Student Research Assistants

Edgar Orozco is a third year PhD student of economics at West Virginia University. He has been with the Knee Center since the fall of 2023. His work at the Center focuses on health topics, specifically scope of practice, labor supply, and Certificate of Need laws. 

Edgar has lead data collection and manuscript development for work in pharmacist collaborative practice agreements, supported the data collection on a comprehensive, multi-state Certificate of Need law dataset, and has written numerous policy briefs on various state's Certificate of Need laws. 

Edgar Orozco has a number of upcoming and published works from his time with the Knee Center, including: 

"Healthcare Policy Spillovers: Impact on Nurse Practitioners and Health Outcomes in North Carolina." Forthcoming

"Optometry Associations and the Free Rider Problem Revisited." Forthcoming:  Theoretical Economics Letters. (Hall, Orozco, Mullis, 2026). 

Blog on physician assistants' regulation; in collaboration with the Cardinal Institute for WV Policy.

Dataset on occupational licensing requirements; in collaboration with the Pelican Institute.

"I value the opportunity to network and collaborate with professionals across disciplines. Engaging not only with economists, but also legal scholars, healthcare experts, and policy practitioners has broadened my perspective and deepened my understanding of how research can inform real-world decision-making." 

Haoyu (Leonard) Wang is a third year PhD student of economics at West Virginia University. His position as Graduate Student Research Assistant serves directly under Dr. Alicia Plemmons. His work with the Knee Center includes updating and analyzing state-level data across various occupational licenses.

In addition, Haoyu is currently collaborating with Dr. Plemmons to design a health outcomes survey that will be distributed across higher education institutions in West Virginia. 

His favorite part of his work "is the opportunity to build connections — talking and meeting, as well as collaborating on papers, with researchers from other institutions. This has allowed me to develop a strong professional network that I truly value." 

Chengyuan Hua joined the Knee Center in fall of 2025. He is a fourth year PhD student of economics at West Virginia University. Chengyuan is actively assisting Dr. Kihwan Bae in research activities on a project regarding refugee physicians and licensing restrictions.

Isaac Saunders is a first year PhD student of economics. His focus, within the Knee Center, is research support on projects in Criminal Justice regulation under Regulatory Frontiers Director Dr. Darwyyn Deyo. His role has involved working with a number of offices within West Virginia University and external to the University and the Knee Center in order to collect information on public records 

Brandon Frazier is a graduating senior at West Virginia University. Brandon is working towards a dual-major in Political Science and Philosophy. He works closely with Dr. Marcus Witcher, supporting his academic writing with his own research. They have been actively finalizing research and writing for a book project on the history of the Association of Private Enterprise Education in celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary.

"My favorite part of working here has been learning more economics through exposure to it with my work with the Center, as most of my work has been in policy and philosophy." 

Xavier Fankhouser is a junior student of economics at West Viginia University. His work at the Knee Center had involved multiple projects and responsibilities, such as data collection for the Annual Licensing Database Snapshot (ALDS) and literature review in Scope of Practice laws for chiropractors. In addition, he is actively writing about the data collection from the ALDS, in regard to specific occupational requirements and changes from year to year.

When asked about memorable takeaways from working with the Knee Center, Xavier said "My favorite part of working here is working alongside the team we have." 

McPherson Stone is a third-year economics student at West Virginia University with plans to graduate early, come fall 2026. Starting work in the Knee Center in fall 2025, he has been a major contributor to the data collections for the Annual Licensing Database Snapshot (ALDS), including natural hair braiders, pharmacists, licensed practical nurses, and dental hygienists. 

With the completion of the 2025 Annual Licensing Database Snapshot, McPherson has now begun writing short blog pieces on the database, as well as professional licensing, as a whole. 

Ambika Kulkarni Orus is a graduating senior majoring in Economics at West Virginia University. She holds the Stockman Fellowship from the Knee Center, which is a generous endowment created to grant students the opportunity for internship through their studies.

Ambika has one paper, co-authored with Dr. Alicia Plemmons, currently under review: "Provider Diversity within the Intersection of Ethnically Marginalized and Rural Communities After Expansions in Practice Authority."

In addition to her work with Dr. Plemmons, Ambika performs other research activities, such as data cleaning, for other projects in the Center. As part of her fellowship, she assists in the Center's outreach efforts by creating visualizations and research summaries of the KRRC's peer-reviewed work. 

Lastly, through connections with the KRRC, the Behavioral Economics and Situational Testing (BEAST) Lab is organizing a health perceptions survey across West Virginia campuses, where she serves as Lead Undergraduate Research Assistant.

"Above all, the greatest part of working at the Center has been the amazing mentorship I've received, and the friendly and supportive environment fostered by all of its members. I feel warmly welcomed into the Center, and through it, into the broader field of economics." 

Wyatt Armbrester is a junior student majoring in economics here at West Virginia University. 

His work at the Knee Center has included support of the Annual Licensing Database Snapshot, as well as data collection alongside Dr. Alicia Plemmons for a project analyzing differences in state regulation for the scope of practice of chiropractors. This project was published and further educates the literature on the current state of chiropractic practices and regulation, and how this varies by state. 

Sara Ratley is a junior at West Virginia University majoring in Political Science and Criminology. Sara supports the creation of the Annual Licensing Database Snapshot (ALDS) at the Knee Center through the data collection of occupational requirements for: veterinarian, veterinarian technician, dentist, dialysis technician, physical therapist, and physical therapist assistant.  

In addition to the ALDS data work, Sara also writes short articles on the collection and findings of the Annual Licensing Database. 

"My favorite part of work here is how kind and helpful everyone is, no matter what. From a question about the data, to a question about a class, everyone here makes me feel so welcomed."