MS and BS Class Notes

1958

Jean Sparks, BS ’58 (medical technology), writes, “Class of 1958. Class of 12 med techs has remained in touch over the years via a round robin letter and the occasional gathering for lunch, even though we are widely scattered.”

1982

Lyle M. Najita, PhD, BS ’82 (microbiology and chemistry), writes, “After graduation in 1982, I worked at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center till 1985. Attended U of CO Health Sciences Center (now Anschutz Medical Campus) 1985–1991, completed my PhD in microbiology and immunology under Dr. Peter Sarnow (now at Stanford University). Did a postdoc at Rockefeller University, 1991–1995. Did a second post-doc at UC-Davis, 1995–1999. I left the lab to attend the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 1999–2003. I completed my MS in traditional Chinese medicine and worked as a private practice acupuncturist from 2003–2019. In 2017, I earned my EMT certification. I worked part-time as an event EMT. I attended the paramedic program at CSU, Sacramento and completed that program in 2020. In 2020, I moved back to Hawaii to take care of an elderly parent. In 2021, I got hired as a paramedic in a mental health clinic administering medication for depression/anxiety/PTSD.”

1991

Christopher F. Hovorka, PhD, BS ’91 (prosthetics and orthotics), writes, “After a rigorous journey to complete a PhD in applied physiology and biomechanics from Georgia Tech — and after faculty appointments at Georgia Tech, the University of Pittsburgh, and East Tennessee State University — a new opportunity in academia has taken me to Arizona. So, in the fall of 2021, after many years in the eastern U.S., I headed west. I now serve as director of a developing orthotics and prosthetics program at Midwestern University, a small medical and health sciences institution located in Glendale. In addition to the growth and development in my new role, I’m also enjoying the plentiful trekking and biking options in wider open spaces and the taller, more rugged mountains that were absent in the eastern U.S.”

2015

Bryan H. Santos, MS ’15 (microbiology), writes, “I’ve been working for the Marine Microbiology lab in the City of San Diego since 2019 and have had the great opportunity to work with other agencies throughout southern California to hone the EPA’s relatively new method for coliphage quantification in marine waters. In collaboration with the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), I co-authored a paper published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology entitled “Assessing cross‐laboratory performance for quantifying coliphage using EPA Method 1642.” Additionally, another paper sharing insights gleaned from attempting to measure coliphage from various sites along the southern California coast is currently in review.”