working as a research assistant for roughly a year before joining PROPEL in hopes to gaining more insight to the process of gaining a PhD, collaborating with others of similar interests, receiving guidance in improving his scientific writing and presentation skills, gaining support for developing an independent research project, and connecting with mentors. After completing PROPEL, Imtiyaz hopes to pursue an MD/PhD with the additional skills, knowledge, and mentorship provided from his time during the program. In his free time, Imtiyaz enjoys bouldering, hanging out with his older brother and cats, and spending time in nature.