Dr. Amanda Armington is a chiropractic physician at the University of Western States Health Center. She enjoys overseeing patient care on campus, integrating her love of chiropractic practice with teaching and mentoring chiropractic interns through the clinic internship series. Her chiropractic interests include prenatal care, family practice and nutrition. She is currently working towards a master’s degree in human nutrition and functional medicine through UWS’ online program in the college of graduate studies. She also enjoys being very active in the UWS campus community; serving on several committees, as a faculty mentor and student club advisor, as well as a facilitator in the mind body medicine elective. Dr. Armington earned her doctor of chiropractic degree from UWS (WSCC). Outside of work, Dr. Armington spends time with her husband and two kids, enjoying the many perks of being an Oregonian, rain or shine!

Breegan Arnett is an admissions advisor at UWS. Breegan is originally from Vancouver, WA. She attended college in Idaho, graduate school in Ohio and has permanently relocated back to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. While living in the Midwest, Breegan enjoyed exploring the East Coast and southern states with her husband. Breegan holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in music and is a professional freelance saxophonist in the Portland area. In her free time, Breegan enjoys being outside, specifically in the Columbia River Gorge and on the Oregon coast, cooking, baking and playing board games with her family.

Dr Laura Baffes is an associate professor & has been teaching at UWS since 1994.  She is a certified chiropractic sports physician (CCSP) and has additional training and teaches courses in neurology, orthopedics, pediatrics & internal disorders. Dr Baffes has written a CSPE care pathway on the treatment of Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and has been…

Lara Baker is (almost) a native Oregonian. Born in New Mexico, she moved to Oregon with her family at age one. Lara was raised on the South coast but has been in the Portland Metro area for more than 20 years. A professional stage and screen actor for more than 15 years, Lara joined UWS…

Christin Bankhead is the executive manager for clinical internship, assisting Dr. Ewald and responsible for monitoring, managing, and facilitating interns’ progress through the clinical internship of the UWS doctor of chiropractic program. She enjoys working in the clinic atmosphere and helping students throughout their time in the clinical internship. Christin’s previous experience includes event coordination and…

Dr. Bates is a higher education administrator with a deep background in educational best practices for quality teaching and learning experiences in collegiate courses. She earned her PhD in Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy from Michigan State University. She also holds an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech and a BA from The College of William & Mary in psychology. Prior to arriving at UWS, Dr. Bates served as the Dean of the College of Education at Concordia University, with previous experience as Associate Dean and Assistant Dean for the COE. Dr. Bates has also served as Associate Professor and the Director of the online Masters of Arts in Teaching program at Willamette University and as an assistant professor at the University of Utah. Her primary scholarly agenda includes work in mentoring and supervision of clinical experiences, including a recently published co-authored book – “Agency in Supervision and Mentoring: Reinvigorating the Practice” (2019). Dr. Bates is driven by her commitment to high quality, intellectual professional experiences for educators at all levels (PK-20), empowering them in their roles as educated professionals who are able to provide quality learning experiences for students.

Dr. Jaci Bergstrom is a chiropractic physician at the University of Western States Health Center. Dr. Bergstrom started at the clinic in 2018. She decided to shift her focus from private practice to the instructional side of chiropractic. Dr. Bergstrom feels this has been a great transition that has allowed her to incorporate her passion for chiropractic into the lives of the students as they pursue their dreams of providing care to their future patients. Dr. Bergstrom graduated from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minn. in 2001. From there she has worked as an associate for much of her career. She was also owner of a practice in Fargo, ND for five years prior to moving to the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Bergstrom received her Master of Arts in Management from St. Scholastica University in Duluth, Minn. in 2004. Throughout the course of practice, Dr. Bergstrom has truly enjoyed providing patient care and education on chiropractic, exercise, posture awareness and healthy habits. In her free time, Dr. Bergstrom enjoy spending time with her husband and three-year-old son. She also tries to spend time being outdoors, exercising, cooking and traveling.

Jenna Bobbins is an admissions program coordinator for UWS. She is originally from Southern California where she attended San Diego State and was a student ambassador for the university. She moved to Portland in 2015 and has loved it here ever since.

Monde Bongo has a background in complementary and alternative medicine, public health, and human nutrition, based on a wealth of education and experiences from Zambia (Africa), India, and the USA. She has facilitated courses in Whole Food Nutrition and Supplementation, Plant-Based Nutrition, and Botanical Medicine at University of Western States since 2018.

