Service to commemorate William E. Connor, pioneer in the field of nutrition and disease
A
service of remembrance is planned for long-time faculty member William
E. Connor, MD, who passed away on Sunday, October 25. Dr. Connor earned
his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, and
served on the faculty there from 1958 to 1975.
He was appointed Professor in the Department of Medicine (Divisions
of Cardiology and Metabolism) at OHSU in 1975, where he also served as
Associate Director and then Director of the Clinical Research Center.
He became Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and
Clinical Nutrition in 1992. He married Sonja Connor in 1969, and
together they developed an international reputation for their research
into how a change in diet can reverse high cholesterol and fat in the
blood. Their three best-selling cookbooks - "The New American Diet" –
pioneered a philosophy of eating to maximally protect oneself against
heart disease.
"We are all very saddened by the death of Dr. Connor," said Dean
Mark Richardson. "He was a dedicated faculty member who helped make
OHSU the success it is today. His contributions to health and research,
and to OHSU, were enormous. He was a mentor, an educator, a good
friend, and will be greatly missed."
"Bill was such a rare man – a wonderful scientist and
researcher, fabulous clinician, great advocate for social justice, warm
and generous friend," said Professor Kerin O'Dea, Director of the
Sansom Institute for Health Research at the University of South
Australia in Adelaide. "I imagine I am one of many many people who felt
so privileged to have known Bill. He was one of my heroes."
A service of remembrance will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday,
November 14 at the First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson
Street, Portland. Details of the service, memorial contributions and a
look back on Dr. Connor's career are available here.
NEW! October paper-of-the month
The School of Medicine newsletter will spotlight a recently
published faculty research paper in each issue. The goal is to
highlight the great research happening at OHSU and to 
share this information across departments and disciplines. A list of all papers compiled by the OHSU Library and published by OHSU faculty during the prior month will also be provided here in each issue.
The inaugural paper-of-the-month was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation:
"Aldosterone mediates activation of the thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl
cotransporter through an SGK1 and WNK4 signaling pathway."
The paper authors are: David J. Rozansky, Tonya Cornwall, Arohan R.
Subramanya, Shaunessy Rogers, Yong-Feng Yang, Larry L. David, Xiaoman
Zhu, Chao-Ling Yang and David H. Ellison (click below for department
affiliations). The paper summary was compiled by Mary Stenzel-Poore,
PhD, Associate Dean for Basic Science, and reviewed by Dean Mark
Richardson, MD, and Senior Associate Dean/VP for Research Dan Dorsa,
PhD.
The work described in October's paper-of-the-month:
- explains a key signaling event in hormonal regulation of Na-Cl reabsorption by the kidney.
- in particular, illuminates how the thiazide-sensitive sodium
chloride cotransporter (NCC) is regulated by the aldosterone, a hormone
responsible for volume and blood pressure control.
- may provide insights into understanding the pathogenesis of
hypertension, including the disorder familial hyperkalemia and
hypertension (FHHt).
- reflects a productive research program with clinical/translational
importance in the field of renal physiology and blood pressure control.
- was done by a team of OHSU investigators collaborating across the departments of pediatrics, biochemistry and internal medicine.
Read the summary here.
Dean Richardson keynote speaker at Oregon Medical Association annual meeting
Dean Richardson presented the keynote address at the annual fall House of Delegates meeting of the Oregon Medical Association
on October 3. Dean Richardson presented a historical overview of the
School of Medicine starting with a photo of the first graduating MD
class in 1887, and described some of the recent accomplishments of the
School. The looming challenges and opportunities due to the changing
health care landscape were a key element of the presentation, including
a charge to collaboratively address health care workforce shortages,
especially in rural or other underserved areas.
$51.5 million in ARRA funds…and counting
OHSU has attracted $51.5 million in federal stimulus funding
(American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, dollars) so far this
year. To date, more than 100 research projects have been funded by ARRA
funds. The broad focus of ARRA is to create new jobs – 116 at OHSU. An
OHSU Web site
has been set up to share information about this funding and to provide
access to NIH and other government sources of award data.
