Independent analysis shows OHSU's major
economic impact
OHSU's economic impact on Portland and Oregon has grown to
$4 billion a year, according to an analysis commissioned by
OHSU and completed recently by ECONorthwest. The analysis also
shows that OHSU's presence provides almost 35,000 jobs
annually and creates $2 billion in personal income. This study
demonstrates that OHSU's status as a nationally recognized
institution creates significant economic impact in Oregon and
Greater Portland.
The study analyzed OHSU spending, payroll, student spending
and other data to create a comprehensive picture of the
economic impact caused by OHSU. Much of the economic activity
is fueled by dollars that come from out of state in the form
of research grants, charitable donations and spending by
health care students and non-Oregonians seeking OHSU's unique
health care services.
"OHSU's goal is to improve Oregonians' health and
well-being. But by doing so, we also energize Oregon's
economy," said OHSU President Joe Robertson, MD, MBA. "This
report is based on data for 2007. Our impact today is even
larger than this report indicates." Read the media release and
full details of the report, including one-pagers for
distribution here.
February Paper of the Month: Better
predictive tools for atherosclerotic disease
The School of Medicine News spotlights a
recently published faculty research paper in each issue. The
goals are to highlight the great research happening at OHSU
and to share this information across departments, institutes
and disciplines. A list of all papers published by OHSU
authors during the prior month compiled by the OHSU Library is
provided here.
This month's featured paper, published in the
journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular
Biology is: "Molecular imaging of the initial
inflammatory response in atherosclerosis: Implications for
early detection of disease," by an investigative group* from
the OHSU Cardiac Imaging Laboratory led by Jonathan Lindner,
MD, Professor, OHSU Department of
Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.
Molecular imaging with contrast-enhanced ultrasound is an
emerging method of diagnosis and research in cardiovascular
diseases. Several years ago, this investigative group
reported
that ultrasound molecular imaging, which
utilizes targeted microbubbles and other acoustic particles,
of endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression could be used
to non-invasively assess vascular inflammation in
atherosclerotic disease, one of the major determinants of
plaque rupture and acute coronary syndromes.
In this recent paper, this group published their results
demonstrating that ultrasound molecular imaging of the cell
adhesion molecules P-selectin and VCAM-1, which are expressed
by cells that line the arterial wall when activated, could
detect the earliest initial stages of atherosclerosis in a
murine model of atherosclerosis. Imaging of this inflammatory
phenotype detected aggressive forms of disease even before
there was encroachment of the arterial lumen with
plaque.
The study, led by Beat Kauffman, MD, a visiting research
fellow from Basel, Switzerland, suggests that aggressive forms
of atherosclerosis could be detected decades before clinical
events occur and could be used to guide novel therapies to
arrest atherogenesis.
With regard to more advanced disease, this same research
group has also developed molecular imaging methods for rapid
bedside detection of ischemia. The group's line of research
was recognized by the award of an NIH Challenge Grant in 2009
to produce human-compatible probes and to transition this
technology to patients where it can be used to diagnose acute
coronary syndrome and to differentiate ischemic from
non-ischemic etiologies even hours after resolution of chest
pain.
*Kaufmann, B.A.; Carr, C.L.; Belcik, J.T.; Xie, A.; Yue,
Q.; Chadderdon, S.; Caplan, E.S.; Khangura, J.; Bullens, S.;
Bunting, S.; and, Lindner, J.R.
This monthly paper summary was compiled by Dr. Lindner
in collaboration with Associate Dean for Basic Science Mary
Stenzel-Poore, PhD, and Director of Research Development &
Communication Rachel Dresbeck, PhD. The summary was reviewed
prior to publication by Dean Mark Richardson, MD, MBA, and
Vice President/Senior Associate Dean for Research Dan Dorsa,
PhD.
Congressman Blumenauer calls for
more neuroscience research funding
Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer gave what attendees
called an "inspiring," "right on" and "committed" presentation
titled "Battling Brain Disorders: 
The Critical Importance of Mental Health
Advocacy – for the Individual and for Society," on Feb.15 to a
sell-out crowd at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts.
The presentation was part of the OHSU
Brain Institute's annual Brain Awareness lecture
series.
