News & Events
Please visit our Events Page for a list of upcoming events.
IN THE NEWS
Awards and Honors:
Tom Becker Named Charles and Velma Sharp Endowed Professor
Dr. Tom Becker , MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine was named the Charles and Velma Sharp Endowed Professorship at the OHSU School of Medicine & Knight Cancer Institute. A small luncheon held October 17 in the OHSU Old Library honored Dr. Becker and the creation of the professorship. Brian Druker, MD, Director of the Knight Cancer Institute, thanked the Sharp family and outlined Dr. Becker’s accomplishments related to cancer epidemiology and community-based prevention. Dinah Deshler, daughter of Dr. Charles and Velma Sharp, reflected on her father’s commitment to serving disadvantaged communities and his interest in creating an endowed position. Dr. Becker thanked the family for their generosity and outlined his plans for community-based population oriented prevention initiatives in collaboration with American Indian, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian investigators.
Knight News (login required) spoke recently with Dr. Becker about his new appointment. To read the interview, please visit this link.
Jodi Lapidus Wins Faculty Excellence Award
Jodi Lapidus won the School of Medicine Faculty Excellence in Education Award. Annually the School of Medicine selects 3-5 faculty as recipients of the Faculty Excellence in Education Awards using the criteria of leadership, teaching and commitment.
Mike Lasarev Honored For Teaching
Mike Lasarev has been honored for teaching excellence in graduate education by SoM graduate students. A recognition luncheon will be held on Tuesday, November 1.
Dr. Tom Becker Wins Lesko Award
The Awards Committee of the School of Medicine Graduate Studies Program have selected Dr. Tom Becker as a recipient of the 2011 John A Resko Faculty Research Achievement and Mentoring Award. This award is presented each year to a graduate faculty member for outstanding research accomplishments and the mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
The award is made in honor of the more than 30 years of research, mentoring and leadership contributions of John A Resko, Professor Emeritus and former Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. This was a highly unusual year in that the Awards Committee received an unusual number of nominations for excellent faculty. While this is a good situation for OHSU, it made the committee’s decision exceedingly difficult. The committee has made the extraordinary decision this year to award 2 prizes, to two faculty who are each distinguished scientifically have very different but highly successful mentoring styles. (Dr Andresen will also receive the award this year.)
The award, which is sponsored by the John A Resko Endowment Fund, consists of a certificate and an honorarium. It will be presented at the School of Medicine Hooding Ceremony, on Monday, 6 June at 9.00 am in the Arlene Schnitzer Hall.
Kevin Winthrop Wins For Leadership and Innovation in Science
PHPM joint Assistant Professor Kevin Withrop has won an award from the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon for leadership and innovation in science. Click here for the full article.
Carrie Nielson Named K12 Scholar
Carrie M. Nielson, PhD, MPH was named K12 Scholar, for her research on Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health. Carrie teaches at OHSU in the Oregon MPH Epidemiology/Biostatistics track.
Two PHPM Faculty Receive Faculty Excellence Awards
School of Medicine faculty members were honored at the 2010 Faculty Excellence Awards luncheon for their outstanding contributions to medical and graduate teaching. An Excellence in Teaching award was given to Mike Lasarev, MS and a Faculty Excellence in Education Award was given to Shannon McWeeney, PhD. Dean Mark Richardson, Tana A. Grady-Weliky, MD, Associate Dean for Medical Education and Allison Fryer, PhD, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, presented the awards.
Dr. Bill Lambert Wins the 2010 Oregon MPH Faculty Award For Teaching
Congratulations to Dr. Bill Lambert, Education Director and Director of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Track of the Oregon Master of Public Health Program. Dr. Lambert has been selected as the winner of the 2010 Oregon MPH Faculty Award For Teaching. The formal announcement will be made at the OMPH Fall Orientation, on Sept 24, at the new PSU recreation center.
Dr. Tomi Mori Made Honorary Fellow By the American Statistical Association
Congratulations to Dr. Tomi Mori, head of the Biostatistics Division, who was awarded the honorary rank of Fellow from the American Statistical Association at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Vancouver BC on August 3 2010.
Dr. Shannon McWeeney Selected as Kavli Frontiers Fellow By the National Academy of Science
Congratulations to Associate Professor, Dr. Shannon McWeeney, who was selected as a Kavli Frontiers Fellow by the National Academy of Science. Dr. McWeeney will be attending the Symposium in November at the Beckman Center.
Dr. Dongseok Choi Elected President of International Korean Statistical Association
Congratulations to Dr. Dongseok Choi for winning his recent bid as President of the International Korean Statistical Association (IKSA) at its annual business meeting.