Community Spotlight: Jessica Gregg, MD – Engaging the Portland Latino community in public health research
When
the day labor site in Portland opens at 7 a.m., there are usually
workers waiting outside the chain link fence that borders the former
parking lot. Jessica Gregg, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of
Medicine, is frequently also there. The site – managed by VOZ,
a community group – benefits workers, many whom are Latino men, by
providing bilingual staff, establishing a minimum hourly wage, and
assisting workers who get hurt on the job or aren't paid. So why is Dr. Gregg there to collect information about cervical cancer screening?
Data show Latina women in the U.S. are less likely to be screened
for cervical cancer and more likely to die from what is a preventable
cancer. Dr. Gregg is conducting a study to gather information about
women's and men's beliefs related to the Pap smear (the initial
screening mechanism for cervical cancer). With that information, Dr.
Gregg will design a culturally-appropriate intervention to increase
screening rates.
Dr. Gregg received funding from the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI), the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and the Medical Research Foundation
for the study. "The most important thing I learned from partnerships
with VOZ and with the other generous community organizations is that
the issues that I consider important aren't necessarily the issues that
the Latino community finds particularly worrisome. And unless we
address those community-identified concerns, these men, women and their
children may remain largely disenfranchised and disengaged from even
the most well-meaning public health efforts," said Dr.
Gregg.
This approach helps to explain why community groups agreed to work
with Dr. Gregg. While the scope of the current project is limited to
cervical cancer screening, it has allowed Dr. Gregg to establish and
maintain working relationships with VOZ, Familias en Acción and other
influential Latino community groups.
Photo: Jessica Gregg at the day labor site next to Ignacio Paramo, the site director (to her right).
From the Archives: The "modern hospital" surgery in 1948
One look at this photo through modern eyes and we see only the
primitive conditions available in the operating rooms of Multnomah
County Hospital during the middle of the 20th century. However, at its
printing, this image was intended to display the opposite. A newspaper
caption glued to the back of the photo reads: "The modern hospital
surgery exemplifies utmost in sterile equipment, in contrast with the
old. Every precaution is taken to prevent complications during
operation. Latest technical skills are being used by medical profession
in co-operation with hospital aids to insure patient's recovery."
The photo print is stamped "May 9, 1948," and bears in addition the
stamps of the photographers, Photo-Art Commercial Studios, and the
university's Office of Public Affairs. "New No. 1" has been written on
back in ink, and in pencil, "Dr. Nadal." The surgeon is Joseph Wyckoff
Nadal, Sr, MD, who joined the school in 1944 as a clinical associate in
surgery and volunteered on staff for over 40 years. He was a founding
member of the Portland Surgical Society, chief of surgery at St.
Vincent Hospital, and longtime partner at the Portland Clinic.
As early as 1944, Dean David Baird had proposed the construction of
a new teaching hospital to augment the aging county hospital
facilities, but the Medical School Hospital (as OHSU Hospital was first
known) would not be dedicated until March 3, 1956.
Contributed by Sara Piasecki, Head, OHSU Historical Collections & Archives
Alumni Spotlight: Cheryl Maslen
and Elaine Ostrander, a story of canine evolution and an alumnae
collaboration bridging decades, distance and institutions
"Some people may look at this," said Dr. Maslen, "and say, 'Who
cares why short dogs have short legs?' But the reason this finding is
of such great importance is because it can help us understand the basic
biological mechanisms that limit human growth and that are relevant to
human disease."
Cheryl
Maslen and Elaine Ostrander were close friends as graduate studies
students working toward their PhDs on Marquam Hill a couple of decades
ago. They speak on the phone or exchange emails almost weekly to
compare notes, discuss projects, and enlist a second set of eyes for
one another's scientific papers. But they hadn't found an opportunity
to formally collaborate on a project until recently when they linked up
as co-authors of a path-breaking new study 
published this past summer in Science.