Congressman Blumenauer talked about the critical importance
of neuroscience research to help individuals and families
coping with neurological and psychiatric problems. He relied
on anecdotes and personal examples from his political
experience to illustrate the often powerful conflict between
reason and emotion. Congressman Blumenauer commended OHSU for
its work in neuroscience and said he would advocate for more
support for this work, including establishing a Brain
(Neuroscience) Caucus in Congress similar to the
Transportation Caucus and Biking Caucus he successfully
established.
A video recording of the speech is here.
From the Archives: Is
that a washing machine or an artificial kidney?
In the fall of 1958, pathologist Raymond Grondahl, MD,
played host to the President of the Progressive Business
Women's Club of Portland, Mrs. Orville H. Fisher. What might
have looked like a washing machine to her was in fact a
Travenol artificial kidney, the first commercial artificial
kidney used at the School of Medicine. (If she had mistaken it
for a washer, she would not have been far wrong: the Travenol
was originally designed using a standard Maytag machine as its
tank.)
A fund for purchasing the medical school machine was
started in 1954 by employees of Tektronix in honor of
executive Lawrence Vollum, who died of carbon tetrachloride
poisoning. It is rumored that the first artificial "kidney"
used at OHSU was an ad hoc apparatus cobbled together for a
patient who had gone into shock after surgery in 1956. This
"homemade" device was used for about a year before the
Travenol was acquired.
Faculty members and surgeons Clarence Hodges, MD, and J.
Englebert Dunphy, MD, with visiting Harvard surgeon Joseph
Murray, MD, performed the state's first kidney transplant in
1959. This operation was the first kidney transplant on the
West Coast and the eighteenth in the world.
Contributed by Sara Piasecki, Head, OHSU Historical
Collections & Archives.
Congratulations! Three
students named "Vertex Scholars"
Three PhD students have been named Vertex
Scholars, based on their academic excellence and commitment to
scientific research: Takahiro Hayashi, pursuing his PhD in
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Department of Science
and Engineering; James Stafford, a PhD candidate in the Department
of Behavioral Neuroscience; and, Eric Stoffregen, a PhD
candidate in Molecular and Medical Genetics in the Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. All have passed
their PhD qualifying exams and are in either their third or
fourth year of study.
The OHSU-Vertex Educational Partnership Program,
established in 2007, offers $35,000 scholarships funded by
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company based in
Cambridge, Mass. Each award funds a student's stipend and fees
for one year.
"The Vertex program is an important unencumbered gift to
the university and a huge honor for the students who win the
awards. We received an exceptionally large number of
applications from outstanding and interesting individuals with
much to contribute to science," said Allison Fryer, PhD,
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.
Hayashi is investigating the metabolism of nitric oxide, an
important signaling molecule which plays a key role in the
cellular defense against microbial pathogens. Stafford is
studying the neurobiological mechanisms by which rodents with
fear-related psychiatric disorders that are treated with
histone deacetylase inhibitors translate into reduced fear and
anxiety. Stoffregen is completing genetic and molecular
research on a defect in chromosome replication timing that
appears to be common in cancer cells and may be implicated in
the genetic instability that is a hallmark of
cancer.
An expanded version of this article/announcement
is here. 
Pictured: (L-R) Eric Stoffregen, James Stafford and
Takahiro Hayashi.
OHSU's Primary Care Conference
attracts largest audience in its 41-year history
2010 marks the 41st year of OHSU's primary care Continuing
Medical Education (CME) conference. This year, the
four-day conference attracted the largest number of attendees
in its history. About 330 learners and 65 faculty members
assembled at the Portland Governor Hotel over four days. While
70% of the attendees are from Oregon, 15 states and the
Territory of Guam were also represented at the conference this
year.
Attendees came from a wide range of specialty areas
including family medicine, general internal medicine,
emergency medicine, urgent care, geriatrics and ob-gyn, and
represent many provider types – physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants and more. The curriculum
focused on practical, clinically-relevant information designed
to promote changes in practice and improved patient care.
Pictured: Attendees listen to Jonathan Emens, MD,
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, discussing the
diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.
