Giving

Emergency Medicine Endowment & Advancement Initiatives

Sustaining a high-quality training program requires significant resources. To ensure a bright future in emergency medicine education and research, the Oregon Health & Science University Department of Emergency Medicine established two distinguished endowment funds:

These funds honor two visionary leaders whose national and international contributions shaped modern emergency medicine. Our long-term goal is to elevate both funds to the Endowed Professorship level, creating permanent support for innovation, research, and education.

John C. Moorhead Emergency Medicine Endowment Fund

Overview

John C. Moorhead began his career at OHSU in 1978, establishing and directing one of the nation’s earliest Emergency Medicine Residency Programs. The program began with three residents and now trains 11 residents per class.

Appointed Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine in 1991, Dr. Moorhead helped position OHSU as a national leader in emergency medicine education and advocacy.

A Pioneer in Training and Advocacy

Dr. Moorhead served on the Board of Directors of the American College of Emergency Physicians (1993–2000) and as its President (1998–1999). During his leadership, he:

  • Appointed resident members to every ACEP committee
  • Created the national residency visit program to foster dialogue between trainees and national leadership

His additional leadership roles include:

  • President, Oregon Medical Association
  • Chair, Emergency Medicine Section Council, American Medical Association
  • Board Member, American Board of Emergency Medicine
  • Editorial Board Member, Annals of Emergency Medicine

In 2003, ACEP awarded Dr. Moorhead the prestigious John G. Wiegenstein Leadership Award.

He earned his medical degree from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) and completed his emergency medicine residency at McGill University’s Royal Victoria Hospital. He continues to serve as Professor of Emergency Medicine at OHSU.

Building on Dr. Moorhead’s Legacy

The John C. Moorhead Endowed Professorship will:

  • Support a nationally recognized educator
  • Advance emergency medicine advocacy and policy
  • Sustain excellence in training future emergency physicians

Supporting the Moorhead Endowment

The fund accepts:

  • Pledges
  • One-time gifts
  • Bequests, trusts, and gift annuities
  • Gifts of real estate, stocks, bonds, and other assets

The OHSU Foundation provides secure online donation form for your convenience:
Donate online

You may also mail in your contribution:

Please fill out a gift form and return to:
OHSU Foundation
1121 SW Salmon St, Suite 200
Portland, OR 97205-2021

Jerris R. Hedges Emergency Medicine Endowment Fund

Overview

Jerris R. Hedges is internationally recognized for advancing emergency medicine as a scientific discipline. As Chair Emeritus of the OHSU Department of Emergency Medicine and former Vice Dean of the OHSU School of Medicine, he helped establish OHSU as a national research leader.

A Pioneer of the Science of Emergency Medicine

As Professor and Chair, Dr. Hedges:

  • Founded the Center for Policy & Research in Emergency Medicine
  • Established emergency medicine fellowship programs
  • Recruited clinician-scientists
  • Led multi-year CDC- and NIH-funded research initiatives

Under his leadership, the department was recognized by the NIH as one of the “top five” research-grant-supported academic departments of emergency medicine.

Dr. Hedges currently serves as Dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

His national leadership includes:

  • President, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
  • President, Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine
  • Founding Editor, Academic Emergency Medicine

In 2000, Dr. Hedges was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine).

His textbook, Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine, helped define the discipline and set standards for evidence-based procedural practice.

Building on Dr. Hedges’s Legacy

The Jerris R. Hedges Endowed Professorship will create a perpetual funding stream dedicated to:

  • Advancing research excellence
  • Supporting the Center for Policy & Research in Emergency Medicine
  • Translating clinical knowledge into improved healthcare systems
  • Enhancing emergency services delivery for Oregonians

The endowment will sponsor a leading scientist committed to advancing emergency medicine systems research and health policy innovation.

Supporting the Hedges Endowment

The fund accepts:

  • Pledges
  • One-time gifts
  • Bequests, trusts, and gift annuities
  • Gifts of real estate, stocks, bonds, and other assets

The OHSU Foundation provides a secure online donation form for your convenience:
Donate online

You may also mail in your contribution:

Please fill out a gift form and return to:
OHSU Foundation
1121 SW Salmon St, Suite 200
Portland, OR 97205-2021

As we continue to raise funds towards our Endowed Professorships, we will support education and research grants for faculty members and provide educational materials for our residents. To date, our department has awarded 10 junior faculty grants over the past five years from the Jerris R. Hedges and John C. Moorhead Emergency Medicine Endowment Funds, which have supported innovative projects such as:

  • Improving CPR Quality through technology, education, and research (Laerdal Q-CPR High Fidelity CPR system) - Joshua Kornegay, M.D.
  • Intravenous Sodium Valproate for Abortive Migraine Management in the Pediatric Emergency Department - David Sheridan, M.D.
  • Inappropriate Prescribing of Opiates - Bory Kea, M.D.
  • Quick Brain MRI use for shunt evaluation in the Pediatric Emergency Department compared to the current standard, brain CT - Esther Yue, M.D.
  • Understanding Medical Student Perceptions of High-Fidelity Simulation: A Qualitative Study - Simran Vahali, M.D.
  • Qualitative analysis of communication between physicians and nurses in the emergency department - David Jones, M.D.
  • A Novel Integrated Learning Approach for Pre-Clinical Medical Students through Early Procedural Exposure and Simulation - Becky Tuttle, M.D.

In addition to our endowment funds, we are raising funds for several additional initiatives in support of our research, education and clinical missions:

This fund, championed by our physicians, bridges the gap for those patients who might otherwise be unable to obtain necessary medications in the immediate wake of their emergency care. The ED Prescription Assistance Fund offers short-term relief to patients in need until they can receive appropriate follow-up care. Nearly $38,000 has been spent since inception in providing prescription assistance to hundreds of patients.

In honor of a pioneer in Emergency Medical Services, Keith Neely, this fund supports EMS research including paramedic education in research techniques and health care policy for pre-hospital care.

By enhancing elements of our core curriculum and funding resident-driven research projects, this fund cultivates a broader commitment to our mission of research, education, and patient care among our residents.

There are many projects to be done in emergency medicine research that don't have specific funding sources. This fund jumpstarts such developmental projects and in so doing, paves the way for future research.

This fund supports our global health fellowship, making possible specific international global health mission trips, as well as participation in national and international conferences on global health.