Dr. Ostrander – chief of the Cancer Genetics Branch at the National
Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), a part of the National
Institutes of Health – led a team of researchers who reported in the
Science article that a single evolutionary event appears to explain the
short, curved legs that characterize dachshunds, corgis, basset hounds
and at least 16 other breeds of dogs. Dr. Maslen played a key role in
confirming the identity of the biological mechanism that appears to
explain this disproportional dwarfism, or chondrodysplasia.
Dr. Maslen, PhD, Professor, Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular
Medicine, was invited to collaborate on the study because of the
extensive research she has done into the genetics of skeletal
development as part of her ongoing studies of Marfan syndrome. People
with Marfan have exactly the opposite condition from the one in the
Ostrander study: they have very long limbs.
"I had the expertise, the resources and the tools to do a piece of
the project, and that, after all, is what collaboration is about," said
Dr. Maslen.
Dr. Ostrander's study uncovered a genetic signature exclusive to
short-legged dog breeds in a survey of more than 40,000 markers of DNA
variation in samples from 835 dogs, including 95 with short legs.
Through follow-up DNA sequencing and computational analyses, the
researchers traced the dwarfism of the short-legged breeds to one
mutational event in the canine genome – a DNA insertion – that occurred
early in the evolution of domestic dogs. Dr. Maslen's analysis
confirmed that an extra copy of a gene that codes for a
growth-promoting protein called fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) is,
in fact, a region of genetic activity during fetal development. The
extra gene – or retrogene – lacks certain parts of the DNA code, called
introns, found in normal genes and it was inserted into the dog genome,
the study concluded, that some time after the ancestor of modern dog
breeds diverged from wolves. Read the full article.
Photos: Cheryl Maslen, left, Elaine Ostrander, right
School represented in IRONMAN World Championship
John
Heineman '13, second-year medical student and class president,
and Laura Matsen, MD, '08, and now in the second year of her
residency in orthopedic surgery
at OHSU, qualified to swim 2.1 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a
26.2 mile marathon in what is the world's largest and most competitive
triathlon held recently in Hawaii. Arriving only a few days
before the event, both athletes started the competition day at 4:30 am
with registration and staging of the essential equipment and support
services that would sustain them through the next twelve hours. The
swim leg began at 7:00 am.
"There were arms and legs everywhere and everyone was kicking and
being kicked," says Dr. Matsen, "there were scuba divers below, people
alongside us on surf boards, and you could also see the fish
underneath."
John – whose participation benefited the Southwest Community Health
Center – used a borrowed bike, helmet and racing suit, and both
athletes faced a constant wind coming in off the coast from the side
throughout the ride.
The marathon took place in temperatures of 90+ degrees and 90%
humidity, across fields of lava that raise the ground temperature even
higher. Their medical training was a help at this point, though each
responded differently to the challenge of maintaining fluids. Dr.
Matsen took in 10 liters of water during the bike ride alone, and while
John continued to drink, he ended up losing 10lbs during the race.
"We're told that medical school is like running a marathon over and
over again," said John, "and the concept of pacing things is fixed well
in my mind." "I wanted to enjoy the experience of the World
Championships," said Dr. Matsen. "I certainly did that, but I am glad I
have a professional life to come back to."
Photos: John Heineman nears the end of the marathon. Dr. Laura Matsen on the bike leg through the lava fields. For more photos, check out www.facebook.com/ohsusom.
Q&A about health care reform and more, with Lynne Boyle, OHSU Director of federal relations
Lynne
Davis Boyle, OHSU's Director of Federal Relations in Washington, DC, is
the institution's eyes and ears and chief advocate in the nation's
capital. Lynne joined OHSU after a decade as Assistant Vice
President in the Office of Governmental Relations at the Association of
American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Before that, she was a senior
legislative assistant to Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Ohio, now retired, who
was a senior Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. In
recent months, she has been the forward observer at the center of the
health care reform maelstrom.