Why I Teach: Nicole
Deiorio, MD
Nicole Deiorio, MD, Associate Professor
in the Departments of Emergency Medicine
and Pediatrics
– one of the five School of Medicine recipients of the 2008-09
Faculty Excellence in Teaching Awards – has a hand in guiding
the training of medical students from the greenest first year
"newbies" to the most tested residents. She directs the
physical exam segment of the Principles of Clinical Medicine
course for second-year students and the emergency medicine
clerkship. She is also Assistant Program Director of the
emergency medicine residency.
The range of her teaching responsibilities offers Dr.
Deiorio a perch for observing students at every stage of their
growth – and it's that bird's eye view that gives her the
greatest satisfaction. "I can really see and take joy in their
longitudinal growth as doctors." She also likes the fact that
students keep her on her toes. "I have to stay up on the
literature because students are always challenging me with
their questions."
"I've gotten into the habit of thinking of myself as an
educator," she said, even though she also is devoted to her
research interests in medical ethics and emergency medicine
education issues and techniques. She credits that habit to the
School of Medicine's Education
Leadership Initiative program that she, along with eight
others, completed last year, the first cohort of faculty
members to do so.
"I use what I learned there every day and I was able to
develop all kinds of skills that have been helpful to me as an
educator, like conflict management, curriculum design,
educational theory and the value of giving feedback."
A Florida native and Emory University graduate, Dr. Deiorio
earned her MD degree and completed her emergency medicine
residency at George Washington University in Washington, DC.
She joined the School of Medicine faculty ten years
ago.
Clinical update: Coming in March
– Epic upgrades
The following is an excerpt of an e-mail from Dean Mark
Richardson and Brett Sheppard, MD, interim Chief Medical
Officer and Chair, Professional Board, about improvements to
OHSU's electronic health record, previously sent to all
medical staff on Feb. 18.
An essential aspect of providing excellent health care and
embracing delivery innovations is capturing the clinical
potential of the electronic health record (EHR). OHSU is
leading the way on this issue; we are now in the top 5% of
institutions nationwide who are meaningfully using the EHR.
However, the full implementation of this operational change
(some might call it a cultural change) takes time, careful
attention and user feedback. As part of the 2009 Professional
Board Survey, we asked for feedback [from our medical staff]
about Epic (our EHR). Here's what you said:
- You struggle to integrate Epic in your day-to-day
activity in both the ambulatory and inpatient
environments.
- You recommended that Epic be simplified and made more
intuitive.
- You asked for more user support and input into
decisionmaking about Epic.
- You provided specific examples of how Epic could be
improved.
In response, the following changes and new services will be
available for Epic effective March 1, 2010:
- Practice optimization efforts will be doubled. A
schedule of upcoming optimization dates is here
(Log-in required for all links).
- More Epic experts will be available for one-on-one
consultation to answer questions and provide support, tips
and customized approaches to making Epic work for your
practice. Instructions for requesting this help are here.
- More training will be available for data managers to
access population and practice data through new Data Marts
that combine information from multiple sources to be
retrievable for decision-making. Find out how to sign
up here.
- More opportunities will be made to help define future
initiatives and investments; we want your input on how to
improve the EHR and our systems of support. Learn more here.
Success with the electronic health record is a shared
responsibility. We appreciate your continued engagement in
improving this tool. In turn, we will continue to invest in
processes and technology so that use of Epic is as easy,
efficient and intuitive as possible. If you have
specific questions, please contact Tom Yackel, OHSU Chief
Health Information Officer, or the Epic Support Desk at
epicsupp@ohsu.edu.
Community
Spotlight: Diane Miller, MD – Reaching out to vets with
stress
Since Oct. 2007, Diane Miller, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of
Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, has been
helping veterans and their families control stress with
acupuncture. Dr. Miller is one of three founders of the
Portland Veterans Acupuncture Project, which offers no-cost
acupuncture to a population that often suffers from
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Miller is a 1992
graduate of the OHSU School of Medicine and also completed a
residency at OHSU.
"Last year we treated more than 1,200 patients," she said.
Surprisingly, most of the patients are Vietnam veterans and
have been suffering for at least 10 years. Dr. Miller believes
younger veterans aren't coming as much for a couple of
reasons. First, it's more difficult for soldiers to be
completely discharged. "Because it's harder to get out (of the
military), our younger patients say they don't want to get
better because they don't want to be called back. That's
really sad." Also, younger veterans tend to "soldier on,"
rather than to reach out for help. "We want them to understand
it doesn't have to be like that."
