Degrees & Programs Biology

Anthony Waldrup '11 works as a Watershed Restoration Project Manager in SW Washington state. "I absolutely love it" he says. "I'm able to collaborate with farmers, timber owners, local community members and others on projects that improve watershed health & function." Such projects include  planting native riparian trees and shrubs, installing engineered log jams in rivers for fish habitat, and implementing beaver dam analogues to improve water/sediment retention. "I feel like my liberal arts education at Westmont really helped prepare me for this role that involves dialogue across multiple industries with a wide diversity of stakeholders."

Aaron Wilk ’16 graduated with a triple major in chemistry, biology and music. He writes "I'm currently an MD/PhD student at Stanford, studying Immunology. This year my work has pivoted completely to studying COVID: specifically what makes a good vs. bad immune response to COVID, and developing ways to turn a bad one into a good one. Still pursuing a career as a physician-scientist, I'm hoping to run a research lab in academic medicine while also seeing patients."

Mari Freitas '18 is currently working at the University of Minnesota while studying for her Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology. A TA at the University, she has also been hired at the Minnesota Dept. of Health to work on infectious disease studies. She says: "I wouldn't be here without the support of my professors at Westmont, especially Dr Julio and Dr McQuade, who inspired me to pursue a degree in epidemiology."

Katie West '18 graduated from Idaho State with a Masters degree as a Physician Assistant. She is now living in Boise and working in Dermatology.

Stephen Howe '15 defended his PhD in Biomimicry and Biomechanics this year - over Zoom! - at the University of Akron. "I studied fish swimming behaviors; specifically how fish turn."

Aaron Barnes ’12 is doing his residency in vascular surgery at Dartmouth Medical School.

A specialist in the narrow field of radiation oncology, David Bush ’86 treats cancer patients from around the country. He works as a physician and professor at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, Calif., which has pioneered the promising technology of proton radiation therapy. He contributes valuable research about this form of treatment, seeking ways to help heal people with cancer.

Sarah Bryan '13 completed medical school at St. George's University in the Caribbean, and is now doing her residency in internal medicine at MountainView hospital in Las Vegas. "I'm likely going on to pursue an emergency medicine fellowship after this," she says.

After finishing medical school at Loma Linda, Ben West '15 came back to Cottage Hospital in SB for internship and is now an Ophthalmology resident at UC Davis. "One of the highlights of the past few years was getting to go back to Ensenada with Potters Clay and help out the Med/Dent team! I am still so grateful for my time at Westmont and I hope everyone in the Bio department is doing well."

Kaitlyn Lewis '14 graduated with her Masters in Medical Science and is currently working in LA as a Physician Assistant, engaged in COVID testing among low-income city residents. 

After graduation, Brandon Coble '14 taught with Catalina Environmental Education Program (CELP) and with LA County Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. "With CELP I took students of all ages on ecological adventures, to teach them about the environment and how they could live more sustainably. Many had never been in the ocean before, so it was a fun challenge for me and them to go snorkeling, kayaking, and see what God's creation holds." Nowadays Brandon uses his chemistry and general science background in his work at CalPortland Cement, where he manages a lab. He & his team are developing specialty concrete mix designs for high-profile projects in the LA metro area (think LACMA and LAX). Brandon adds: "I am thankful daily for the well-rounded education I received at Westmont, which gave me the tools to grow."

Erin LeVoir '15  is completing her third year of medical school in New Orleans, having done years 1 and 2 in Queensland, Australia. "I moved to New Orleans at the beginning of 2020, just in time to escape the Australian fires and jump right into the COVID-19 pandemic," she says. "Navigating a pandemic from this perspective has been fascinating and challenging." After discovering a love for "all things brain-related", she will apply for residencies in neurology after getting her MD in 2021.

Mark Duncan '10 works as a hospitalist at the University of Colorado Hospital, where he is now an Assistant Professor. "I get to do a fair amount of teaching," he's glad to say. 

Stephen Avila '14 hopes to complete his MD and business concentration in May 2021, at which time he'll head from Indiana U back to Santa Barbara to get married! "I'm going into neurology and currently doing some Moyamoya disease research and some business consulting for ENT clinics on the side." He hopes to do his residency in California so as to be near his father who has made a full recovery from invasive Stage IV cancer. Currently  enrolled in pharmacy school at USC,

Macy Gipson ’19 plans to earn her doctorate in Pharmacology over the next four years.   She is concurrently working on her Ph.D. in pharmacogenetics, which will take an additional three years, so she can practice as both a pharmacist and a scientist.

Mary Elizabeth Heard '18 is working on a women-focused social enterprise that she started in a small southern village in India.  She is also researching different sustainable agricultural methods that have been used to create job opportunities for village people there.  She has spent time in Dehradun where an organization is doing research on how sustainable farming can alleviate poverty. 

Torin Shaikh '14 had two passions at Westmont: baseball & biology. After graduation he played professional baseball in Japan for two years before returning to join his family's optical & aerospace manufacturing business in California: TFD Inc.  He explains: "The business is built upon Thin Film technologies such as High Vacuum chambers, Plasma Vapor Deposition, and other manufacturing methods similar to semiconductor work. Starting as a Process Engineer I'm now VP of Production/Engineering. It's been rewarding to learn mechanical & chemical engineering from a Biology background, and I couldn't have gotten this far without my time at Westmont."