Message From the Vice Chair for Research

Research within the Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Medicine (APOM) at OHSU is unique, exciting and cutting-edge!  I am confident that one glimpse of our team and its research activities will reveal a vital and innovative organization.    

Our program is designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among basic and clinician scientists in order to maximize the benefits of our discoveries.  One major area of study is ischemic cell injury and tissue protection within brain, heart, and kidney.  Using a variety of experimental approaches, our scientists are examining the molecular and cellular pathophysiology of stroke, cardiac arrest, and myocardial infarction with the goal of finding new therapies that may translate to future patient-based studies. 

We are also exploring the emerging specialty of gender-based pathobiology to identify and evaluate significant sex differences that may redirect conventional disease diagnosis and treatment.  While current science and health care policy emphasize gender as an important variable, there is a relative shortfall in scientific underpinnings for research in this area.  Accordingly, several of our investigations focus on gender differences in molecular disease processes and the role of sex steroids. 

At this time, our clinical studies include pain management in adults and children, the efficacy and outcomes of regional anesthesia, and a variety of industry-sponsored pharmacological trials.

Most scientific projects in APOM are managed by a team of investigators who share common interests but differ in technical and conceptual expertise.  These project groups promote interactions between full-time PhD, MD, or MD/PhD research faculty and part-time researchers with clinical responsibilities.  Medical and graduate students as well as fellows and residents find ample opportunities to achieve their clinical or laboratory-based research goals.

The success of our vigorous and rapidly expanding research enterprise is very gratifying.  In 2005, we were ranked 3^rd among all anesthesiology departments in the country based on level of research funding from the National Institutes of Health.  Not surprisingly, our facilities are also growing; and with the opening of new laboratories in 2007, we will double our space on the OHSU hospital campus. 

Thank you for visiting our web site.  I invite you to read on and learn more about our many talented researchers and staff members, and I welcome your questions and comments. 

Patricia D. Hurn, Ph.D.
hurnp@ohsu.edu