Eagle Excellence: September/October 2026

The Eagle Excellence column recognizes outstanding work that shines a positive light on Eastern Washington University and supports its transformational mission.

Developing technology to improve the lives of people with debilitating health conditions; gathering data to protect vulnerable wildlife populations; contributing to genomic findings that will advance our understanding of a crucial infectious-disease vector: these are just a few of the ways EWU faculty, staff and students have made a difference in recent weeks.

Here are the Eagle Excellence shout-outs for September and October 2026:

     John Wehrer: In September, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) of Washington honored John Wehrer, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, with its the APTA Emerging Leader Award.

This award recognizes a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who demonstrates outstanding early-career leadership and service to the profession.

In addition to working as a faculty member at Eastern, Wehrer is a board-certified sports clinical specialist and owner of Phyziologic, a Spokane-based sports physical therapy, coaching and consultancy firm. He currently serves in the APTA House of Delegates, the association’s governing body, and is president of the APTA Washington Sports Special Interest Group. He holds both a Bachelor of Science degree and a doctorate from EWU.

In a social media post announcing Wehrer’s award, the APTA of Washington cited “his leadership [that] extends across clinical practice, education, research and community engagement.”

“Through adaptive recreation initiatives, mentorship and advocacy,” the post continued, “Dr. Wehrer has expanded opportunities for individuals with disabilities while creating impactful learning experiences for future physical therapists.”

Kimberly Cleary, an EWU professor and chair of the university’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, said Wehrer, who has served as a full-time faculty member at Eastern since August 2024, is a much-appreciated asset for both Eastern’s program and the practice of physical therapy as a whole.

“This award recognizes John at the national level in our profession,” Cleary said. “He is well deserving, and we are fortunate to have him on our small-but-mighty team.”

     Charles Hause: A big shoutout to Charles Hause for his work to organize two forensics summer camps that received rave reviews from participating students.

Hause, an EWU Justice Studies adjunct faculty member, led the camp, which brought nearly 40 middle and high school students onto the Cheney campus for a total of five days. According to an EWU parent whose daughter attended the camp,  five students from the NEWTech Prep cohort approached Hause after their three-day camp and said they were going to register for EWU as soon as possible.

     Drew Ayers: EWU Professor of Film, Drew Ayers has published a new book, Action Bodies: VFX, Identity, and Embodiment in Blockbuster Cinema through the University of Texas Press.

The new book examines embodiment and identity in contemporary action cinema with a particular focus on the role of visual effects and other digital technologies in constructing bodies on screen.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit items for the Eagle Excellence monthly column! You can help us celebrate our collective wins by submitting your own news and accomplishments or sharing kudos for a colleague, team or department at this link.