November/December 2007

Message from Dean Richardson: Catalyzing collaboration with leadership development

An essential theme of Vision 2020 is to build bridges between our varied disciplines as a means to unleash the creativity and innovation at their interface. As we move forward in the first five-year phase of implementing Vision 2020, staff in the Dean’s office are developing new leadership opportunities that will support the emergence of the dynamic environment called for by the University’s strategic vision.

Last month, I announced the new Dean’s Fund for Research Collaboration. This month, I have news on two more leadership initiatives that are emblematic of our goal to support faculty as they create and participate in this evolving culture of collaboration.

First, the inaugural class of Education Leadership Scholars will begin training this January. This initiative – previously called the “teaching academy” – brings together faculty from disciplines in all mission areas with the goal of discovering and applying new ideas and approaches to learning.

The training will encourage participants to consider education practices beyond traditional paradigms and to learn from one another about what works well in different disciplines. In turn, the Education Leadership Scholars will take this knowledge back to their own areas to catalyze new thinking about the role and value of education as a bridge between disciplines.

The Education Leadership initiative will also provide opportunities for and recognition of exceptional faculty members who have a history of excellence in education. These individuals will form the instructional core of the coursework.

In this first year, fourteen faculty members will become Education Leadership Scholars based on the results of a competitive application process. I have asked Department Chairs and others to help identify individuals who have demonstrated leadership potential, to encourage them to apply and also to allow them to be released from some duties to attend, if accepted. I also invite all interested faculty members to apply directly.

Dr. Kris Wessel, Director of Education for Graduate Medical Education in the Dean’s office, is administering the program. Please contact Dr. Wessel with questions or comments.

Second, over the past two months, Dr. Patti Hurn, our new Associate Dean for Faculty Development, has met individually with Department Chairs to talk about ways to enhance alignment of the Dean’s office faculty development efforts with those at the departmental level. Dr. Hurn has gathered ideas about how to leverage resources and intellectual capital to better support new faculty opportunities. Dr. Hurn is particularly focused on junior and mid-level faculty poised for the next stage of their professional trajectory.

Dr. Hurn will be connecting faculty with support for training at conferences, workshops or other offsite leadership educational opportunities, especially those that emphasize novel ways to enhance teamwork. Opportunities for our emerging faculty leaders to assume new responsibilities within the School will be identified.

As I have said previously in this column and in other venues, one of my highest priorities for the coming months and years is the aggressive promotion of initiatives that will support and enhance faculty satisfaction. Supporting opportunities for faculty to collaborate and learn from one another will inevitably be an important aspect of career satisfaction as our community moves toward the strategic goals outlined in Vision 2020.

My best wishes for a safe and joyful holiday season.

Best regards,

Mark Richardson
Dean

AAMC President calls for “the courage to change”

The 118th annual meeting address from Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) President Darrell G. Kirch, MD – “Culture and the Courage to Change” – focused on many of the challenges facing academic medicine today. He concluded that fundamental change in culture is crucial to our success. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Kirch’s speech:

“We have the possibility of creating a much more meaningful and gratifying culture for our faculty, staff, and learners, and especially for the patients we have committed to serve. A culture that is grounded in the values of collaboration, trust, and shared accountability. A culture that is reinforced through team-based structures and shared reward systems. A culture that encourages transparency and inclusivity, rather than exclusivity. A culture that is driven equally by our traditional commitment to excellence, and by service to others. A culture in which all learn and all teach, and all experience great fulfillment in the process.

I fundamentally believe that this is an opportunity for us to recapture some of the professional excitement that brought us to academic medicine in the first place. By understanding the positive potential in this new culture, we can regain that sense of optimism so many of us seem to have lost. Understanding our culture and working to change it to better fit the world we now face is a choice we can make.”

To read the full speech: click here.

