Division of general internal medicine

Stethoscope

The Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics is a division within the Department of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The Division is comprised of three sections; two at OHSU and one at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The three sections often collaborate on teaching and training activities, research, and clinical care. The Division is home to a group of outstanding physicians, nurse practitioners, researchers, and educators who are dedicated to serving the people of Oregon by providing excellent clinical care, and serving the region and the nation through research and education. It is an exciting time to be involved in primary care, with innovative educational models and health care reform initiatives that are transforming how care is delivered.

The Division has over 50 full time and part time faculty members, and over 180 volunteer clinical faculty located throughout the region. Dr. Katherine Bensching is Division Head and Dr. Elizabeth Allen, MD is Section Chief at the Portland VAMC.

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Dennis McCarty Inducted into University of Kentucky Hall of Fame

Congratulations to AMERSA's 2022 New Investigator Award Winner!

Dr. Ximena Levander

Ximena A. Levander, M.D., MCR

Dr. Levander is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Clinician Investigator at OHSU in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Addiction Medicine Section. Her research interests focus on developing and implementing effective and innovative interventions for delivering evidence-based substance use disorder treatment in a patient-centered approach to people who use drugs. She is currently funded by a Learning Health Systems Science K12 to evaluate utilization of telemedicine for treatment of opioid use disorder and is a member of the OHSU Digital Health prototyping team. She is interested in how to ensure equitable access to addiction treatment using telemedicine and how telemedicine could expand access particularly to those with barriers to care including those living in rural communities, those experiencing homelessness, and women. In her current clinical practice, she splits her time working at the OHSU outpatient addiction and complex pain (ACP) clinic, on the OHSU inpatient addiction consult service (IMPACT), and at a harm reduction low-barrier buprenorphine bridge clinic (HRBR). She received a B.S. from Vanderbilt University and M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College. She completed residency in internal medicine/primary care at University of Washington and fellowships in addiction medicine and Samuel Wise General Internal Medicine Clinical Research at OHSU.

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OHSU model reduces opioid prescribing

Innovative review board model helps create culture of safe prescribing
Internal medicine clinicians have sharply reduced the amount of opioids prescribed though innovative use of a review board comprising a team of health care professionals from various disciplines to ensure patients’ needs are being met.

2021 Quality Improvement Fast Adaptor Award

OHSU Continuing Professional Development and the MOC IV Review Committee has selected the Virtual Visit Implementation in Ambulatory Care for the Quality Improvement Fast Adaptor Award for 2021.

This award recognizes specific projects that have made a difference at OHSU. The Continuing Professional Development Quality Improvement Fast Adaptor Award is specifically focused on projects designed to address emerging medical and public health issues.