Tom Becker Honored For Collaboration
Each year, the OHSU Faculty Senate with the OHSU Foundation present the Extinguished Distinguished Faculty Awards in five areas: teaching, leadership, service, collaboration, and research. Dr. Tom Becker was recognized as a nominee from the School of Medicine for the 2010 Collaboration Award. In the arc of Tom's career, he has always appreciated the power of interdisciplinary research. While at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Tom assembled a team of molecular biologists, oncologists, and OB/GYN specialists to conduct research on the risk factors associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) infections and cervical dysplasia. Upon coming to OHSU, his leadership resulted in the establishment of the biostatistics resources that support wide ranging research collaborations throughout OHSU. Perhaps Tom's strength as a builder of collaborations is best reflected in his vision to create the partnership between the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the OHSU Prevention Research Center. For over 12 years, this partnership of tribal and university scientists has conducted and published on a wide range of prevention topics, including cancer control, injury prevention, substance abuse, and vision and hearing health. Tom's leadership has brought together a powerful coalition that involves our Department's faculty, tribal communities, the Devers Eye Institute, the Oregon Hearing Research Center, federal agencies, and the State Department of Human Services. We congratulate Tom on his nomination and the public recognition of his many collaborative contributions to not only OHSU, but many tribal, state, and national efforts to improve public health!
Presentations and Travel:
Dr. Dennis McCarty Serves on Drug Consensus Study for The Department of Defense
The Department of Defense contracted with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a Consensus Study on the Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Substance Use Disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces. Dr. Dennis McCarty is a member of the study committee. The Committee’s charge is to assess the adequacy of prevention and treatment resources for alcohol and drug use disorders among individuals on active duty and in the reserve and their dependents serving in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy. The Committee’s initial meeting was held March 30 and 31, 2011 in Washington, DC.
Dennis McCarty Testifies atOregon Prescription Drug Summit
Dennis McCarty and Tim Hartnett testified on the value of treatment for opioid dependence at the Oregon Prescription Drug Summit. The Summit was held November 22 at the US District Courthouse in Portland. The US Attorney, Oregon Attorney General, and the Oregon Partnership sponsored the summit to examine strategies to address the epidemic of prescription opioid abuse in Oregon.
PHPM Instructor Attends White House Ceremony
PHPM Instructor Dean Westwood was recently invited to and attended the commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the White House with President Obama on July 26, 2010. The event commemorates the historic civil rights legislation signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H. W. Bush who said, at that time, “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.” The landmark law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment and housing and calls for equal opportunity and access in government and commercial facilities, public accommodations, employment, transportation, and telecommunications.
Additional information and resources are at the official Americans with Disabilities 20th Anniversary Web site.
2010 Summer Institute on Alcohol, Drugs, and Addiction - Amsterdam, Holland
Dennis McCarty was the co-Scientific Director for the 2010 Summer Institute on Alcohol, Drugs, and Addiction held July 5 to July 16, 2010at the University of Amsterdam's International School for Humanities and Social Sciences. Ana Hilde, MPH, participated as one of 17 students from 13 countries. The Institute's lecturers provided an overview of Nederland's' pragmatic approach to drug problems. Leading Dutch investigators summarized their research on genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology and treatment services. The class also visited a coffee shop where marijuana is purchased and used, a treatment center that helps users use safely and tests drugs for content, and a prescription heroin program. A Dutch detective explained, "We know we can't stop drug use; we try to control drug use." The 2010 Institute received support from Zon Mw (the Dutch health research agency) and the US's National Institute on Drug Abuse. An added feature of this year's Institute was the Dutch success in the World Cup. Amsterdam was dressed in orange as soccer fans drank beer on the city's large squares and cheered for their team. The parade celebrating the team's second place finish closed the city and Amsterdam partied till dawn.
In Other News
Dr. Bill Lambert was interviewed on KBOO
Click here to listen to the interview.
HRSA Grant Application Success!
John Stull recently received funding for a three-year grant from HRSA entitled, “Training Residents in Prevention and Policy” (TRIPP). This project will substantially enhance the Preventive Medicine Residency by creating three additional Preventive Medicine residency positions, providing academic training in the Oregon MPH Program and practicum placements in the newly established Oregon Health Authority (OSH). The training will focus on developing organizational leadership skills and applying prevention practice and research to the development, implementation, and evaluation of health policy at the State and local level. In addition, the project will develop and implement a model competency-based curriculum, specifically designed to prepare residents for careers in prevention and public policy. The curriculum will include: (a) a menu of experiential learning opportunities within the OHA, (b) a seminar series on organizational leadership and health policy, and (c) quarterly health policy symposia on important current health and prevention policy issues. This promises to develop and solidify some important collaborative relationships for the Residency and the Department. Congratulations, John!
