2010 OCTRI Awards Dinner
Bringing together the research community to celebrate innovation, collaboration, and improved human health
The goal of the OCTRI Awards Program is to stimulate new research programs that yield grants, publications, career development opportunities, and ultimately a positive impact on human health. OCTRI hosts the annual Awards Dinner to celebrate the success of researchers who have participated in the Awards Program.
Thank you to everyone who participated in and attended this year's OCTRI Awards Dinner. In conjunction with the 2010 event, OCTRI has published an Abstract Book with abstracts of OCTRI-supported projects from 2006 to 2010.
Special Recognition Announcements
The judges were impressed with the breadth of research topics, and they noted a consistent theme across the projects: collaboration. Presenters demonstrated collaboration across disciplines, with community partners and industry, among institutions, and with students.
Interdisciplinary Research
Fay B. Horak, Ph.D., P.T.; Professor of Neurology at OHSU
Dr. Horak has established a Clinical Balance Discovery Laboratory as a shared resource for clinical researchers who need to accurate measurements related to balance disorders. The state-of-the-art equipment has been utilized by investigators across many disciplines. Dr. Horak has collaborated on projects related to Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis, breast cancer treatments, and multiple sclerosis.
Collaborative Research
Katrina Goddard, Ph.D. (KPCHR) and David Ellison, M.D. (OHSU)
Dr. Goddard, a Senior Investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, and Dr. Ellison, a Professor of Medicine and Division Head for the Division of Nephrology at OHSU, presented a poster about their project "A Study of Thiazide Sensitivity: A Prognostic Risk Score to Identify Causative Mutations." Drs. Goddard and Ellison are exploring ways to tailor treatment for hypertensive patients.
Innovation
John G. Hunter, M.D.; Chair of Surgery at OHSU
with Dan Gareau, Ph.D. and Erin Gilbert, M.D. (OHSU)
In addition to a poster, the team behind the project "Optical Fiber Spectroscopy in the Assessment of Gastrointestinal Ischemia" gave a demonstration of their device. The simple optical fiber probe spectrometer is used during an esophagectomy to laparoscopically measure blood content and hemoglobin oxygen saturation in stomach tissue.
Impact on Human Health
Dan Marks, M.D., Ph.D.; Associate Professor of Pediatrics at OHSU
Dr. Marks presented a talk entitled "Neonatal Nutrition: From Mice to Men." His work spans the translational spectrum from animal models into clinical practice. Dr. Marks is investigating the effects of maternal nutrition on the development of obesity and related complications in children. His work also includes exploration of the appropriate nutrition regiment for premature babies, and he plans to explore the impact of fat content in breast milk on the babies' health.
Progress Towards Novel Federal Funding
Damien Fair, Ph.D., P.A.-C; Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at OHSU
Christina Nicolaidis, M.D., M.P.H.; Associate Professor of Medicine at OHSU
The judges chose to recognize both Drs. Fair and Nicolaidis for their progress towards national funding.
Dr. Fair has built an impressive research program around the use of fMRI to capture resting state brain activity. His work originally focused on children with ADHD, but his team is expanding to apply their methods to autism. Dr. Fair recently received a K99/R00 award.
Dr. Nicolaidis is working with the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education to conduct a community-based participatory research study with autistic adults. Dr. Nicolaidis' pilot project funding from OCTRI allowed her to work with community partner Dora Raymaker to collect preliminary data for a larger study that will explore how autistic adults utilize healthcare services and what barriers they encounter. Dr. Nicolaidis recently submitted JIT materials for an R34 proposal to the National Institutes of Mental Health.
OCTRI Awards Dinner Event Details
- Wednesday, September 29, 2010 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Vey Auditorium
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The following investigators gave brief talks:
Dan Marks, M.D., Ph.D., OHSU
Melissa Nyendak, M.D., M.H.S., OHSU
Damien Fair, Ph.D., P.A.-C, OHSU
Eric Johnson, Ph.D., Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research
- Joseph S. Beckman, Ph.D., Director of the Oregon State University Environmental Health Sciences Center, delivered the keynote address.
- OCTRI announced special recognition in the categories of interdisciplinary research, collaborative research, innovation, progress towards national funding, and impact on human health.