Q. What is your take on health care reform legislation? I'm
fairly confident that there will be some type of legislation at the end
of the day. I think the scale of reform may not be as dynamic as
perhaps some had hoped. More Americans will be covered using the same
health care delivery models with the goal of changing our delivery
systems through demonstration programs and pilot projects.
Q. Do you think a public option will be a part of the bill that goes to the President's desk?
It's not clear what will happen yet. There will likely be some form of
public option but a lot of people have different definitions of what a
public option is. I think there's interest in trying to give a nod in
some way towards a public option, but no one knows yet what that will
look like.
Q. Where does the initiative to lift the cap on graduate medical education (GME) slots stand?
Provisions in the House and Senate health care reform bills really are
not as generous as we'd like in terms of expanding GME slots. There are
currently a number of slots across the country in many institutions
that are not being used or funded to the full national cap level; the
legislation would redistribute those unused slots to other institutions
based on a variety of criteria. Primary care is certainly one of the
criteria of redistribution so teaching hospitals that commit to
creating more primary care slots would be given preference. Because of
our strong reputation in primary care, I think OHSU has a good shot at
getting additional slots funded in that redistribution.
Q. Did the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC)
recommend a reduction in the so-called indirect medical education (IME)
payments for residency slots earlier this year? Yes. But
Congress has not chosen to adopt that recommendation in the health care
reform bills, which is a big win for the teaching hospital community.
However, there are proposals to make MedPAC more independent and to
give it more authority so that its recommendations are implemented
automatically. That could be a concern, particularly if you don't like
their recommendations. So I think that is a concern for the teaching
hospital community since in the past they have recommended cutting IME
payments.
Q. How do you work with the Oregon congressional delegation?
They are very supportive of OHSU. They welcome our input and feedback.
One area that we're working with the delegation on is health care
workforce issues. Another example is that while they're encouraging a
number of health care delivery reforms, we'd like to see them drill
down to the educational level to encourage changes in health care
education. OHSU is interested in trying to develop a curriculum where
nursing students, medical students and dental students could be
educated together. We are interested in getting federal support for
that. The other area we've been working closely with the delegation on
is discerning how much of health care reform will be financed through
reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, specifically hospital
payments, and looking at how that will impact OHSU, particularly as we
are a safety net provider.
Q. What else is on your plate? I'm spending time on
the economic stimulus program, trying to facilitate opportunities for
OHSU, advocating for increased federal funding for NIH and other
important public health programs, and I've been working on seeking
federal funds for specific OHSU projects.
Photo: Lynne Boyle. If you have questions about federal legislation or are headed to D.C., contact Lynne at: boylel@ohsu.edu
ARCS presents scholarships to 30 Graduate Studies program students
The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation Portland Chapter
presented checks to 30 students enrolled in the School of Medicine
Graduate Studies Program at its annual lunch on October 20. The
$6,000 unrestricted awards are given to scholars for each of three
years, pending satisfactory completion of course requirements.
Guest speaker Art Riddle, a candidate in the MD/PhD program,
presented his research on "Brain Injury in Survivors of Premature
Birth" to the audience of well over 150 donors, scholars and program
supporters. His research, which focuses on the role of hyaluronic
acid in cell repair, seeks to establish a way that damaged brain cells
can repair themselves more effectively.
The ARCS Foundation Portland Chapter has supported a total of 54
scholars in OHSU programs since its founding in 2005, pledging a total
of $789,500.
Click here
to read about Ravi Iyer, one of the newest scholars in the scholarship
program, who was recently profiled in the September 2009 issue of the
Dean's Newsletter.
Photo: The ARCS Scholars receive their checks.
Alliance racks up support for students
Two-wheeled student commuters are finding it easier to store their bicycles safely and out of the rain thanks to the School of Medicine Alliance. This month, the Alliance followed up its March 2006 gift o
f
11 wall-mounted bike racks with a further 17 wall-mounted and eight
floor-mounted bicycle racks and a heavy-duty tarp to cover the external
racks. This gift more than doubles the accommodation for student-only
bicycle storage in the Old Library Building – a location favored
because of its accessibility and the additional security of its
card-access system.
