About

OHSU Family Medicine

The Department of Family Medicine was established in 1971 under the leadership of Dr. Laurel Case, not long after the specialty of family practice was created in 1969.  The original goal of the Department was to create a presence of the new specialty in the Oregon’s only medical school and to start a family practice residency at University Hospital.

The first two residents entered the program in 1972 and the University's family practice residency was the State's only residency in the field until the Cascades East Residency in Klamath Falls opened in 1994.  Today, we have 55 faculty members, five clinics where we see more than 120,000 patients per year, and 12 residents graduating from the University program and 8 residents graduating from Cascades East Residency in Klamath Falls each year. OHSU Family Medicine also plays a leading role in the medical school curriculum and in clinical research.

Our educational, patient care and research programs are among the nation’s best. OHSU family Medicine is rated 2nd among the nation’s medical school family medicine departments by U.S. News and World Report.  These accomplishments are directly related to the quality of work done over the years by our faculty, residents and staff.  We also owe a debt of gratitude to the quality of our alumni and graduates who have so favorably supported our teaching programs. 

For more information about OHSU Family Medicine, please read the Chairman's Message and the History of the Department.