Health Care

By Hormozd Borzorgchami, M.D. Just a few days after a stroke left Emil Evans paralyzed from the tip of his right toe to the tip of his right finger, he was back raking leaves in the yard of his McMinnville home. The OHSU Telemedicine Network played a vital role in his remarkable rebound by bringing the best stroke treatment expertise to his bedside minutes after he arrived at Willamette Valley Medical Center. Evans was struck … Read More

This week, the OHSU family celebrates some of our most skilled, dedicated and compassionate community members: nurses. And we recognize one nurse, in particular, whose commitment to the success and education of others is unparalleled. We can all remember a teacher in our lives that really made a difference. He took time after class to answer your questions. She introduced you to a subject that changed your career path and encouraged you to go beyond … Read More

You may have read about a recent Spanish study (published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine) touting the benefits of a Mediterranean diet in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. There is certainly nothing new about the Mediterranean diet, but I am pleased to see that it’s currently garnering headlines. While not a “diet” in the weight-loss sense, the Mediterranean diet is more of a way of life, a plant-based eating pattern that … Read More

By Wayne Clark, M.D. Earlier this month, the OHSU Telemedicine Network treated two stroke cases that demonstrate how tele-stroke technology can assist in the development of new therapies and expand clinical research. Case No. 1 A 51-year-old previously healthy businessman was brought to the Salem Hospital emergency room with stroke symptoms. Salem Hospital’s Peter Killefer, M.D., called OHSU and requested a tele-stroke consultation. Minutes later, OHSU stroke neurologist. Hormozd Borzorgchami, M.D., was examining the patient … Read More

By Jean McCormick, R.N., M.S.N. Open dialogue is vital to building and maintaining successful health care collaborations. Having a “brown bag” session is a dynamic approach to educate, communicate and maintain that collaboration. It is also an important way to establish and maintain relationships between OHSU and transitional care facilities in addition to working toward a larger goal – reducing patient readmissions. Since December 2012, the OHSU Telemedicine Network has offered a series of educational … Read More

By Bob Applegate Did you know: OHSU was not the first medical school in Oregon? In fact what became OHSU was started 125 years ago by dissident faculty who left Willamette University School of Medicine. The land OHSU sits on was originally going to be developed by a local shipping company until they figured out it sat on steep slopes. Instead, the company donated it to their company surgeon, who, incidentally, was also the dean of the University of Oregon … Read More

By Wayne Clark, M.D. Most everyone knows how important it is to seek immediate medical attention if you are experiencing stroke symptoms. Clot buster medications (TPA) are most effective when given within three hours of a stroke and newer clot removing devices (stent retrievers) are approved for use up to eight hours after known stroke onset. However, patients and families cannot always get to the emergency room in time. Examples include if the stroke occurs … Read More

By Tracy Severson, R.D., L.D. Some people celebrate the holidays in December, but dietitians tend to get excited about March—it’s National Nutrition Month! This year’s theme is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day,” which, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website, “encourages personalized healthy eating styles and recognizes that food preferences, lifestyle, cultural and ethnic traditions and health concerns all impact individual food choices.” So what does that mean for you? To me … Read More

By Katie Wilkes My name is Katie. OHSU employees may know me as the editor of OHSU Research News or the person you email when you need help finding grant funding. What they probably don’t know is that the first week I started working at OHSU, I was diagnosed with the most deadly type of skin cancer: melanoma. While it’s not always easy sharing such a personal story, when I found out OHSU was supporting … Read More

By Jackie Wirz, Ph.D. For those of you who don’t know me, I am an uber nerd. I love graphs, am conversant with Star Trek and Star Wars, and was even a Mathlete in high school. (Amazingly enough, I did have a date to junior prom, but in all honesty I probably would have been happier if I stayed home and watched the X-Files.) I lean towards quantitative science, and have always found comfort in … Read More