More information about the clinic is here.
Community Spotlight:
Brion Benninger, MD – Bridging the science gap with a great
white shark? 
During the past two years, Brion Benninger, MD, MS,
Assistant Professor, Department
of Surgery, who teaches clinical anatomy to surgical
residents as well as medical, dental and physician assistant
students – has teamed up with William Hanshumaker, the Public
Marine Education Specialist at the Oregon State University
Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC), to deliver a series of
public education talks. During the talks, they also perform
necropsies on large adult sharks that died accidentally in
Oregon waters, most recently a 12-foot great white shark that
was tangled in the ropes of a crab pot.
Dr. Benninger is an expert on the history and evolution of
the cranial nerves. He delivered the OHSU History of Medicine
Society Lecture two years ago on that subject. During the
recent HMSC talk, he highlighted with detailed dissection the
white shark's cranial nerves and head and neck musculature,
emphasizing the spinal accessory nerve. In humans, the spinal
accessory nerve is counted as the 11th cranial nerve. "You can
follow this nerve's equivalent right back to sharks and
before," Dr. Benninger explained.
From this talk, he preserved several structures including
the shark's spinal accessory nerve for use in further
understanding this nerve in humans. Previously, Dr. Benninger
helped design, develop and monitor a stroke rehabilitation
machine at the former OHSU Neurological Sciences Institute.
Dr. Benninger was recently publically honored by the HMSC in
Newport, Oregon, for contributing to the public's
understanding of science by integrating marine and human
research and "bridging the gap between the general public and
the science community."
Honors, Appointments and Announcements
Chuck
Hofmann, MD, '78, honored as "Master" by American College of
Physicians
The American College of Physicians recognized Chuck E.
Hofmann, MD, as one of a highly select group of 2010 Masters.
Dr. Hofmann joins School of Medicine faculty members Grover C.
Bagby, MD, and Thomas G. Cooney, MD, as Oregonians selected
as Masters in 2010. "I feel honored to be chosen, and
particularly so when I look at the names of previous Masters
and the two colleagues named with me this year," said Dr.
Hofmann. "I am not sure that I remember two physicians from
the same state being chosen in one year, let alone
three."
A member of the OHSU School of Medicine Class of '78, Dr.
Hofmann has practiced in Baker City, Oregon, for nearly three
decades. He was Oregon Medical Association President between
1997 and 1998 and served on the seven-member Oregon Health
Fund Board (OHFB). He is proud of the Board's successful
effort to expand health care coverage to all children and
35,000 low income adults who had previously not qualified for
coverage. He is now a member of the Oregon Health Policy
Board, the successor to the OHFB. Dr. Hofmann is committed to
equality of access to health care. "More health care does not
necessarily mean better health care," he said. "We are very
efficient in the way we provide health care services, but
there are significant regional differences in how people can
access medical services."
Dr. Hofmann also recently received the 2009 Laureate Award
from the Oregon Chapter of the ACP, for "his devotion to, and
modeling of, the highest ideals of our
profession."
Bill Hersh, MD, featured at
Health Affairs National Press Club event in DC 
William Hersh, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of
Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, was a featured
participant in a panel discussion at the National Press Club
in Washington, DC, about the promise that health information
technology offers the developing world. The event was
sponsored by Health Affairs, the widely respected
health policy journal, and moderated by Susan Dentzer, the
publication's editor-in-chief and frequent guest commentator
on the PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
The discussion centered in part on the publication in the
February issue of Health Affairs of a paper
"Building A Health Informatics Workforce in Developing
Countries," authored by Dr. Hersh and colleagues from South
America.
An expanded version of this article is here.
Pictured right: Dr. Hersh at the DC event. Photo courtesy
of Health Affairs.
Sonia Buist, MD, awarded
Trudeau Medal
Sonia Buist, MD, Professor Emerita of Medicine, Pulmonary
& Critical Care Medicine, has been selected as the
recipient of the 2010 Trudeau Medal, to be awarded in May in
New Orleans, by the American Thoracic Society. Since 1926, the
Trudeau Medal has been bestowed only on those with lifelong
major contributions to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment
of lung disease. Dr. Buist was commended for the development
of the American Thoracic Society's Methods in Epidemiologic,
Clinical & Operations Research (MECOR) Program, which has
trained almost 800 pulmonary and critical care researchers in
Latin America, Turkey, Africa and India; her outstanding
contributions to minimizing the burden of COPD and asthma;
and, her commitment to improving global health.
