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Message from the Dean$100 million gift from Phillip and Penny KnightDr. DeVoe’s myth-busting study Dr. Westbrook elected to IOM Welcome to NSI faculty Unfinished baby boomer businessARCS: 13 scholarships SNMA picks OHSU Discovery SpotlightWorkforce SpotlightNew OHSU/PSU MBA Dr. Hersh honored Four seed awards from RCGBM Book by Drs. Conn, Parker honored NFL sponsors sports medicine programsAPOM announces two new research divisions CHP makes public health awardsWelcome new faculty
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October 2008
Message from Dean Richardson: An act of unparalleled generosity and what it says about us
 Greetings and welcome to the October School of Medicine newsletter.
By now you have heard the news about the extraordinary gift from Phil and Penny Knight to the OHSU Cancer Institute. The generosity of this $100 million gift is unprecedented in OHSU’s history. We are all deeply grateful. The eventual impact on the health and well-being of Oregonians will be enormous. More information about the gift is in the article below.
This gift is a welcome and timely counterpoint to the bleak national and international news about the financial markets and the anticipated downstream economic effects. This uncertain economic climate may present challenges for many institutions, organizations and individuals. The School of Medicine is no exception. However, we are positioned well to weather this economic environment for several reasons – two of which stand out.
First, generally, health care and education tend to be somewhat more protected in economic downturns than other sectors of our economy. Health care is always in demand, and demand for educational programs also rises in trying economic times.
Second, the OHSU School of Medicine has already gone through parts of the needed “change pain” that most medical schools are facing as we position ourselves for the challenges of the future. As colleagues from around the nation increasingly remark to me, we are ahead of the curve on this necessary transition. Our ability now to withstand the uncertain economic climate is consequently strengthened. Three examples are:
1) The integration of the OHSUMG into the School of Medicine as the Faculty Practice Plan. This change process was rocky at times but we came together to map a path to the future. Among other benefits, such as better mission alignment and new collaborative opportunities, the integrated clinical practice should result in lower costs associated with regulatory compliance. This may emerge as especially important given that prevailing wisdom links the current financial turmoil to a lack of regulation; all sectors – including health care – may be facing an era of more regulatory oversight.
2) We strengthened our research mission by transitioning the School of Science & Engineering into an endowed department in the School of Medicine. This change reduced costs and streamlined our operations. Again, this change was not easy and many faculty members were understandably initially concerned. But already I am seeing evidence of new and expanding research collaborations.
3) We established a new clinical professorial series in the School of Medicine. This promotional pathway emphasizes clinical excellence, similar to the existing path for research excellence. Over the last year, we discussed adoption of this series in a variety of faculty forums and assessed individual views by debate, survey and vote. Our collaborative process supported an outcome in which adoption was understood by all, even by those who did not agree with the decision. This series will become effective next year.
These are big accomplishments of which we all should be proud. Other streamlining initiatives are underway and should come to fruition in coming months. We are also in the final planning stages for a significant Faculty Fundraising Initiative to support faculty retention and recruitment through more endowed professorships and programs. I’ll keep you posted.
Our ability to come together to “turn our ship” toward a better future despite rough seas speak volumes about the talent, expertise and vision of everyone here at OHSU. It also demonstrates your deep commitment to improving the health and well-being of Oregonians.
I hope that every one of you can discern in the good news of this extraordinary $100 million dollar gift from the Knights that our community sees those same qualities in you too. A gift of this magnitude demonstrates an implicit faith in OHSU, our faculty and our direction.
Best regards,
Mark Richardson
Dean, OHSU School of Medicine
OHSU Cancer Institute receives $100 million gift from Phillip and Penny Knight
 OHSU announced on October 29 that Philip H. and Penny Knight have pledged $100 million to the OHSU Cancer Institute. The Nike founder’s gift – the largest in the history of OHSU – represents a critical step toward achieving the cancer institute’s ambitious goal to make Oregon’s cancer death rate the lowest in the nation.
