This is an interactive workshop on discovering and sharing your research narrative. First, each of us has a connection and passion for our work. Identifying and including those connections in your research narrative can help engage your audience and boost your impact. We will discuss my own journey of personal discovery and explore your own. Second, the rising awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues in all areas has led to a positive increase in initiatives supporting DEI. We should not segregate these initiatives into the “service requirement” aspects of our positions. Rather, we should embrace DEI concepts as fundamental elements of our research activities. Perhaps your work has DEI impact you have yet to consider? Let’s explore together what effects our research may have on DEI and how to capitalize on or pivot our daily efforts to support all members of our community. I will share the “hidden” DEI aspects of my own work and how their exploration has impacted my research.
Dr. Morgan B. Giers joined Oregon State University as an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering in 2018. The Giers’ Lab at OSU focuses on patient selection and outcome prediction for intervertebral disc (IVD) regenerative and surgical treatments. Dr. Giers received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla) in 2010 and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University in 2013. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Neurosurgery Research at Barrow Neurological Institute. Her interdisciplinary research in drug delivery, transport phenomena, orthopedic surgery, machine learning, IVD degeneration, and MRI imaging has been presented in over 60 scientific meetings and 28 journal articles. She has had the honor of mentoring a postdoctoral fellow, 4 PhD students, 5 MS students, 8 honors theses students, and 2 dozen additional medical, undergraduate, and high school students. She serves her research community through her work on the Orthopedic Research Society Spine Section Board. Finally, she co-founded Spine by Design Inc to translate technology out of the lab and serve the spine patient community.