Som Saha, MD,
provides "Perspective" on CER in NEJM
Somnath Saha, MD, MPH, and colleagues co-authored a Perspective
piece: "Giving Teeth to Comparative-Effectiveness Research –
The Oregon Experience," in the Feb. 3 online edition of the
New England Journal of Medicine. The paper urges that
Oregon's 15 years of experience with evidence-based health
care coverage and the potential of comparative-effectiveness
research (CER) for curbing costs be taken into account in
shaping national health care reform.
Dr. Saha is Associate Professor in the Departments of
Medicine, Public Health & Preventive Medicine and Medical
Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology, and a staff physician
at the Portland VA Medical Center. The nation's insurance
model, the paper argued, "insulates patients from the cost of
care and rewards physicians for doing and spending more, even
when the benefit is marginal or unproven."
Robert Sack, MD, invited to
advise on beating jet lag in NEJM
Most people who routinely fly have experienced the nagging
effects of jet lag. In the Feb. 4 edition of the New
England Journal of Medicine, Robert Sack, MD, Professor,
Department of Psychiatry, was invited to provide expert advice
on preventing or diminishing the effects of jet lag. "Jet lag
affects a large proportion of the more than 30 million
travelers who embark from the United States each year and
cross five or more time zones," said Dr. Sack. "The condition
is specifically caused by crossing time zones at a speed more
rapid than the body's circadian clock can keep pace. As a
result, the body clock and local time become misaligned for a
period that can last up to a week or more." The OHSU media
release is here.
Patti Hurn, PhD, chairing
international stroke conference
Patricia Hurn, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair for Research,
Department of
Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, and Associate
Dean for Faculty Development, chaired this year's
International Stroke Conference, held Feb. 24-26 in San
Antonio, Texas, hosted by the American Heart Association and
the American Stroke Association. This is Dr. Hurn's second
year chairing the conference and her tenth year serving on the
program committee. The program emphasizes basic, clinical and
translational sciences as they evolve toward a more complete
understanding of stroke pathophysiology with the overall goal
of developing more effective prevention and treatment. More
than 3,500 professional attendees were expected at this year's
conference.
David Robinson, PhD,
named to state workforce board
The Oregon Health Workforce
Institute (OHWI) board elected David Robinson, PhD,
Interim Provost for Education and Research at OHSU, to its
Board. The OHWI mission is to advance the development of a
high-quality health care workforce in order to improve the
health of every Oregonian. Dr. Robinson is an Associate
Professor, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology.
Andrea Cedfeldt receives
Clinician-Educator Award
Andrea Cedfeldt, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of
Medicine, and Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education,
received the "Clinician-Educator Award" from the Northwest
Region of the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM). The
award is given to one person every year for recognition of
skills and accomplishments in teaching and medical education.
For more information on SGIM, please visit their Web site:
www.sgim.org.
OHSU Prostate
Cancer Research team named 2009 clinical trials accrual
site
Brian Druker, MD, and OHSU's Knight Cancer Leadership
congratulate their Prostate Cancer Research team for being the
Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium's (PCCTC) top
clinical trials accrual site for 2009. Read more about it in
Research
News.
Welcome new
faculty!
A warm welcome to new faculty (listed in alphabetical
order):
Armand Bankhead, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medical
Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology
Richard J. Crilly, PhD, MSci, Assistant Professor,
Radiation Medicine
Sandra Irragori, MD, Clinical Associate Professor,
Provisional, Pediatrics
Nupur Pande, PhD, MSc, Research Assistant Professor,
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Ian R. Penner, MS, PA-C, Instructor, Family
Medicine
Roylene Rangel, MSN, CRNA, Instructor, Anesthesiology &
Perioperative Medicine
Sharon Sagasay, MSN, CRNA, Instructor, Anesthesiology &
Perioperative Medicine
Hemangini J. Thakar, MD, Assistant Professor,
Surgery
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