In recognition of the transformational impact the donors’ generosity will have on the treatment of cancer, OHSU will rename its cancer institute – the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated center – the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
The first $2 million of the gift will name the Linda Conant Laboratory Suite, a key component of the Center for Cancer Cell Signaling in the Biomedical Research Building. Conant, who died of breast cancer in January, was a close friend of the Knight family. The remaining $98 million will establish the OHSU Cancer Institute Knight Fund for use at the discretion of the institute’s director. Brian Druker, MD, assumed that post in 2007 with the goal of making Oregon the national leader in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
“Brian Druker is nothing short of a genius and a visionary,” said Knight. “Unfortunately, cancer touches all of our lives. Penny and I believe because of the work of Dr. Druker and his talented staff that the Linda Conants of the future will have more quality years to spend with their loved ones.”
“We deeply appreciate the Knights’ extraordinary generosity,” OHSU President Joseph Robertson, MD, MBA, said. “This is an historic event for OHSU. The Knights’ gift will not only impact Oregonians with cancer, but will ultimately change the lives of patients around the world."
For more information, click here. Pictured: Brian Druker at the announcement event.
Jennifer DeVoe’s myth-busting study on uninsured kids
 Research from Jennifer DeVoe, MD, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, shows that privately insured parents don’t always insure their own children. The new study, “Uninsured Children and Adolescents with Insured Parents,” is one of the first to look at the characteristics of uninsured children younger than 19 whose parents are insured.
The analysis revealed that 2 to 3 million families have at least one insured parent and an uninsured child and that nearly 90 percent of the parents were privately insured, rather than on public programs. The study showed that children whose parents had public health care coverage (state or federally supported health insurance) were more likely to be insured compared with those with privately covered parents.
The analysis further showed that middle-income families were most likely to experience this discordant income pattern. While some of the uninsured children could likely qualify for public insurance, many of the families appeared to fall into an income paradox of earning too much for public insurance, but not enough to afford private insurance for their children.
The study was widely covered by the local and national media. Other researchers on this study include: Carrie Tillotson, MPH, OHSU; and Lorraine Wallace, PhD, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine.
To learn more, click here. Pictured: Jennifer DeVoe.
Gary Westbrook elected to Institute of Medicine
 Gary Westbrook, MD, Senior Scientist and Co-Director of the Vollum Institute at OHSU, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Dr. Westbrook is also a Professor of Neurology in the School of Medicine and incoming director of the School of Medicine’s Neuroscience Graduate Program.
“Election to the Institute of Medicine is an honor bestowed upon the leaders in academic medicine and election in the Basic Biomedical Sciences category is particularly competitive,” said Richard H. Goodman, MD, PhD, and Vollum Director. “Gary's election recognizes his scientific accomplishments in synaptic physiology, a field in which he has made fundamental contributions. Gary's career has been characterized by his dedication to service, scientific leadership and commitment to education.”
Dr. Westbrook’s past honors include a Javits Award and a Merit Award from the National Institutes of Health, as well as awards from the Klingenstein Foundation, McKnight Foundation and the Max Planck Society.
To learn more, click here. Pictured: Gary Westbrook.
Welcome to NSI faculty
Appointments and agreements between faculty members from the Neurological Sciences Institute and their new departmental homes in the School of Medicine have been finalized. Welcome to the School of Medicine.
Department of Behavioral Neuroscience
Matt Frerking
Claudio Mello
David Rossi
Department of Neurology
Fay Horak
Department of Ophthalmology
Al Eisner
Department of Physiology & Pharmacology
Robert Duvoisin
Sue Aicher
Neal Barmack
Department of Science and Engineering/Division of Biomedical Engineering
Bob Peterka
Paul Cordo
John Kitzhaber to Alliance: baby-boomers have “unfinished business”
 In his presentation at the School of Medicine Alliance’s annual luncheon on October 14, former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, MD, described the “ultimate unfinished business of the baby boomer generation” to approximately 80 members of the Alliance and their guests.
Dr. Kitzhaber criticized the current health care system as structured around those who pay for health care rather than the needs of those who receive it. He asked the Alliance members to consider whose responsibility it is to ensure that all citizens have access to some level of public health care.
“Through its relationship with the School of Medicine, the Alliance aims to support both the current and the next generation of scientists and health care providers as they tackle the kind of challenge Dr. Kitzhaber described,” said E. Kay Dawson, Alliance President. “The lunch event was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the many different Alliance projects in one place.”
