Highlights | Student leaders and innovators
- Each year, 100 undergraduate and graduate students from UW are recognized for their achievements.
- Five graduate and medical students from the UW School of Medicine were recognized for 2024.
- Common themes among the student honorees are community outreach, mentorship, leveraging technology and creating positive impacts in medicine.
The Husky 100 recognizes 100 UW undergraduate and graduate students who are making a difference inside the classroom, in our communities and beyond. Meet the UW School of Medicine graduate and medical students who received this highly competitive recognition.
Jason Chan
Doctor of Physical Therapy
“My time at the UW has been defined by the idea that health and wellness are reflections of an individual’s unique history, culture and perspective of the world. Through my global health coursework, participation in mobile health outreach with the Vietnam Health Clinic and my role in helping to found and lead the UW Doctor of Physical Therapy Program’s first pro-bono clinic, I have learned how powerful community organization can be in adapting healthcare to address the needs of specific patient populations. As a future physical therapist, I will continue to build upon these experiences to work towards increasing the accessibility of physical therapy services to underserved and immigrant communities in the greater Seattle area.”
Courtnie Paschall
PhD, Bioengineering; Data Science with Neural Engineering Certificate
“At UW, I dedicated my time to innovation and mentorship to shape the future of neural engineering. I built the first bidirectional Virtual Reality Brain Computer Interface (VR-BCI) platform for use with implanted neural devices in humans, led teams of students in advanced neuroscience research and neurotechnology development, and now continue in my MD training alongside cutting-edge AI and biotechnology development to support clinical practice. As a Navy veteran and dedicated advocate for women in STEM, I am committed to inspiring future leaders through my ongoing research, entrepreneurship and speaking engagements.”
Jake Reed
MD, Medicine
“Throughout my medical training, I’ve been honored to learn from skilled physicians who value both service to their communities and to the future generation of physicians. My decade of learning and working at the UW has enabled me to uphold these values myself and has informed my passion for elevating others through teaching, mentorship and service. As a physician and medical educator, I hope to keep creating spaces for learning, connection and positive impact while inspiring others to ask, ‘What if?’ and ‘Why not?’”
Annabel Vernon
PhD, Biochemistry
“Entering the UW community helped cement my passion for undergraduate education and increasing connections and communication between people at different career stages. I co-founded and continue to run the interdisciplinary Biochemistry Undergraduate Reading Program, which connects undergraduate students with graduate student, post doc or staff scientist mentors to read about and discuss topics of shared scientific interest. As co-president of my graduate student program, I have organized several panels to inform undergraduates about research and career opportunities, and I have extended our department community to include alumni by initiating an alumni network.”
Thomas Vincent
PhD, Bioengineering; Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate
“I believe my time spent as a Husky exemplifies the transformative impact of a multifaceted approach to education, exploration and community engagement. I came to the UW to study kidney regeneration using stem cells and hydrogel scaffolds, but have been able to work on many more projects than that. Through the Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate in Foster and a TL1 training grant from the Institute of Translational Health Sciences, I have been able to connect my academic training with my broader community of medical researchers and patient advocates.”
Editor’s Note: Originally published on the University of Washington Husky 100.
