Her work ranges from pricing Medicare plans to helping hospitals understand payment models and evaluating whether medical interventions improve patient outcomes. “My days are never boring,” she said. “Clients bring us hard problems and we get to design studies, build models and really dig into whether something is working.” For Baird, actuarial science allows her to improve health care for patients and providers alike. Predicting the next outbreak As a child in Virginia, Barbara Han (Ph.D. Zoology ’09) stood at the edge of a stream staring at a frog floating belly up, wondering what had happened. That curiosity eventually led her to become a leader in disease ecology. Now an associate scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Han uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to understand when zoonotic diseases are likely to emerge, and why. Her models compare traits of known disease-carrying animals with thousands of others to predict future carriers. Her work has informed studies involving diseases such as Ebola, Zika and COVID-19 and has led to collaborations with scientists at NASA, universities around the world and major public health organizations. “OSU let me mix the ingredients in a way that was most true to me and also take that research forward in new directions,” she said. For Han, scientific uncertainty is not a barrier but a motivation. “Science is supposed to feel hard,” she said. “Every question you’re asking is new — that’s the point.” Transforming cystic fibrosis treatment When scientists began studying how proteins misfold in the human body, few imagined the work would help transform treatment for nearly everyone living with cystic fibrosis. Bill Skach (Biochemistry and Biophysics, Crop Science ’79) helped make that breakthrough possible. After graduating from Oregon State, Skach attended Harvard Medical School and built a career as a physician-scientist. For decades, he treated cancer patients while conducting research on membrane protein folding. His work contributed to discoveries that ultimately led to therapies that dramatically improved outcomes for people with cystic fibrosis. Later, as vice president and chief scientific officer of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, he helped guide research and drug development efforts supporting hundreds of laboratories and companies worldwide. Skach credits Oregon State with helping launch a career defined by curiosity and opportunity. “I think the definition of success is having options,” he said. “Oregon State can open doors. It can take things that are out of reach and put them into people’s reach.” “Oregon State can open doors. It can take things that are out of reach and put them into people’s reach.” Bill Skach (B.S. ’79) Zoology alumna Barbara Han (left) and Biochemistry and Biophysics alumnus Bill Skach (above) were honored by the College of Science in 2025 for accomplishments in their respective fields: Han with the Emerging Leader Award and Skach with the Distinguished Alumni Award. IMPACT FALL 2026 13
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