Dr. Borman earned his doctorate in anatomy and cell biology from the Medical College of Wisconsin and then began his career at UWS in 1994 as a faculty member in the department of basic sciences. As a result of his graduate research, Dr. Borman was awarded both the prestigious Jan Langman award and the Outstanding Dissertation award in two separate annual conferences of the American Association of Anatomists. For several years Dr. Borman served as professor and chair of the basic sciences department and taught courses in gross anatomy, cell biology, histology and human development. During that time he also held executive leadership positions in the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Association. In 2013, Dr. Borman accepted the appointment as dean of the college of chiropractic. In this capacity he worked collaboratively with faculty and administration to optimize the doctor of chiropractic program (DCP) curriculum and clinical experience. The UWS DCP is highly regarded for the depth and breadth of its curriculum and for the evidence-informed approach to chiropractic education. Late in 2017 Dr. Borman returned to the faculty in the department of basic sciences. He is currently course director for both spinal anatomy and head and neck gross anatomy and also assists in teaching the dissection labs for each of the three gross anatomy courses. If you ask him he’ll admit working with students in the anatomy lab is still, by far, his favorite part of his job. Dr. Borman has been an active participant in programmatic accreditation with the Council on Chiropractic Education since 2001. In this capacity he routinely participates in, or chairs, site teams as they visit the various DC programs around the country as part of the process of reaffirmation of accreditation. Since 2007, Dr. Borman has done similar work for the regional accreditation body, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. In his spare time, Dr. Borman is most likely to be found working on a “do it yourself” project around the home. Whether it’s a project inside the house or out in the yard, he’s always up for the challenge and gratification of taking on a new remodeling project.

Ami Brimhall is the wife of Dr. Joseph Brimhall, UWS president. She is one of the founding facilitators of the Art of Mindful Practice series, the Mind-Body Medicine elective for students, and the weekly Mindfulness Based Meditation meetings for students, staff, and faculty. As a student of meditation and yoga for many years, Ami is always in search of ways to promote activities that diminish negative stress and increase awareness, positive connections and emotions. When not with her sweet husband she can usually be found swimming, practicing yoga or painting in her very messy studio.

Joseph Brimhall, DC, has been president of University of Western States since 2003. He is a licensed chiropractic physician with over 22 years of clinical experience prior to becoming president of UWS, and was twice named Utah Chiropractic Physician of the Year. Dr. Brimhall has served on accrediting commissions and organizations at the programmatic, institutional, regional and international levels since 1998. He is the immediate past-chair of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) regional accrediting agency, a position he held from 2013 through 2019. Dr. Brimhall is also former president of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), past-president of the Councils on Chiropractic Education International (CCEI), former commissioner and director for the Council on Chiropractic Education Canada (CCEC), founding director and past chair of the Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine (OCIM), and former executive committee member of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health (ACIH). He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and a member of the executive committee of the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges & Universities.

Dr. Kate Brown is an assistant professor in the department of clinical education. She originally came to Oregon to attend Lewis and Clark College for her bachelor’s degree and then went on to obtain her doctor of chiropractic degree from University of Western States. Dr. Brown teaches courses in subjects including evidence-informed practice, physical diagnosis…

Dr. Chris Browne earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Truman State University. He then attended Logan University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in human biology, continuing on to complete his doctor of chiropractic degree at University of Western States (UWS). Dr. Browne returned to UWS to earn his Master of Science in human nutrition and functional medicine, graduating with the first cohort in the program while maintaining a full-time clinical practice focusing on neuromusculoskeletal care and nutritional management of chronic disease. After co-developing and teaching post-graduate courses in manual therapy and chiropractic adjustive technique, Dr. Browne became a professor at National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) where he taught physical medicine, orthopedics and clinical nutrition to senior naturopathic doctorate students and supervised interns delivering patient care. During this time, he began teaching in the UWS MS in human nutrition and functional medicine program, eventually assuming the role of associate director of human nutrition and functional medicine program, while continuing to teach in the program. His other professional activities have included textbook reviewing, teaching in the NUNM Grand Rounds series, lecturing for the Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine (OCIM) and presenting to various health care practitioner associations.

Courses Taught

• Structural Integrity
• Capstone Course

Dr. Pat Browne has worked in higher education administration for more than 34 years. His primary assignments have been in enrollment management, serving in both undergraduate and professional education settings. Dr. Browne joined UWS in 2008 as vice president for enrollment services and is now assisting the president’s office in fundraising and special projects.