The Alliance funds student scholarships and supports special projects such as the construction and maintenance of the On-Call Rooms for students in clinical rotations in the OHSU Hospitals and Clinics. The Alliance also hosts events that promote community within the School.
For more information on the Alliance, click here and for information about the On-Call Room project, click here. Pictured: John Kitzhaber at the luncheon.
ARCS Foundation awards 13 scholarships
 Thirteen students in the School’s Graduate Studies program were awarded three-year scholarships from the Portland Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation. These awards bring the total number of OHSU students supported by ARCS to 44 since the Chapter’s founding in June 2004. Altogether, $660,000 has been donated through the Chapter for scholarships at the OHSU School of Medicine, with the funds intended to facilitate a student’s completion of graduate study.
“These are substantial awards,” said Allison Fryer, PhD, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. “Quite apart from the financial support that an ARCS Scholarship brings, offering an award of this size to a student sends a very strong message that we believe they will excel at OHSU.”
“We are delighted that Portland ARCS scholarships enable OHSU to compete with larger schools in its mission to recruit outstanding students to its graduate studies program,” said Leslie Workman, Portland Chapter President.
The total award for each scholarship is $15,000. The School’s 2008 Portland ARCS scholars are (sponsors in parentheses):
Pierre Apostolides, Neuroscience (Cornelia H. Stevens)
Christina Brow, Environmental & Biomolecular Systems (the Ehlen family)
Robert Conley, Biomedical Engineering (the Fairway Fund, Susie Swindells)
Rebecca Foster, Behavioral Neuroscience (Mark and Leslie Workman)
Aaron Grossberg, Neuroscience (Judith Hawes Holmes)
Sarah Hackenmueller, Molecular and Cellular Bioscience (Ellen and Chuck McClure)
Molly Harding, Neuroscience (Cyndy and Ed Maletis)
Megan Herting, Behavioral Neuroscience (Shirley Kuse)
Nate Klett, Neuroscience (Ellen and Mark Richardson)
Whitney McGee, Behavioral Neuroscience (Pam and Scott Gibson)
Rebecca Richards, Molecular and Cellular Biology (Judith Hawes Holmes)
Benjamin Scholl, Biomedical Engineering (Sharon Barnes and Julie Drinkward)
Aaron Wortham, Molecular and Cellular Biology (Nancy and Dodd Fischer)
Pictured: OHSU’s Portland ARCS scholars attend the annual welcome picnic hosted by the Chapter in September.
SNMA picks OHSU for regional conference
Pre-medical and medical students from the western states and Hawaii attended the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Region 1 conference at OHSU on October 25-26. SNMA is dedicated to ensuring culturally sensitive medical education and services and to increasing the number of African-American, Latino and other students of color entering and completing medical school.
The opening address was given by Ella Booth, PhD, MSB, Associate Dean for Diversity. “It was a great privilege to host the conference at the School,” said Dr. Booth, whose welcome remarks included a description of her own educational journey and encouragement for these future physicians and scientists to consider making OHSU their academic home.
In the associated service project, delegates made up 150 sack lunches which they distributed at a clinic associated with Central City Concern’s Recuperative Care Program and at Potluck in the Park for homeless people. “This service project lets us turn word into deed,” said Dominic Siler, MS2, who coordinated the event. “We were able to provide a meal for the needy, and we heard first hand from those who are dealing with health issues within the incredibly challenging and complicated context of homelessness or near-homelessness.”
Discovery Spotlight: $4 million for research on new molecules, biofuels from mollusks
 The National Institutes of Health has awarded $4 million to a group of Philippine and American scientists to aid in the discovery of new molecules and biofuels technology from marine mollusks for development in the Philippines.
The lead investigator is Margo G. Haygood, PhD, Professor, Department of Science and Engineering, OHSU School of Medicine.
“This is a truly unique effort,” said Edward Thompson, PhD, Chair of the Department of Science and Engineering. “Looking at microbes in the ocean has enormous potential. It could contribute to the development of alternative fuels while at the same time opening a path for biomedical research in largely uncharted territory.”
The project will concentrate its research in the Philippine archipelago whose waters are inhabited by an estimated 10,000 marine mollusk species, about a fifth of all the known species, and are regarded by marine biologists as the world’s epicenter of marine biodiversity.
