Leadership
The OHSU Internal Medicine Residency Program leadership is comprised of faculty from both the OHSU Hospital and the Portland VA Medical Center.
Catherine L. "Terri" Hough, MD, MSc, ATS-F
Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Medicine
Edwards Professor of Pulmonary Medicine
Director, OCTRI KL2 Program
Dr. Hough is Professor and currently the Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University. She attended the University of California at Berkeley where she majored in Molecular and Cell Biology. After a year working in a structural biology laboratory, she attended the University of California at San Francisco and earned her MD. Dr. Hough headed east for internship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania, then returned to the west coast for fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the University of Washington and chief residency at Harborview Medical Center.
After completing clinical training, Dr. Hough earned a Masters in Epidemiology at UW and launched her research career, focused on understanding and improving outcomes of critically ill patients. Her clinical work was in the Medical and Trauma ICUs, where she particularly enjoyed the care of patients with the sepsis, respiratory failure, and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Dr. Hough was the medical director of the Harborview MICU from 2011-2019, working with interprofessional teams to provide compassionate and evidence-based critical care. She was recruited to OHSU to head the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in 2020, and, in 2023, transitioned to Interim Chair of Medicine.
Since coming to OHSU, Dr. Hough has focused on surviving COVID-19, recruiting a diverse faculty, growing our clinical research program, and mentoring our next generation of clinicians and scientists. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family, enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and watching soccer.
- MSc (Epidemiology): University of Washington, 2003
- MD: University of California at San Francisco, 1996
- BA (Molecular and Cell Biology): University of California at Berkeley, 1991
- Fellowship: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine: University of Washington, 2003
- Chief Residency: University of Washington/Haborview Medical Center, 2001
- Residency: University of Pennsylvania, 1999
- Internship: University of Pennsylvania, 1997
Research Interests
- Improving outcomes after sepsis, pneumonia, and critical illness, with observational epidemiology, clinical trials, and implementation science
Clinical Interests
- Critical care, focused on acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, sepsis, and chronic critical illness
- Palliative Care
Sima S. Desai, MD, MACP, FRCP
Program Director
Vice Chair for Education
Professor of Medicine
Division of Hospital Medicine, OHSU
Dr. Sima Desai is currently the Program Director in Internal Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Medicine and Professor of Medicine. She graduated from the University of New Mexico (UNM) receiving her BS and BA in Biology and Chemistry respectively. She then graduated from UNM School of Medicine followed by Internal Medicine Residency and Chief Residency at Oregon Health & Science University. She was recruited along with her co-chiefs to start the hospitalist program at OHSU and has enjoyed a career in caring for patients and teaching residents and students since that time.
Her career path has ranged anywhere from being Section Chief of the Hospital Division to being an Associate Program Director before landing her dream job as a program director. She is the past Chair of the ACGME Internal Medicine Review Committee. Sima’s most recent award is the ACGME Parker J. Palmer Courage To Teach Award. Her scholarly interests include residency and medical student education, diagnostic reasoning/cognitive bias and resiliency and well-being. Sima finds joy being with her family and friends, being outside, bike commuting and learning new things.
- MD: University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, 1994
- BA: University of New Mexico, Chemistry, Albuquerque, NM, 1990
- BS: University of New Mexico, Biology (With Distinction), Albuquerque, NM, 1989
- Chief Residency: Oregon Health &Science University, Portland, OR, 1998
- Residency: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 1997
- Internship: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 1995
Research Interests
- Medical Education
- Diagnostic Reasoning
- Cognitive Bias
Clinical Interests
- Hospital Medicine
- Communication
- Palliative Care