OHSU Board of Directors adopts 5-year financial plan

The OHSU Board of Directors adopted the first Five-Year Financial Plan associated with Vision 2020 on December 13. The plan is a framework of strategies and initiatives to proactively address financial needs, to improve organizational performance and to strengthen service to Oregonians. To read an overview of the Vision 2020 Five-Year Financial Plan: click here. To read the full Vision 2020 Strategic Plan: click here.

First-year anatomy students pay tribute to donors and their families

The 8th Annual Memorial Service hosted by first year medical, physician assistant and radiation therapy students for the donors to the OHSU Body Donation Program and their families was held at the OHSU Auditorium on December 7. Attended by over 65 family members, the memorial is a tribute to the generous contribution of the donors to the education of future health care providers.

The program included tributes in the form of songs, poems, photographs of the donors' lives, musical performances and stories. A reception followed the service where students shared information about their exceptional educational experiences with donors' family members:

"It was the first day of anatomy lab. Sweat beads formed on my forehead as I walked to meet my first patient. As I looked at her, an inexplicable calmness overcame my mind, as if she provided a welcoming atmosphere for my colleagues and I to learn."

"The body I studied in anatomy was introduced to me as my first patient. But he will also be one of my greatest teachers. He taught me about the seriousness of my undertaking. To me, this gift symbolizes the seriousness with which I must approach my life as a physician."

"Mere words are not enough to thank you for your gracious gift. Please know that your gift has taught us not only anatomy. Through your gift, you have poured into us the unselfishness, dedication and sacrifice that we hope to carry through as physicians."

Kent Thornburg, PhD, and Klamath Falls study featured in The New Yorker magazine

Kent Thornburg, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the OHSU Heart Research Center, garnered attention recently in atypical circles when he and research being conducted in Klamath Falls were discussed in the November 19 edition of The New Yorker magazine. The feature article profiled affiliate faculty David J.P. Barker, MD, PhD, and the maturation of his hypothesis that fetal environments are associated with a wide range of adult diseases.

Dr. Thornburg is conducting a long-term study in Klamath Falls with Cynthia Morris, PhD, MPH, Professor in the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology and in collaboration with the Oregon Rural Practice Based Research Network. Researchers are following 50 women beginning in the first trimester of pregnancy, another 50 beginning in the last trimester and 50 who are of child-bearing age but not pregnant. The study will also track the health and growth of the progeny of any women in the study through delivery to six months of age. The researchers hope that this study will establish the framework for a larger, more detailed research future project. Years from now, this information may be used to identify relationships, if any, between the diets of women and the adult health of their progeny.

Medical admissions office reviewing 4,437 applications

Between now and mid-May, admissions staff will review 4,437 applications to the School's MD program; arrange for approximately 1,150 one-on-one interviews; and make around 200 offers - resulting in 120 members of the Class of 2012.

About 85 faculty members volunteer their time as screeners, interviewers and committee members during the admissions season. Assistant Dean of Admissions Cynthia Morris, PhD, MPH, says that the faculty involvement is "essential to the unique character of our admissions process. Members of the incoming class have frequently described their one-on-one faculty interviews as the most important component of their decision to accept a place at our school."

“These contributions by the faculty are highly valued and appreciated. Such service assures the distinguishing high quality of our MD graduates and the future of medicine in Oregon,” said Edward J. Keenan, PhD, Associate Dean for Medical Education.

The committee considers factors in addition to strong academic credentials – such as GPA and MCAT – and these include a demonstrated commitment to health care, communication skills, emotional maturity and non-science based academic achievement. Together, these qualities represent essential aspects of professional development.

"This holistic approach to admissions requires us to assemble the most complete picture we can of each candidate and place it before the Admissions Committee. It's like compiling 4,437 separate and unique jigsaw puzzles," said Debbie Melton, Director of Admissions.

The high applicant-to-slot ratio is also evident in the School's Physician Assistant Program where 735 applicants for 36 places in its June 2008 class are currently being evaluated. The Graduate Studies program typically processes about 300 applications for 40 spots.

