Slocum Research & Education Foundation

SREF Staffing Updates

Recently, there have been some exciting changes at SREF!

New Team Member Natasha Castañeda!

SREF is happy to announce that Natasha Castañeda has joined the Slocum Foundation team as an Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator and Slocum Orthopedics as a scribe for Dr. Gerald Aggrey. Natasha recently completed her MS in Kinesiology from OSU, following a BS in Human Physiology from the UO. She has a passion for research and has spent time studying dual-task performance using varying cognitive tasks for concussion assessment as well as hemodynamic responses to heat therapy. If Natasha looks familiar, you may have encountered her during her tenure as a cast tech at Slocum! View Natasha’s full staff profile here.

Congratulations Ellie DeLoretto!

Ellie DeLoretto, who has been working on our research team since 2023, was admitted to OHSU School of Medicine and began classes this Summer. We are so proud of her and wish her the absolute best on her journey to a career as a physician. Ellie held a large role within SREF working on several studies and leading the charge on our Duck Parking event for multiple years.

Welcome to the team (officially), John Over!

We are also happy to announce the promotion of our intern, John Over to Clinical Research Assistant. John has been a core member of our team since the Fall of 2024 and we are very happy that he has officially joined the Foundation staff!

Education and Community Benefit Updates

Slocum Orthopedics Scholarship Winners

We are pleased to announce the 2026 winners of the Slocum Orthopedics Emerging Health Professionals of Lane County Scholarship Program. We had many amazing applicants this year and the reviewers were hard pressed to select just six recipients. These students were outstanding in their academic achievement, community involvement, and strong plans for a future in healthcare. We wish them well and are excited to see what they do next!

2026 Scholarship Recipients:

Alexa Garcia Gastelum is graduating from Churchill High School and attending Western Oregon University.

Alma Vasquez is graduating from North Eugene High School and attending University of Oregon.

Bailey Love is graduating from Springfield High School and attending Lane CC.

Goush Shaik is graduating from South Eugene High School and attending Stanford University.

Paige Jamison is graduating from Junction City High School and attending University of Oregon.

Reena Zhao is graduating from South Eugene High School and attending Rice University.

This program supports future healthcare professionals by awarding a limited number of one-time, $1,500 scholarships to graduating Lane County high school seniors who have been accepted into an accredited college or technical program. The Scholarship Program is focused on supporting well-rounded high school seniors who plan to pursue a career in healthcare, health-related research, public or community health.

Restore Together Foundation for Care Fundraiser

The Savannah Bananas recently took the city of Eugene by storm with their creative showmanship version of baseball they call '“Banana Ball.” This event was a huge hit, selling out Autzen Stadium for two consecutive days and drawing over 120,000 fans. Through parking fundraisers during the Banana Ball and Zach Bryan concert, the Slocum Foundation and Restore Together Foundation for Care (RTFC) partnered to raise over $15,000. More than $10,000 will be used to directly support the costs of Slocum providers’ annual outreach trip to the Dominical Republic including purchasing medical supplies and staffing operating rooms. The remainder will support the Slocum Foundation’s education and community outreach initiatives.

Learn more about the RTFC here.