"The racks bring much-needed organization to that area," said Kate
Moore '12, who bicycles a 15-mile round trip each day to attend class.
"The Alliance's gift helps in three ways: we can store more bicycles,
use the saved room as study space, and promote our commitment to health
and sustainability by encouraging non-carbon emission
transportation."
"We're delighted to be able to assist in this way," said Muriel
Thomas, Alliance President. "Our goal as an organization is to support
all students, and this project clearly meets a demand that has existed
for some time and is expected to grow."
The Alliance also held a very successful Fall Lunch in the BICC
Gallery on October 14. Almost 60 Alliance members and their guests
heard Tom Wang, MD, Professor, Otolaryngology/ Head & Neck Surgery,
talk about advances in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Wang
spent much of his talk describing his association with a clinic in Peru
and the life-changing surgeries he and his team perform on children and
adults with cleft palate and other congenital facial deformities. Left
uncorrected, these deformities severely limit a child's educational and
social development. The new bicycle racks installed and occupied in the
Old Library Building.
Photo: The new bicycle racks installed and occupied in the Old Library Building and Dr. Wang at the Fall Luncheon
After 47 years, Henry Stadelman retires, turns focus from PhysPharm to honey
After
a stint in the military after high school, Henry Stadelman's very first
job at the age of 19 was working as an animal handler at the Oregon
Regional Primate Research Center. That was 47 years ago. In September,
the senior research associate and pillar of the Department of
Physiology & Pharmacology retired after 47 years at OHSU – to tend
to his beloved beehives, do some fishing, pursue his woodworking hobby,
and perhaps, he says, search for an answer to the colony collapse
disorder that has been plaguing beekeepers.
Henry kept the labs running efficiently and helped the only two OHSU
scientists he ever worked for – Dr. John Resko until he retired in 2000
and then Dr. Charles Roselli – conduct the ground-breaking studies they
did over the years shedding light on steroid metabolism and brain
function. "I don't doubt that John Resko and Chuck Roselli owe a
significant portion of their success to Henry's efforts," said Dave
Dawson, PhD, Chair, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology.
Henry's scientific contributions to the research of Drs. Resko and
Roselli were of such value that – in spite of the lack of an advanced
degree – he was listed as a co-author on 18 of the scientific papers
the two scientists' labs produced. "Henry was easily the
equivalent of two technicians," said Dr. Roselli.
One of the achievements Henry takes great pride in was the
invention, with the aid of a couple of engineers, of an automated
fraction collector. It was a device that made the tedious and hazardous
process of preparing sample steroid separation using radioimmunoassays
considerably less time consuming and safer.
The first version, which took three years to develop, linked 14
glass columns, also a product of Henry's ingenuity, to a nest of wires.
Later, a more advanced version linked the columns to circuit board
technology. And more than two decades later Henry's collector is still
in service.
Photo: poster for Henry's retirement party by artist N. Scrantz Lersch.
Honors, Awards and Announcements
Important early work on speech synthesis on loan to OHSU
OHSU Historical Collections & Archives
is pleased to announce that a first edition of Wolfgang von Kempelen's
monumental work on speech synthesis, Wolfgangs von Kempelen Mechanismus
der menschlichen Sprache nebst Beschreibung seiner sprechenden Maschine
(or, Wolfgang von Kempelen's Mechanism of Human Speech with a
Description of his Speaking Machine) is now available to researchers
for consultation. This pioneering study of artificial speech and
phonetics has been placed on long-term loan by Richard Sproat, PhD,
Professor, Department of Science & Engineering.
The book includes detailed diagrams of the machine constructed by
Kempelen and of the human vocal apparatus. A working copy of Kempelen's
voice synthesizer has been reproduced using the text, and is on display
at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. The first edition of Kempelen's work
is extremely scarce, as are later reprints, and the text is not
available digitally. Dr. Sproat and the OHSU Library will investigate
the possibility of digitizing this item while it is on loan. Of note:
This particular copy is from the collection of Andras Gedeon, author of
Science and technology in medicine: an illustrated account based on
ninety-nine landmark publications from five centuries (2006).