Admissions staff pictured (left to right): Lori Toner, Kareemah Russell, Katy Guertin, Debbie Melton, Mae Culbertson.

Research Snapshot: Early transfer of trauma patients lowers death rates

Researchers with the Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine found that injured patients who initially present at smaller, mainly rural emergency departments fare better when transferred to hospitals with a higher level of care. This is the first study to demonstrate a survival benefit associated with the transfer process.

“We assumed this was the case,” said Craig Newgard, MD, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and lead investigator, 'but this is the first study to confirm the inherent risks in transferring critically ill patients are overcome by access to the staff and resources of a large trauma center.” The study was published in the most recent volume of The Journal of Trauma Injury Infection, and Critical Care. The Oregonian newspaper and radio outlets featured the results.

The researchers reviewed cases of 10,176 adults and children presenting to smaller, mostly rural trauma centers throughout Oregon from January 1998 through December 2003. The group included all patients entered into the Oregon State Trauma Registry, representing a wide range of ages and injuries. Of these patients, 37 percent were transferred to a larger trauma center from the emergency department. The study found early transfer resulted in lower death rates.

Faculty, students attend national minority research conference

Faculty and students in the Graduate Studies program participated in the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Austin, Texas in November. ABRCMS is the premiere such conference, and this year attracted more than 1,500 outstanding undergraduate students from over 285 colleges and universities nationwide. Holly Jimison, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Informatics and Biomedical Engineering, and Cheryl Maslen, PhD, Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, served as judges for the poster sessions. Graduate students Larry Gray, Laura Villasana and Melissa Hernandez along with Kim Neve, PhD, Professor in Behavioral Neuroscience, staffed the exhibit.

Also in November, Ella Booth, PhD, Associate Dean for Diversity, and Laurie Mecham, Outreach Manager for the Diversity Affairs Office, staffed another exhibit at the annual Minority Student Medical Career Awareness Workshop and Recruitment Fair in Washington, DC. Organized by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the fair attracted over 600 high school and college students, college graduates, parents and school advisors, some of whom had little prior knowledge of the OHSU School of Medicine.

OHSU's Melissa Hernandez (right) at ABRCMS with undergraduate conference participant.

Dean’s office forms community outreach team

Staff in the Dean’s Office recently formed the Dean’s Office Involvement Team, or DO-IT. The team will serve as a focus for charitable community activism, building sustained relationships with community agencies and charities. “Many agencies receive support during the holiday season,” said Christine Flores, Administrative Manager of Graduate Medical Education. “We’d like to provide this kind of support year-round for an agency and make a longer commitment."

One of DO-IT’s first projects will be with the Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit agency providing a home for families traveling from outside the Portland metro area to receive long-term medical care. “It’s a natural fit for the many talents we have in the Dean’s Office,” said Kirsten Sandahl.

Flores and Sandahl are joined on the coordinating team by Cathy Villagomez, executive coordinator, and Mark Kemball, community and internal relations specialist. DO-IT members are also collecting household items for Community Warehouse’s “Home for the Holidays” project.

Save the date: Vanderbilt Dean to lecture on burnout in academic medicine

Save the Date! Steven G. Gabbe, MD, Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, will address the issue of burnout in academic medicine at a presentation at OHSU on Wednesday, January 30. All are invited, and an informal buffet lunch will follow the talk. More details to follow.

Faculty snapshot: Chronobiologist Al Lewy, MD, PhD

About 100,000 blind people in the United States suffer from sleep disorders caused by their brains' inability to distinguish between darkness and light. Their bodies run not on a 24-hour time period, but on daily cycles where sleep comes up to an hour later each day. Left unchecked, these disordered sleep rhythms can become one of the most burdensome aspects of loss of sight.

