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New Leader For OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital

   Portland, Ore.

Noted Pediatric Oncologist To Lead Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Pediatrics Department At OHSU

H. Stacy Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., is the new chairman of pediatrics in the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, and the new physician-in-chief at Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

In his new roles, Nicholson will focus on broadening Doernbecher's nationally recognized research and clinical programs, and will partner with community providers to ensure Oregon's infants, children and adolescents continue to receive the most state-of-the-art, highest-quality care.

Nicholson replaces pediatric oncologist F. Leonard Johnson, M.D., who stepped down in June of this year.

"We are doing work here at Doernbecher that impacts the care of children on an international basis," said Nicholson, a prominent pediatric cancer specialist and member of the OHSU Cancer Institute. "By continuing to add to our slate of top-notch staff, presenting our research breakthroughs at national meetings, having nationally recognized training programs, and increasing the number of competitive research grants we win from the National Institutes of Health, we will continue to build on our national reputation for excellence," said Nicholson

Nicholson also emphasized the importance of building relationships with community clinicians: "We will continue to work hard to take care of the community providers who take care of our children."

Prior to being appointed chairman of pediatrics, Nicholson served as director of the Doernbecher Kenneth W. Ford Northwest Children's Cancer Center and head of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology in the OHSU School of Medicine. Nicholson's special expertise in late complications of therapy and quality of life in survivors of childhood cancer, treatments for children with brain tumors, Langerhans cell histiocytosis and the development of new therapies for children with cancer have earned him national acclaim.

"I am convinced Dr. Nicholson will provide the leadership to further our outstanding pediatric program and to ensure the future growth and excellence of Doernbecher Children's Hospital," said Joe Robertson Jr., M.D., M.B.A., dean of the OHSU School of Medicine.

Nicholson was recruited to OHSU in 1997 to establish Doernbecher's first Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program. Three years later, Nicholson was instrumental in helping The Children's Oncology Group, a National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials group devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research, select Doernbecher's Division of Hematology/Oncology as 1 of only 21 pediatric cancer programs in North America to perform Phase I clinical trials.

In 2004 he was appointed head of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology in the School of Medicine, and director of the Kenneth W. Ford Northwest Children's Cancer Center in Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

He also has served as program leader of the OHSU Cancer Institute's Cancer Prevention and Control Program, and co-director of Doernbecher's Comprehensive Pediatric Brain Tumor Clinic.

Before coming to OHSU, Nicholson was as an associate professor of pediatrics at The George Washington University with joint appointments at the Children's National Medical Center and the National Cancer Institute, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. He earned his bachelor's in mathematics at Furman University, Greenville, S.C.; his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta; and his master's in biostatistics at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, D.C.

He trained in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and in cancer epidemiology at the National Cancer Institute.

Nicholson is a member of numerous national cancer organizations and has held leadership positions in the American Society for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and The Children's Oncology Group.

Doernbecher is the region's only hospital with specialists in every major area of pediatric care. Last year, close to 48,000 children from Oregon, southwest Washington and surrounding states made nearly 150,000 visits to the hospital and clinics. It is a major referral center for cancer, heart disease, cardiac surgery, diabetes, kidney disease, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, metabolic disorders, organ and stem cell transplantation and trauma.

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