OCTRI held its second annual awards dinner to bring the research community at OHSU and the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (KPCHR) together to celebrate innovation, collaboration, and improved human health. The event included guest speakers and a keynote address from Joseph Beckman, PhD, Director of Environmental Health Sciences at Oregon State University.

Recipients of the 2009 OCTRI pilot project or strategic investment funding presented scientific posters and interacted with attendees who were interested in their research. The breadth of research topics was impressive, including: health care data management, breast cancer, Down Syndrome and melanoma.

As part of the event, OCTRI assembled a team of judges to evaluate the posters and oral presentations. Judges noted that presenters demonstrated a consistent theme of collaboration across disciplines, with community partners and industry, among institutions, and with students.

At the end of the evening, the judges awarded  special recognitions to School of Medicine scientists. They were:

• Fay B. Horak, PhD, PT, Professor, Department of Neurology was recognized for Interdisciplinary Research
• David Ellison, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine and Katrina Goddard, PhD, (KPCHR) were recognized for Collaborative Research
• John G. Hunter, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, with Dan Gareau, Ph.D. post-doctoral research fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Erin Gilbert, MD, Instructor, Department of Surgery were recognized for Innovation
• Dan Marks, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics was recognized for Impact on Human Health
• Damien Fair, PhD, PA-C, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Neuroscience and Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine were recognized for Progress Towards Novel Federal Funding
  

"I have been extremely appreciative of OCTRI to be a recipient of a Young Investigator Award, and even more honored to be selected by the judges for the award regarding Progress Towards Novel Federal Funding," said Dr. Fair. “My experience at the awards dinner and with OCTRI in general has been excellent, and their support toward my progress has been invaluable."
 
In conjunction with the event, OCTRI published an Abstract Book to showcase the exceptional work being conducted by investigators who receive OCTRI support.  Click here to learn more about the special recognition recipients and their projects and view the OCTRI Abstract Book.



Pictured: (Top) Dan Gareau; (Bottom) Attendees view science poster