CWU Clinical Physiology alum presents research at national conference

When it came time to select a patient for her internship’s required case study, Claire McGinnis didn’t want to take the easy way out.

A member of the Central Washington University clinical physiology faculty pointed her in the direction of a patient with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), and it didn’t take long for her to become fascinated with the disease.

“I could have picked a patient with a more well-documented affliction, but I decided that it’d be more worth my time to pursue something less researched,” said McGinnis (’23). “As I dove into it, I realized just how little research on the disease there was, so it was very cool to bring it full circle and be able to present my own at the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) conference.”

LAM is a rare lung disease, primarily affecting women, which causes abnormal smooth muscle tissue to develop inside the patient’s respiratory system. The subject of McGinnis’ case study, a patient at Confluence Hospital in Wenatchee — where McGinnis pursued her internship — had suffered multiple instances of lung collapse. The patient ultimately received a full lung transplant, which more than doubled her functional ability and removed her need for supplemental oxygen.

Following McGinnis’ graduation and subsequent move to Boston to pursue a job at Beth Israel Lahey Health Primary Care, she continued her research into LAM, with the help of one of her CWU faculty mentors, Professor of Clinical Psychology Vince Nethery.

“Dr. Nethery helped me get it all together and ready for presenting, which was a huge help,” McGinnis said. “He’s been there for me throughout my entire degree to make sure I was able to accomplish what I set out to do and exceed my own expectations.”

Nethery decided to submit her research to the ACSM’s Annual Scientific and Clinical Conference in Boston, held May 28-31. The proposal was accepted, and Nethery helped her present it as part of the conference’s poster show.

“It was so cool to be there with him and present what we’d worked on together,” McGinnis said. “I would’ve never been able to put it all together on my own, so I’m very thankful for all he’s done for me.”

Through her involvement with the project, McGinnis discovered a love for research that she knows is going to stay with her for the rest of her career.

“I loved all the behind-the-scenes work on the project, tearing through articles and stuff I found on the disease itself, then applying it to the case in front of me,” she said. “It came with many sleepless nights, as I was also working full-time in a lab, but seeing it all come together was so rewarding.”

Going forward, McGinnis plans on broadening her scope, not content to limit herself to a specific field of study.

“While I would love to continue researching cardiopulmonary diseases, I also don’t want to narrow down my field of vision too far,” she said. “Now is the time to keep my eyes and ears open to any potential opportunity, knowing that if it’s not for me, at least I’ve learned more about myself, as opposed to having career tunnel vision.”

Looking back on her time at CWU, McGinnis remembers fondly the positive learning experiences she had with Nethery and Clinical Psychology Program Director Jared Dickinson, citing her two mentors as key to her long-term success.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without Dr. Nethery and Dr. Dickinson,” she said. “Both of them were so instrumental in my education, making it both fun and challenging along the way. I miss them both.”