March SOM News

SOM Strategic Plan Available Online

The School of Medicine Strategic Plan 2005 – 2010 reflects the work of deans, department chairs and institute/center directors at the second SOM strategic planning retreat held last October. After the retreat, a matrix relating to implementing the plan's strategies was created. The SOM Faculty Council has reviewed the plan and, at their March meeting, voted to approve it. The SOM plan will be included in the OHSU strategic plan.

The plan has five strategies: regionalize medical education in Oregon; expand educational scope longitudinally and trans-professionally; enhance diversity for SOM medical and graduate students, residents and faculty; develop sustainable funding models for research core; and formulate new government and public relations strategies that result in enhanced funding to the SOM.

Efforts to implement the School's plan are underway and another retreat will be held next fall to assess our progress in reaching the strategic goals and fulfilling our mission. If you would like to read the latest draft of the SOM Strategic plan, it is available at http://www.ohsu.edu/som/dean/docs/som_strategic_plan.pdf.

Funding for Medical Education in Oregon

The SOM strategic plan calls for formulating "new government and public relations strategies that result in enhanced funding to the SOM." This strategy is driven by a 38% decrease in state funding to the School since 2001. The 2005 state appropriation to the SOM was unchanged from the 2003 level of state support, and in the AAMC 2004 report on state funding to the 75 publicly supported medical colleges, Oregon ranked near the bottom at 69th.

OHSU SOM is among the highest for instate tuition ($26,063.00 per year in '05, with out-of-state tuition at $36,983.00 per year in '05), and the average OHSU medical school graduate now has a staggering $125,000 debt load. The cost of educating one medical student is approximately $80,000.00 per year. Given the School of Medicine's 2004 enrollment of 422 medical students, the state appropriation was $27,071.00 per student. This figure, however, does not take into account the graduate, physician assistant, public health and other health professional students educated within the School of Medicine.

Based on 2004 U.S. Census data and the AAMC 2004 report on state appropriations to medical schools, the state of Washington, population 6,203,788, gives the University of Washington School of Medicine $60,322,309. This is $9.725 per Washington resident. Oregon, population 3,594,586, gives OHSU School of Medicine $11,424,254. This is $3.178 per Oregon resident.

Hospital Expansion Named for President Peter O. Kohler

The OHSU board of directors has named the OHSU Hospital expansion the "Peter O. Kohler Pavilion." Keith Thomson, OHSU board chairman, stated, "This honor is meant to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of Dr. Kohler to OHSU and his instrumental role in charting our future. . . The innovations and spirit of service and excellence embodied in this new building are a reflection of Dr. Kohler's leadership, and it seems only fitting that it be named in his honor."

Dr. Kohler became OHSU president July 1, 1988, and is one of the nation's longest-serving academic health center presidents. Under his leadership, OHSU's workforce has doubled to become Portland's largest and the state's fourth largest with 11,500 employees. Patient care visits have increased from 245,000 annually in 1988 to 737,600 in 2004. Annual research award dollars have grown from $40.5 million in 1988 to $274 million in fiscal year 2005.

Dr. Kohler has led a reinvigoration of OHSU's campuses. Facilities have been upgraded and 12 new buildings, including the Biomedical Research Building, have been completed since 1988. A new west campus was added, including the Oregon National Primate Research Center and the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology, now home to the OGI School of Science & Engineering.

The first patients will occupy the Peter O. Kohler Pavilion on June 27 of this year. The 335,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building will ultimately mean a net gain of 120 hospital beds, 12 new operating rooms, outpatient care space for the Center for Women's Health and the OHSU Cancer Institute's Center for Hematologic Malignancies, as well as a new Radiation Medicine suite.

(Photo courtesy of Kent Anderson)

5K Run for the SW Community Health Center

The Student Alliance of the SOM Office of Diversity Affairs is sponsoring Hills for Humanity, a 5K run and walk, that will take place at OHSU on Sunday morning, April 23rd. The event raises money for the SW Community Health Center, which delivers health care to uninsured and under-served patients. In addition to raising money, the event furthers the connection between OHSU and the community while encouraging healthy activities such as running and walking. The event will start and end at the OHSU fitness center, located on Campus Drive. Online registration for the run is available at http://www.ohsu.edu/som/dean/oma/run.shtml. Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Matthew Bentz at bentzm@ohsu.edu.

New Name for Pediatric Nephrology

Because patients found it confusing, the name of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology has been changed to the Division of Pediatric Kidney Services and Hypertension.

Tapping SOM Talent

Training Academic Leaders and Enhancing Networks and Teams (TALENT) is a SOM initiative designed to help women fulfill their potential as leaders, develop networks and teams, and balance work-life issues. The TALENT program provides support for a formalized mentoring program, a career development/leadership series, and representation at annual AAMC career development conferences. Although TALENT is designed to improve specifically the retention and advancement of women in academic medicine, program activities are designed to help all faculty, both men and women, make the most of their careers.

The objective of the TALENT Mentoring Program is to promote the leadership and advancement of junior faculty by providing support for career advice and coaching. The Individual Mentoring Program and the Collaborative Mentoring Program are designed to help faculty develop a career "coaching staff" comprised of peers as well as senior faculty outside their department or division. All faculty members joining the program receive written materials and are invited to group mentoring activities to help get the most from their collaborations. Criteria for documenting mentoring activities for use in Promotion & Tenure portfolios is now being developed; faculty participation will be credited as a part of this new criteria.

The Individual Mentoring Program links junior faculty with more experienced faculty for career-development coaching and mentoring. A peer Collaborative Mentoring Program for junior faculty is being developed to support professional and personal development. A series of monthly, facilitated day-long meetings give faculty members protected time to create academic career plans, clarify values and commitments at work, develop the requisite skills to achieve career goals, and develop collegial relationships with a diverse peer group.