DMICE expands global presence
The Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE) received a training grant from the NIH Fogarty Center, as part of the Informatics Training for Global Health Program.
The 5-year, $1.2 million grant will build on the department's existing
collaborative relationship with the Hospital Italiano of Buenos Aires,
Argentina. The grant will bring fellows in informatics to OHSU as well
as develop coursework in Spanish for clinical and translation
researchers in Argentina.
Bill Hersh, MD, Chair of DMICE, is also involved in a related international project called the Global Partnership Project,
funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded to the
American Medical Informatics Association, Dr. Hersh is a
co-investigator on the grant. The goal is to develop capacity in
biomedical and health informatics in developing countries to help
improve health care and public health, especially sub-Saharan Africa.
"Educaid" – Dr. DeVoe's essay in Family Medicine journal
Jen DeVoe, MD, D. Phil, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine,
asks if health care should be more like the U.S. education system
(DeVoe J. Educaid: What if the US Systems of Education and Health Care
Were More Alike? Fam Med 2009). In the essay, Dr. DeVoe poses the
question: What if access to an education in the United States required
insurance, leaving millions of children without a school? Would public
insurance for education – Educaid – look like public insurance for
medical care – Medicaid?
The essay describes a fictional education system analogous to our
current health care system as a means to highlight some of U.S. health
care's failings. It incorporates real comments from Oregon parents whom
her research team interviewed during the summer of 2008 about their
experiences gaining access to health care services for their children.
Her purpose is to challenge the reader to consider the future for both
the US education and health care systems, the urgent need for reform,
and how major reforms might affect our children. (Text from the Family
Medicine department's newsletter).
Governor appoints Dr. McCarty to Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission
Governor Kulongoski appointed Dennis McCarty, Professor, Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine,
to serve on the newly created Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission. The
2009 Oregon Legislature established and empowered the Commission to
develop a strategic plan that: a) restructures delivery of treatment
and prevention services; b) sets funding priorities for treatment and
prevention services; c) standardizes data collection and reporting; d)
maximizes accountability for service providers; and e) reduces
fragmentation of funding for prevention and treatment services.
Dr. Thornburg receives NIH Senior Research Award
Kent Thornburg, PhD, received the NIH Senior Research Award at the
October meeting of the International Federation of Placenta
Association. The competitive award is given every four years to a
senior investigator who has made substantial contributions to the field
of placentology over their career. The award is
sponsored by National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development of the NIH. Dr. Thornburg received the award for
basic discoveries related to the role of the placenta in altering
a baby's life time risk for heart disease. Dr. Thornburg is a
Professor, Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Physiology &
Pharmacology, Ob/Gyn, Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology,
Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine.
Pat Kenney-Moore named to OMA Board of Trustees
Pat Kenney-Moore, Associate Professor, Division of Physician Assistant Education,
and former chair of the PA section of the Oregon Medical Association,
has recently been named to the OMA Board of Trustees. Currently the OMA
is developing a statewide survey to be distributed to all OMA PA
members in order to find out about ways in which the MD/PA team
approach to medical practice might be enhanced. The PA section,
which includes nearly 300 PA members from Oregon, is working with the
OMA Membership Committee to explore expanding membership to be more
inclusive of all PAs, including students. Physician assistants who are
Oregon residents are encouraged to consider becoming OMA members and
participating in OMA PA section activities.
Welcome new faculty
A warm welcome to our newest faculty listed in alphabetical order.
Deanna E. Cully, M.S., PA-C, Instructor, Surgery
Sarah Lipton, M.D., Instructor, Medicine
Daniel P. Werle, M.S.N., A.C.N.P., Instructor,
Surgery
David L. Wilson, M.D., Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine
