Elisabeth Orozco M.S.

I am a current graduate student and a VA research volunteer. I am a responsible, productive, and organized individual. I consider myself as a hard working individual that gets things done on time. My passion in life is to become a neuroscientist and help as many people as possible along the way. I currently try to help individuals by both volunteering and working at UCSD and the VA. At the VA, I try my best to make sure that the veterans feel comfortable during their experience. I've also had the privilege of working with the doctors and gaining some clinical experience. At UCSD, I am currently working on a research project to hopefully one day help individuals with both acute and chronic nerve injuries.

University of California San Diego (2022-Present)

• Major: Biology PhD

Cal State Fullerton (2019-2021)

• Major: Biology M.S.

University of San Diego (2013-2015)

• Major: Behavioral Neuroscience B.S.
• Minor: Philosophy

San Diego Mesa Community College (Summer 2016)

San Diego Miramar Community College (Summer 2015)

Irvine Valley College (Summer 2014)

Long Beach City College (2011-2013)

Santa Ana College (2010-2013)

Mater Dei Catholic High School (2008-2011)

Elisabeth Orozco, Sameer B. Shah, Masuda Koichi ([December, 2021]). "[A guide to reducing adverse outcomes in rabbit models of sciatic nerve injury]." [in press. Laboratory Animal Research].

Elisabeth Blevins, Nilay Patel, Kristy Forsgren, Alison Miyamoto ([June, 2021)]. "[Heart Valve Scaffolds Differentially Affect Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell Attachment and Proliferation]." [Thesis].

Elisabeth Orozco, Koichi Masuda, Sameer Shah ([May 31, 2021]). "[Nerve lengthening as a strategy for graft-free repair of peripheral nerve gaps]." [Abstract, MHSRS].

James M. Love, Brain G. Bober, Elisabeth Orozco, Amanda T. White, Shannon N. Bremner, Richard M. Lovering, Simon Schenk, Sameer B. Shah ([March 1, 2017]). "[mTOR regulator peripheral nerve response to tensile strain]." [in press. J Neurophysiology].

Steven Horton, Carlos Luna Lopez, Elisabeth Blevins, et al. ([June 15, 2017]). "[Pannexin 1 enhances Axonal Growth in Mouse Peripheral Nerves]." [in press. Frontier in Cellular Neuroscience].

Jaemyoung Sung, Jakub Sikora-Klak, Stephanie Adachi, Eisabeth Orozco, Sameer Shah ([January 27, 2019]). "[Decoupled Epineurial and Axonal Deformation in Mouse Median and Ulnar Nerves]". [in press. Muscle and Nerve].

Bhavik Patel, Elisabeth Orozco, Sameer Shah. [Effect of Cardiotoxin-Induced Skeletal Muscle Injury on Muscle and Peripheral Nerve Mitochondrial Structure, Function, and Density]. [UCSD School of Medicine]. [Abstract].

Lindsey A. Burnett, Sameer Shah, Elisabeth Orozco, Varsha Rajesh, Marianna Alperin ([April 9, 2018])."[Hormone Receptor Expression in Pelvic Floor Muscles]." [UCSD School of Medicine]. [Abstract].

Elisabeth Orozco, Stephanie Adachi, Sameer Shah ([November 2019]). "[Influence of Pannexin-1 Knockout on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration]". [Abstract, SFN].

Elisabeth Orozco, Brian Bober, Sameer Shah ([November, 2021]). "[Infleunce of tau on paclitaxel-induced neuropathy]". [Abstract, SFN].

Carlos Luna, Brian Bober, Elisabeth Blevins, Sameer Shah. "[Structural and Functional Analysis of Peripheral Nerves Following Paclitaxel Treatment in Wildtype and Tau Knockout Mice]." [Seminar].

Holly M. Howarth, Adarsh Kadoor, Rayeheh Salem, Elisabeth Orozco, Mary Esparza, Sameer Shah. "[Nerve Lengthening as a Regenerative Strategy]". [Conference].

Elisabeth Orozco. "[Influence of Pannexin-1 Knockout on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration]". [Society for Neuroscience]. [Conference].

Holly M. Howarth, Elisabeth Orozco, Richard M. Lovering, Sameer Shah. "[A comparative assessment of lengthening followed by end-to-end repair and isograft repair of chronically injured peripheral nerves]." [in press. Experimental Neurology].

Sameer Shah, Shannon Bremner, Elisabeth Orozco, et al. ([January 13, 2020]). "[Does Cryoneurolysis Result in Persistent Motor Deficits? A Controlled Study Using a Rat Peroneal Nerve Injury Model]." [in press. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine].

Elisabeth Orozco, Sameer Shah, Justin Brown, Koichi Masuda. "[Graft-free repair of peripheral nerve gaps via nerve lengthening]". [Poster, GRC].

Elisabeth Orozco, Sameer Shah, Justin Brown, Koichi Masuda. "[Graft-free repair of peripheral nerve gaps via nerve traction]". [Poster, ASPN].

Ting-Hsien Chuang, Elisabeth Orozco, Jae Jun Nam, Kenneth Vaz, Richard M. Lovering, Sameer Shah. (2023). Injured nerve respond favorably to an integrated tension-and conduit-based regenerative strategy. Frontiers in Biomaterials Science, 2:1041018. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbiom.2023.1041018

Elisabeth Orozco, Jae Jun Nam, Sameer,  Shah, Justin Brown, Koichi Masuda. "[Nerve tension as a strategy for enabling end to end repairs in injured rabbit sciatic nerves]". [Poster, ASPN].

Elisabeth Orozco, Brian Bober, Carlos Luna Lopez, Sameer Shah. "[Influence of Tau on the Progression of Neuropathic Phenotypes in a Mouse of Paclitaxel Induced Neuropathy]". [Poster, ASPN].

Elisabeth Orozco, Sameer Shah, Justin Brown, Koichi Masuda. "[Graft-free repair of peripheral nerve gaps via nerve traction]". [Poster, Gordon Research Conference].

Elisabeth Orozco, Sameer Shah, Justin Brown, Koichi Masuda. "[Progressive Lengthening and end-to-end repair results in superior muscle structural and functional recovery versus autografts]". [Podium Presentation, ASPN].

Elisabeth Orozco, Kiersten Red, Carmelina Azar, Candace Mason, Red Abrams, Sameer Shah. "[Inflammasome and Complement Pathways are Initiated at Early Time Points after Mouse Sciatic Nerve Transection]". [Poster, ORS].

Elisabeth Orozco, Yuanshan Wu, Kaixin Pan, Eric Chang, Sameer Shah. "[Quantitative Ultrashort Time Echo (qUTE) MRI Imaging Of Peripheral Nerve Repairs In Rat Sciatic Nerve Mode]". [Poster, ORS].

• USD Scholarship (2013-2015)
• Luisa A. & Harold N. Stoflet Memorial Scholarship (2014-2015)
• Sister Dale Brown Science Scholarship (2015)
• Math Award (2007)
• Language Arts Award (2007)
• Music Award (2009)
• D.A.R.E. Award (2003)

• Howarth, H. M., Orozco, E., Lovering, R. M., & Shah, S. B. (2020). A comparative assessment of lengthening followed by end-to-end repair and isograft repair of chronically injured peripheral nerves. Experimental neurology, 331, 113328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113328
• Love, J. M., Bober, B. G., Orozco, E., White, A. T., Bremner, S. N., Lovering, R. M., Schenk, S., & Shah, S. B. (2017). mTOR regulates peripheral nerve response to tensile strain. Journal of neurophysiology, 117(5), 2075–2084. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00257.2016
• Sung, J., Sikora-Klak, J., Adachi, S. Y., Orozco, E., & Shah, S. B. (2019). Decoupled epineurial and axonal deformation in mouse median and ulnar nerves. Muscle & nerve, 59(5), 619–628. https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.26437
• Shah, S. B., Bremner, S., Esparza, M., Dorn, S., Orozco, E., Haghshenas, C., Ilfeld, B. M., Gabriel, R. A., & Ward, S. (2020). Does cryoneurolysis result in persistent motor deficits? A controlled study using a rat peroneal nerve injury model. Regional anesthesia and pain medicine, 45(4), 287–292. https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2019-101141
• Orozco, E., Masuda, K., & Shah, S. B. (2021). A guide to reducing adverse outcomes in rabbit models of sciatic nerve injury. Laboratory animal research, 37(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42826-021-00085-1
• Horton, S. M., Luna Lopez, C., Blevins, E., Howarth, H., Weisberg, J., Shestopalov, V. I., Makarenkova, H. P., & Shah, S. B. (2017). Pannexin 1 Modulates Axonal Growth in Mouse Peripheral Nerves. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 11, 365. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2017.00365
• Ting, H.C., Orozco, E., Nam, J.J., Vaz, K., Lovering, M.R., Shah, S. (2023). Injured nerve respond favorably to an integrated tension-and conduit-based regenerative strategy. Frontiers in Biomaterials Science, 2:1041018. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbiom.2023.1041018
• Yuanshan Wu, Victor Barrere, Aiguo Han, Michael P Andre, Elisabeth Orozco, Xin Cheng, Eric Y Chang, Sameer B. Shah. (2023). Quantitative evaluation of rat sciatic nerve degeneration using high-frequency ultrasound. Scientific reports, 13(1), 20228. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47264-9
• Yuanshan Wu, Victor Barrere, Aiguo Han, Michael P Andre, Elisabeth Orozco, Xin Cheng, Eric Y Chang, Sameer B. Shah. (2025). Quantitative Ultrashort Echo Time Magnetic Resonance Imaging (UTE-MRI) of Rat Sciatic Nerve Degeneration and Regeneration. Radiology [under review]
• Elisabeth Orozco, Carlos Luna Lopez, Brian G. Bober, Sameer B. Shah. (2025). Tau deletion reduces severity of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy. Neuropharmacology. [submitted-waiting review]