Topics in the TALENT Career Series include academic career planning, time management, negotiation, communication, conflict resolution, balancing work and family, and promotion at OHSU. Organized by the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs, the Career Series is open to both men and women faculty and occurs monthly. Special sessions will be held once or twice per year highlighting a nationally recognized guest speaker.

The director and the coordinator of TALENT produce an annual Representation of Women report, which measures the success of SOM efforts to support the retention and promotion of women faculty. For additional information, please visit the TALENT website: www.ohsu.edu/som/talent.

SOM Hooding and Commencement

SOM Hooding and Commencement ceremonies will be held on Friday, June 2, 2006, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, with the Hooding Ceremony from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. and Commencement from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Online SOM Communication Submission Form

The communication submission form is available on the SOM website and can be accessed from the SOM homepage (click "General Information" on the homepage menu, then click "Communication Submission" in the general information menu) or at http://www.ohsu.edu/som/dean/general/info_submission.shtml. The form is designed as a tool for faculty to submit information about ongoing research and findings to be shared with colleagues, the OHSU community, the media, or the community at large.

Tram Update

Construction of the Portland Aerial Tram, which is crucial to OHSU's future growth and to connecting Marquam Hill to the South Waterfront, is nearly 40 percent complete. You can view new pictures of tram construction progress at http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/landingpages/tramupdate/

More on Portland Monthly's "Best Doctors"

In the last issue of Dean's Update, we listed SOM faculty who were included in Portland Monthly's listing of "Best Doctors." We certainly didn't intend to exclude those with faculty appointments in the VA. The following OHSU "Best Doctors" are or have been associated with the Portland VA Medical Center.

Especially noteworthy, Dr. James Reuler, VA Internal Medicine, was one of the five doctors profiled as Portland's Monthly's "best of the best." Dr. Jeffrey Kirsch, OHSU SOM Chair of Anesthesiology, was also recognized as one of the top five doctors in Portland.

The following are SOM "Best Doctors" with faculty appointments in the VA: James B. Reuler, Internal Medicine; Stephen M. Campbell, Chief of Rheumatology; Douglas O. Faigel, Gastroenterology; M. Brian Fennerty, Gastroenterology; David A. Lieberman, Chief of Gastroenterology; Thomas G. Deloughery, Hem/Onc; Sima Desai, Internal Med/Geriatrics; Donald E. Girard, Internal Med/Geriatrics; Alan J. Hunter, Internal Med/Geriatrics; David H. Ellison, Nephrology; Dennis N. Bourdette, Neurology; John G. Nutt, Neurology; David M. Cook, Endocrinology; Lynne H. Morrison, Dermatology; Kelly D. Chung, Ophthalmology; David J. Wilson, Ophthalmology; James I. Cohen, Otolaryngology; Mark S. Chesnutt, Chief of Critical Care.

Don Houghton Elected to OHSU Foundation Board

The OHSU Foundation has announced the election of new members to the OHSU Foundation Board of Trustees. Donald C. Houghton, M.D., has been elected to the board as alumni representatives of the OHSU School of Medicine. Dr. Houghton is president-elect of the SOM Alumni Association board and chair of its Alumni Association Outreach Committee. He is currently a professor of pathology in the School of Medicine and the medical director of Renal Biopsy Service at OHSU.

New SOM Faculty

Following is a list of faculty members who have joined the School of Medicine between January 1, 2006 and February 28, 2006.

Alec R. Belman, M.D., Emergency Medicine; Rath Ben, M.S.W., Psychiatry; Anish Bhardwaj, M.D., Neurology; Keith R. Birchard, M.D. Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation; Anh V. Bui, M.A., Psychiatry; Scott M. Chadderdon, M.D., Cardiovascular Medicine; Joaquin E.G. Cigarroa, M.D., Cardiovascular Medicine; Cindi Farnstrom, B.S., R.N., Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery; Felicia A. Ferguson, M.D., Neurology; Elise J. Fulsang, M.D., Hospital Medicine; Anthony K. Gomez, PA-C, Neurological Surgery; Neil D. Gross, M.D., Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery; Izumi Harukuni, M.D., Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Anva Hill, M.S., PA-C Surgery Liver & Pancreas Transplantation; Stephen C. Hoffelt, M.D., Radiation Oncology; Ami K. Hsu, M.S.W., Psychiatry; Loan K. Huynh, M.S.W., Psychiatry; Elyse M. Jameyson, M.A., Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery; Khamone Keopraseuth, M.S.W., Psychiatry; Thomas G, Kern, Ph.D., Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Teresa M. Kochanowski, M.S.N., R.N., Hematology & Medical Oncology; Paul A. Kurz, M.D., Ophthalmology; Kathie L. Lasater, Ed.D., R.N., Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Dai-Trang E. Le, M.D., Cardiovascular Medicine; Marjorie R. Leek, Ph.D., Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery; Jonathan R. Lindner, M.D., Cardiovascular Medicine; Malini D. Moffat, M.S.N., Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Jeremy Nguyen, M.S.W., Psychiatry; Robert D. Northern, M.S., Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Laurence Sagasay, M.S.N., R.N., Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Nancy L. Spencer, M.S.N., F.N.P., Medicine Hematology & Medical Oncology; Claire E. Spiro, M.H.S., PA-C, Physician Assistant Education; Marcus C. Stepaniak, M.S.N., R.N., Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine; Cynthia Tai, M.D., Nephrology & Hypertension; Kim C. Truong, M.S., Psychiatry; Francis I. Valiyaveetil, Ph.D., M.Sc., Physiology & Pharmacology; Andrea Willey, M.D., Dermatology; Dana M. Zive, M.P.H., B.S., Emergency Medicine.