Dr. Buchberger received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the National College of Chiropractic (NCC) in 1988, a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy from SUNY Upstate Medical University in 2006 and also earned the certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) credential through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) the same year. He is a former associate professor at New York Chiropractic College, a Diplomate and three-time past-president of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians. Dr. Buchberger currently serves as an official chiropractic consultant for the Auburn Doubleday’s (Single-A affiliate Washington Nationals) and Syracuse University Athletics. He is the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Auburn YMCA Stingrays swim program and current president and CEO of Active Physical Therapy Solutions PC, in Auburn, NY. The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians named Dr. Buchberger 2009 Sports Chiropractor of the Year.

Laura Burbano-Bayuelo is an admissions advisor at UWS. Originally from Bogota D.C., Colombia, Laura moved to Oregon for College at the University of Oregon where she graduated with a Masters of Arts in International Studies. Laura is currently a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at Portland State University. She enjoys learning languages and is fluent in Spanish. She also enjoys hiking and baking whenever possible. Growing up near the Andes, Laura has a great appreciation for nature and is thrilled for the opportunity to work and live in Portland, the city of bridges!

Dr. Burnham teaches in the basic science department at UWS. She earned her PhD in molecular microbiology in 1998 and completed a post doctoral fellowship at the Ohio State University in 2002. She joined the faculty of UWS in 2005. Dr. Burnham teaches immunology, microbiology and public health. When not at UWS Dr. Burnham can be found hanging out with her partner Erin and their two children, Addie and Zach.

Kathleen Cannon is the director of human resources. Kathleen joined UWS in 2013 coming from a start up into the academic world. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Portland State University and more than 15 years of human resources experience. Kathleen enjoys spending time with family and friends and being outdoors as…

Dr. Sarah Castillo completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology at UCLA, her master’s degree in kinesiology at Cal State Long Beach and her PhD in education at the University of Idaho. Her graduate research projects built on one another, with her master’s thesis focusing on the impact of coach and athlete compatibility on levels of team cohesion, and her dissertation centered on the creation of a two-year intervention program with a newly formed NCAA Division I women’s soccer team. She is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and approved CMPC mentor through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She currently serves on the AASP executive board as the professional standards division head, overseeing activities related to certification, ethics and continuing education. Dr. Castillo comes to UWS from National University in San Diego, Calif., where she served as the program director for the bachelor’s in sport psychology program, acted as editor-in-chief for the online Journal of Performance Psychology and was co-director of the Center for Performance Psychology. Prior to her tenure at National University, she spent nine years as a performance enhancement instructor at the United States Military Academy, West Point. During her time with the Army, Dr. Castillo worked extensively with more than 15 intercollegiate, intramural and club athletic teams. Dr. Castillo’s passion is working with individuals and teams in their search for peak performance in any area of life. She currently works with various collegiate teams and individual athletes in the San Diego area, as well as the USOPC Paralympic track and field team. One of Dr. Castillo’s main areas of interest is the implementation of interventions designed to allow performers to reach their potential through the application of mental skills and mindfulness training. Her goal is to collaborate with performers to help them become fully engaged in competition despite adverse thoughts, emotions and playing conditions.

Dr. Karen Bruce Chenier studied dance, psychology and sociology. She has a BFA in dance from California State University at Long Beach, a MA in dance movement therapy from the University of California Los Angeles, and a PhD in depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara Dr. Bruce Chenier has diverse professional work experience as a dance movement therapist, psychological assistant and psychotherapist. She worked as a registered dance movement therapist in various hospitals in Los Angeles. She worked in acute, locked, adult in-patient and partial psychiatric hospitalization programs in Century City Hospital, Encino Hospital, North Hollywood Medical Center, Huntington East Valley Hospital in Pasadena, CA, and the Healing Foundation Brentwood, CA. Dr. Bruce Chenier also lead dance movement therapy groups and individual sessions with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities at Ability First, Lawrence L. Frank Center in Pasadena, CA. She also worked as a dance movement therapist with elderly Catholic Nuns in Los Angeles, Sisters of St. Joseph, and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary.  She was also accepted and worked as a psychological assistant with Dr. Steven Frank at the CG. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, Kieffer Franz Clinic. As a lecturer, she has taught in the dance and education psychology department at California State University Long Beach. After taking time to be with her family and children, she relocated to Portland, Oregon. Dr. Bruce Chenier currently has a private practice office in Portland working with adults and couples who seek to enhance and improve the quality of their relationships and overall mental health. Presently, she is delighted to be teaching clinical psychology part-time in the graduate chiropractic program at the University of Western States.