Mission Statement

The OHSU Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency's mission is to train future leaders in public health and preventive medicine. We are dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of communities through service, promoting health equity, actively engaging in scientific research, and prioritizing evidence-based approaches in clinical preventive medicine. 

Aims

Comprehensive Training: Our program provides residents with comprehensive training in public health principles, epidemiology, health policy, and clinical preventive medicine. Residents benefit from strong partnerships with local FQHCs, urban and rural county health departments, and CareOregon, a leading Medicaid/health plan provider that is also a key program sponsor.   

Community Engagement: We empower residents to actively engage in community-based projects and interventions that directly impact population health. Through hands-on experience, residents develop a deep understanding of community needs and effective strategies for improving health outcomes. 

Health Equity Focus: At the core of our training is a health equity lens that permeates all aspects of our program. We encourage residents to identify and address the social determinants of health that contribute to disparities, promoting culturally sensitive approaches to care that prioritize equity and inclusivity. 

Research and Evidence-Based Practice: We promote a culture of scientific inquiry by encouraging residents to actively engage in research projects in our academic health center and the local community. Through their involvement, residents contribute to the evidence base for preventive medicine while honing their critical thinking and research skills. 

Advocacy and Policy Training: Our program equips residents with the tools and knowledge to become effective advocates for public health policy and change. By leveraging their didactic education and community partnerships, residents drive policy decisions that enhance population health and equity. 

What makes us special?

OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) serves as an exceptional learning site for Public Health and General Preventive Medicine residents. Here, residents have a unique opportunity to engage in diverse facets of preventive medicine practice. They can immerse themselves in occupational health, contribute to school-based health center and wellness/lifestyle medicine clinics within our family medicine facilities, and explore elective rotations in clinical prevention under the guidance of specialists such as those in preventive cardiology. Furthermore, OHSU offers residents the chance to pursue practicum projects and research experiences, collaborating with numerous active researchers within the institution. This comprehensive exposure equips residents with a well-rounded education and hands-on experience. 

CareOregon: Residents will have multiple opportunities to rotate at CareOregon, which serves over 500,000 patients and is one of the largest Medicaid providers in Oregon. CareOregon is also the administrator of many of the state’s Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) and has decades of experience at the intersection of medical cost management and health policy development. Residents will be able to contribute to their population health work in the region and help develop and implement programs addressing the challenges of health equity and care management. 

Multnomah County Health Department is one of the largest health Depatments in the State of Oregon and serves Portland and the surrounding area. From managing disease outbreaks to providing trauma-informed care to those with serious mental illness, Multnomah County monitors and responds to a wide range of environmental threats and health emergencies and provides unique services across the lifespan. Residents will have the chance to work with the Health Officer and Deputy Health Officers and see patients in their TB and STI Clinics. 

Columbia County Public Health is a county health department in a rural county northwest of the Portland Metro Area. Residents will have a rotation at this site, working with the county health officer and local public health officials. This is a unique experience to participate in health promotion and prevention in a rural county.  

Central City Concern is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that provides health care and housing services to individuals affected by homelessness. They have 2 primary care clinical sites in Portland where residents will have an opportunity to rotate during their clinical rotations, where their work will primarily be focused on addictions care and harm reduction work. They also have additional multidisciplinary preventive services teams that focus on clinical prevention at the population level. Residents will have a chance to work with these teams too. 

Population health research: In addition to the key clinical rotation experiences, residents will have the opportunity to participate in population health research at OHSU. Given our position in Oregon’s sole academic health center, and our strong relationship with OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, there are myriad opportunities to be involved in many different types of work. Residents will be mentored through a practicum experience in their final year of residency, which may include a final project that could end in research publication, conference presentations and/or grant submissions. 

Resident Wellness

Wellness is a priority for our program. In addition to the four “wellness” half days given to our residents per year, we also have wellness conferences, a resident retreat, mentorship programs and our wellness resident committee. 

Resident wellness is similarly programmed into our rotation schedules. Certain rotations include unscheduled time during business hours on weekdays. This time can be used for personal wellness or administrative time. 

OHSU also offers access to the Resident and Faculty Wellness Center and provides many services to increase clinician wellness and reduce burnout and distress. These services include confidential counseling and coaching services for both professional and personal struggles. The Wellness Center offers early morning and evening hours to accommodate resident schedules. In addition, there is a wellness help line that is available 24 hours a day. 

The OHSU-PSU School of Public Health is a partnership of two of Oregon’s leading universities with the goal of training the next generation of public health leaders. The school focuses on community-engaged learning and scholarship that puts the student and researcher out in the world, in real communities. With its students, the school works to find enduring solutions to today’s public health problems and is committed to educating students of all backgrounds who want to enter the health field and improve lives in their communities. With the generous support of our funding sponsor, the cost of tuition for the MPH can be covered by the residency program.

There are two available concentrations for the MPH program through OHSU PSU School of Public Health. Learn more by visiting the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health website:

• MPH in Epidemiology
• MPH in Health Management & Policy