In the early 1980s, Al Lewy, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, established that exposure to bright light can reset out-of-phase body clocks in the sighted. This treatment, however, was not an option for the totally blind. Dr. Lewy instead applied his work on the role of melatonin in sleep to the problem of regulating sleep patterns in the blind. Click here to read the full article.

Ella Booth, PhD, named chair of Oregon Health Fund Board committee

Associate Dean for Diversity Ella Booth, PhD, has been named chair of the Health Equities Committee for the Oregon Health Fund Board. Michelle Berlin, MD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Honora Englander, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, are members of the committee. Created last legislative session, the Board’s charge is to present a comprehensive plan for health care reform to the 2009 legislature. As chair of the committee, Dr. Booth will also sit as an ex-officio member of the Oregon Health Fund Board. The Health Equities Committee is charged with developing multicultural strategies for program eligibility and enrollment procedures as well as with making policy recommendations to reduce health disparities through delivery system reform and benefit design.

Bill Hersh, MD, speaks at Speaker Pelosi roundtable

William Hersh, MD, Chair and Professor, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE), was invited to make comments at a recent workforce roundtable attended by Congresswoman and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Governor Ted Kulongoski. The event was hosted by Congressman David Wu at the Center for Health & Healing. Dr. Hersh spoke about the growing body of scientific evidence and practical experience showing that information technology (IT) applied in health care fields can increase quality, reduce errors and help control the cost of health care. Dr. Hersh noted that a significant barrier to the successful deployment of health IT is the inadequate number of skilled professionals and leaders in the field. To address this issue, Dr. Hersh noted to Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Wu the innovative educational programs within DMICE.

Medical Research Foundation of Oregon awards Markus Grompe, MD

The Medical Research Foundation of Oregon, an affiliate of the OHSU Foundation, announced that Markus Grompe, MD, Director of OHSU's Oregon Stem Cell Center, is this year's recipient of the annual Discovery Award. Dr. Grompe is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics and in the Department of Pediatrics. In addition to providing clinical care for patients with genetic diseases, the award noted his advances in the study of two inborn and fatal errors of metabolism - hereditary tyrosinemia (a childhood liver disease) and Fanconi anemia (a blood disorder).

Jeffrey Kirsch, MD, and Norman Cohen, MD, co-edit book on avoiding anesthesia errors

Norman Cohen, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Medicine, and Jeffrey Kirsch, MD, Professor and Chair of the department, co-edited the paperback Avoiding Common Anesthesia Errors published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This pocket book describes 215 common, serious errors made by attendings, residents, fellows, CRNAs and anesthesiologists in the practice of anesthesia and offers practical, easy-to-remember tips for avoiding these errors. Royalties from the book will be contributed to the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research. More than 30 of the authors are from OHSU, with many in the Department, in addition to recent alumni.

Dr. Cohen was recently elected president-elect of the Oregon Society of Anesthesiologists (OSA) at the fall OSA meeting at OHSU. He also serves as chair of the section on Professional Practice for the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Alan Melnick, MD, publishes book on clinical responses to terrorism

Alan Melnick, MD, MPH, Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, is the author of the book Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Terrorism: Emergency Preparedness and Response for the Primary Care Physician published by Springer-Verlag Publishers. The book provides guidance to primary care physicians on preparing for and responding to terrorist events, and an understanding of the epidemiology and relevant clinical aspects of diseases caused by biological, chemical and radiological agents. Emphasis is placed on addressing both the physical and psychological impact on patients and providers.

John Kaufman, MD, recognized for distinction in Radiology reviews

John Kaufman, MD, Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and the Department of Surgery, was selected by Radiology Magazine as the recipient of the annual Editor’s Recognition for Reviewing with Special Distinction. The award noted the high quality and timeliness of Dr. Kaufman’s reviews and their contribution to the scholarly standards at Radiology. His name will appear in the January 2008 issue of Radiology.

Welcome new faculty

Please welcome our new faculty who joined the School during the months of October and November. These individuals are listed on the School's home page (by order of effective date): click here.