UWEC and Beyond
Improving your future and the world's
Whether you want to change the face of medicine, improve patient care or attend a prestigious graduate school, we're here to help those dreams come true. Blugolds who participated in research with Mayo Clinic Health System before graduation have landed themselves in Graduate Research Employment Programs, Ph.D. candidacies, biotechnology companies and more. Let us be your launchpad for a future in medicine or other health-centered careers.
Doing undergraduate research at UW-Eau Claire helped prepare me to be more independent working here at Mayo Clinic. I felt more comfortable being an independent scientist after doing research for so long. It was a really great experience.
Blugold leads Mayo Clinic research team developing COVID-19 tests
We're recognized nationally for our student-faculty research. As a result, Blugolds learn the research process, and they also gain problem-solving and communication skills that employers value. Sara Lassila earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from UW-Eau Claire and is now a test development supervisor at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Sara's team developed a test that can detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Mayo Clinic test gives patients a result within 24 hours, far faster than several days to a week, typical of COVID-19 test results across the U.S.
"I learned so many things that were beneficial to me getting my first job at Mayo Clinic,” Sara said. “I really believe that the actual lab experiences I had at UWEC was one of the reasons I was hired.”
Advancing to medical school
Having grown up with health issues and making frequent hospital visits, biology major Parker Chrisler knew he wanted to help others someday in the medical field. And now he will be able to do just that. Through UWEC's collaboration with Mayo Clinic Health System, Parker was able to earn patient contact hours working as a phlebotomist for Mayo Clinic and gain the firsthand knowledge he needed to get into medical school.
Gaining important skills, direction for the future
A series of undergraduate research experiences at UW-Eau Claire inspired Avi Devy Mohan to pursue a career in biomedical technology, a field that’s begun playing a critical role in health care. Avi is part of a UWEC computer science research team collaborating with physicians at Mayo Clinic Health System, a project that creates a deep learning model that can detect inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in scans.
These research experiences are helping the computer science and applied mathematics major better understand biomedical technology and hone skills that will help her be successful in her career — and her life.
“Since technology is an ever-evolving field, I will be able to cope with the changes easily and stay relevant in my field — especially because research teaches you to think outside of the box,” Avi said. “Other little things I have picked up like working with others, working outside of my comfort zone and dealing with ‘failures’ will help me in the long run as well.”
Genetics research connects students with alumni
Student researchers are getting a glimpse of their potential futures as scientists and medical leaders through a collaborative research project that connects them with alumni working in the field of human genetics.
Learn more about their story