Called the Philippine Mollusk Symbiont International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups, or PMS-ICBG, the project aims to provide new information to catalog and preserve these diverse mollusk species while providing scientific opportunities for the Philippines. The project is expected to yield leads to potential central nervous system, cancer and antimicrobial drugs as well as enzymes for cellulosic biofuels production.
The National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy are also sponsors of the grant. The five-year grant is administered by the Fogarty International Center, with additional support from the National Institute on Mental Health, both of the NIH.
Dr. Haygood, a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for 18 years before joining OHSU, has worked on the microbiology of symbioses – the interaction between different biological species – for three decades and played a major role proving that bryostatin, an anti-cancer agent, is made by bacterial symbionts living in a marine animal. She will manage the collaborative research effort.
To learn more, click here. Pictured: Margo Haygood.
Workforce Spotlight: Surgical residents learn how to practice in rural communities
Ask any rural surgeon: practicing in rural Oregon requires a different set of skills than most surgeons receive during their training at urban academic health centers. In a rural practice, cases vary from the mundane to the radically offbeat; available technology may be decades behind what new surgeons experienced at medical school; and, the dearth of specialists in a given area means that a rural surgeon must have a wide array of skills at hand.
Mark Deatherage, MD, knows this disconnect between training and rural practice firsthand. He graduated from the OHSU School of Medicine in 1976 before heading to his residency in Bakersfield, California, and still felt lost when he joined a rural surgical practice in Grants Pass, Oregon later. “The first 10 years of your practice, you stumble around a little,” he said.
So in 2002, when OHSU resident Garret Vangelisti, MD, approached Dr. Deatherage about the possibility of serving part of his residency at Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass, he quickly agreed to work something out.
For some time, Donald Trunkey, MD, and Karen Deveney, MD, of the Department of Surgery, had been looking for possible solutions to a trend increasingly noted by colleagues in the Oregon Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. Despite their growing and desperate need, rural surgery practices were struggling to recruit and retain new surgeons.
“In small communities that are quite remote from Portland, they have small hospitals whose survival depends on the presence of someone who is qualified to take care of a broad range of surgical emergencies and non-complex surgical problems,” Dr. Deveney, Vice-Chair, said. “The problem is that most individuals are trained in urban areas rather than rural areas, so they don’t feel comfortable handling a wide variety of acute surgical problems in a variety of related specialties.”
John Hunter, MD, Chair of Surgery, had long held an interest in the problems faced by rural areas in attracting and retaining surgeons. He proposed a possible solution: what if academic centers could offer their residents a lengthy stay at a rural practice? This would allow residents to “try on” a rural practice for size during their training.
Just as Drs. Hunter and Deveney began to feel out possible locations for a rural residency experience, something unexpected happened – Mark Deatherage contacted them about hosting Garrett Vangelisti for a year of his residency. OHSU and Three Rivers worked together to set up the parameters of a rural residency program.
“We needed something that had a rural feel, but was not so rural that it didn’t have an appropriate case load,” Dr. Deveney said. Grants Pass fit the bill. With a population of just over 30,000, Grants Pass is larger than many rural towns. Three Rivers Community Hospital, a Level III Trauma Hospital, provides a range of common and complex surgical services.
So far, the School of Medicine has found that the now implemented rural track training rotation has impressive operation logs. And the American College of Surgeons agreed; beginning last year, one resident per year may now count their Grants Pass experience toward residency requirements.
“We teach our residents many things they don’t get the chance to learn on Marquam Hill,” Dr. Deatherage said. “When they finish with us, they have the tools to function easily in a small community.”
OHSU/PSU launch MBA in Health Care Management, scholarships available
The Oregon University System Board has approved the new joint OHSU/PSU MBA in Health Care Management. The first cohort of students will begin in January 2009 and there is still space available. Please contact Lauren Ludwig at ludwigl@ohsu.edu or 503-748-7804 for more information. The School of Medicine will award up to four partial scholarships for School of Medicine employees accepted into this joint MBA program. For more information about the scholarships, please contact Shelly Charles at charless@ohsu.edu or 503-748-1335 or click here.
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